Client-server based interactive television 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 providing users with access to respective directories of user recorded programs using a program guide, the method comprising:
receiving at a remote server, using processing circuitry, a program from a broadcast source; recording, using the processing circuitry, the program on the remote server in response to receiving a request to record the program from a user equipment of a plurality of user equipment, wherein the user equipment is located on a network different from (1) a respective network of each other user equipment of the plurality of user equipment and (2) a network of the remote server; maintaining, using the processing circuitry, on the remote server, a user directory for each user of each user equipment of the plurality of user equipment, wherein each user directory reflects programs that have been recorded on the remote server for each respective user; and enabling, using the processing circuitry, each user to access the respective user directory associated with the respective user from the remote server using the program guide.