Client-server based interactive guide with server recording

摘要

An interactive television program guide system is provided. An interactive television program guide provides users with an opportunity to select programs for recording on a remote media server. Programs may also be recorded on a local media server. The program guide provides users with VCR-like control over programs that are played back from the media servers and over real-time cached copies of the programs. The program guide also provides users with an opportunity to designate gift recipients for whom programs may be recorded.

主权项

1. A method for recording programs in a location remote to users comprising:
receiving, over a communications path using Internet Protocol (IP), a record request, generated by a user equipment, to record a program; processing the record request; scheduling a recording of the program for storage in a storage device, in the location remote to users, in response to processing the record request; recording the program to the storage device in a first video format; receiving, over the communications path using IP, a playback request for the program from the user equipment; processing the playback request; converting the recorded program from the first video format to a second video format; and causing the converted recorded program to be transmitted to the user equipment in response to processing the playback request.