Apparatus and method for intelligent multimedia compression and distribution

Abstract

A method implemented on a multimedia storage apparatus comprises storing digital multimedia content in an interim storage buffer at a first compression ratio, the first compression ratio being the ratio at which the digital multimedia content was transmitted by a multimedia content broadcaster; decompressing the multimedia content; recompressing the multimedia content at a second compression ratio specified by a user, the second compression ratio being higher than the first compression ratio; and storing the recompressed multimedia content in a long term storage buffer.

1 . A method comprising: 
 storing compressed multimedia content in an interim storage buffer at a first compression ratio, said first compression ratio being that at which said compressed multimedia content was transmitted by a multimedia content broadcaster;    converting said compression ratio of said compressed multimedia content from said first compression ratio to a second compression ratio; and    storing said multimedia content compressed at said second compression ratio in a long term storage buffer.    
     
     
         2 . The method as in  claim 1  wherein converting comprises: 
 decompressing said multimedia content compressed at said first compression ratio; and    recompressing said multimedia content at said second compression ratio, said second compression ratio being higher than said first compression ratio.    
     
     
         3 . The method as in  claim 1  wherein converting said compressed multimedia content to compressed multimedia content at said second compression ratio is performed as a background task.  
     
     
         4 . The method as in  claim 1  wherein said compressed multimedia content at said first compression ratio is DV25-compressed and said compressed multimedia content at said second compression ratio is MPEG1-, MPEG2- or MPEG4-compressed.  
     
     
         5 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising streaming said multimedia content from said long term storage buffer to a decompression module and then to a multimedia rendering device responsive to a user request to view said multimedia content.  
     
     
         6 . The method as in  claim 1  further comprising automatically streaming said multimedia content remaining in said interim storage buffer to a decompression module once said compressed multimedia content stored in said long term storage buffer has been streamed to said rendering device, if any multimedia content remains in said interim storage buffer when said long term storage buffer is empty.  
     
     
         7 . The method as in  claim 1  wherein said multimedia content is broadcast video content.  
     
     
         8 . The method as in  claim 7  wherein said broadcast video content is transmitted from a cable television provider.  
     
     
         9 . The method as in  claim 7  wherein said broadcast video content is a Webcast transmitted over a data network.  
     
     
         10 . A method comprising: 
 storing first multimedia content in an trick mode data buffer on a mass storage device, said trick mode data buffer storing said first multimedia content at a compression ratio at which said first multimedia content was transmitted;    storing second multimedia content identified for long term storage in an interim multimedia buffer on said mass storage device at a compression ratio at which said second multimedia content was transmitted;    recompressing said second multimedia content as a background task at a second compression ratio responsive to a user request to record said multimedia content; and    storing said recompressed multimedia content in long term multimedia buffer on said mass storage device.    
     
     
         11 . The method as in  claim 10  further comprising streaming said first multimedia content from said trick mode data buffer to a decompression module and then to a multimedia rendering device responsive to a user request to view said multimedia content.  
     
     
         12 . The method as in  claim 10  wherein said first multimedia content is a live multimedia broadcast.  
     
     
         13 . The method as in  claim 10  further comprising stopping streaming said first multimedia content responsive to a user command to stop said streaming while at the same time continually storing additional live incoming multimedia content in said trick mode data buffer.  
     
     
         15 . The method as in  claim 12  wherein said live multimedia broadcast is a Webcast transmitted over a data network.  
     
     
         16 . The method as in  claim 12  further comprising compressing said first multimedia content in real time using light compression logic before said first multimedia content is stored in said interim multimedia buffer.  
     
     
         17 . A method comprising: 
 compressing an incoming multimedia signal in real time to produce first-compressed multimedia content;    storing said first-compressed multimedia content;    converting said first-compressed multimedia content to second-compressed multimedia content having a different compression ratio than said first-compressed multimedia content; and    storing said second-compressed multimedia content.    
     
     
         18 . The method as in  claim 17  wherein said different compression ratio is selected by a user.  
     
     
         19 . The method as in  claim 17  further comprising: 
 decompressing said second-compressed multimedia content prior to transmitting said multimedia content to a multimedia rendering device.    
     
     
         20 . The method as in  claim 19  further comprising: 
 decompressing said first-compressed multimedia content after said second-compressed multimedia content has been decompressed and transmitted.    
     
     
         21 . The method as in  claim 17  wherein converting comprises converting said first-compressed multimedia content to said second-compressed multimedia content as a background task.  
     
     
         22 . The method as in  claim 17  wherein said first-compressed multimedia content uses intra-frame coding and said second-compressed multimedia content uses inter-frame coding.  
     
     
         23 . A system for storing and playing back multimedia content comprising: 
 means for storing compressed multimedia content in an interim storage buffer at a first compression ratio, said first compression ratio being that at which said compressed multimedia content was transmitted by a multimedia content broadcaster;    means for converting said compression ratio of said compressed multimedia content from said first compression ratio to a second compression ratio; and    means for storing said multimedia content compressed at said second compression ratio in a long term storage buffer.    
     
     
         24 . The system as in  claim 23  wherein the means for converting comprises: 
 means for decompressing said multimedia content compressed at said first compression ratio; and    means for recompressing said multimedia content at said second compression ratio, said second compression ratio being higher than said first compression ratio.    
     
     
         25 . The system as in  claim 23  wherein the means for converting said compressed multimedia content to compressed multimedia content at said second compression ratio comprises a CPU executing a compression algorithm as a background task.  
     
     
         26 . A system for storing and playing back multimedia content comprising: 
 first compression means for compressing an incoming multimedia signal in real time to produce first-compressed multimedia content;    first storage means for storing said first-compressed multimedia content;    second compression means for converting said first-compressed multimedia content to second-compressed multimedia content having a different compression ratio than said first-compressed multimedia content; and    second storage means for storing said second-compressed multimedia content.    
     
     
         27 . The system as in  claim 26  further comprising: 
 first decompression means for decompressing said second-compressed multimedia content prior to transmitting said multimedia content to a multimedia rendering device.    
     
     
         28 . The system as in  claim 27  further comprising: 
 second decompression means for decompressing said first-compressed multimedia content after said second-compressed multimedia content has been decompressed and transmitted.    
     
     
         29 . The system as in  claim 26  wherein said first compression means utilizes intra-frame coding and said second compression means utilizes inter-frame coding.  
     
     
         30 . The system as in  claim 29  wherein said intra-frame coding is DCT coding and said inter-frame coding comprises motion compensation and frame differencing.  
     
     
         31 . The system as in  claim 29  wherein said intra-frame coding utilizes ADPCM compression and said inter-frame coding utilizes DCT-based compression.  
     
     
         32 . The system as in  claim 26  wherein said conversion means comprises a general purpose CPU executing a compression algorithm as a background task.  
     
     
         33 . The system as in  claim 32  wherein said conversion means further comprises one or more swap files utilized by said CPU during execution of said compression algorithm.  
     
     
         34 . The system of  claim 26  wherein said different compression ratio is selected by a user.  
     
     
         35 . A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing a computer to perform a method comprising: 
 storing compressed multimedia content in an interim storage buffer at a first compression ratio, said first compression ratio being that at which said compressed multimedia content was transmitted by a multimedia content broadcaster;    converting said compression ratio of said compressed multimedia content from said first compression ratio to a second compression ratio; and    storing said multimedia content compressed at said second compression ratio in a long term storage buffer.