Digital video recording and reproduction system and method suitable for live-pause playback utilizing intelligent buffer memory allocation

摘要

A Digital Video Recording (DVR) system and method obviates the need for prior art circular video buffers and their associated problems by using information from a Program Guide Service to specify an appropriate length buffer. As a result, older portions of a program are not erased because of buffer size limitation, and system resources are not inefficiently allocated for small programs. The invention is especially compatible with live-pause recording and playback. At the viewer/user's option any program being played back or recorded can be stored in long-term memory.