System and method for associating presented digital content within recorded digital stream and method for its playback from precise location

Abstract

To avoid discontinuities when resuming play of a digital stream that was paused while being viewed live and being simultaneously recorded, the timestamp and digital stream time base discontinuity count associated with the last-viewed frame are used to access the frame in storage that has the same discontinuity count (indicating that it is in the same segment as the last-viewed frame) and a timestamp one greater than the timestamp of the last-viewed frame.

1 . A television systems comprising:
 at least one processor associating at least one timestamp of at least one digital data element with at least one discontinuity count;   wherein
 the timestamp and discontinuity count are used by the processor for resuming play, using data in a storage accessible to the processor, of a digital data stream that was paused and/or bookmarked during live play of the stream. 
   
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor is associated with a personal video recorder. 
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the digital data element includes at least one video frame, and the processor uses the timestamp and discontinuity count of a last-presented video frame in a live video stream to resume play using video data in a storage. 
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein video frames in the storage are associated with respective timestamps and video stream discontinuity counts. 
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein if a frame comes unaccompanied by an associated timestamp, a timestamp is calculated for the frame. 
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 4 , comprising a record discontinuity counter in a recording path and a decode discontinuity counter in a decoding path, and the counters are synchronized with each other. 
   
   
       7 . A method for providing for smooth resumption of play of a digital stream, comprising:
 detecting a “resume play” command;   using a timestamp and discontinuity count of a paused and/or bookmarked frame, retrieving a frame at least partially based on the frame having a discontinuity count matching the discontinuity count of the paused and/or bookmarked frame; and   synchronizing a discontinuity count in a recording path with a discontinuity count in a decoding path.   
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising retrieving a frame based on the frame having a timestamp that matches the timestamp of the paused frame. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising retrieving a frame based on the frame having a timestamp that is the next sequential timestamp after the timestamp of the paused frame. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 7 , comprising using a personal video recorder to execute at least some of the method acts. 
   
   
       11 . (canceled) 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , comprising generating a timestamp for a frame arriving without a timestamp. 
   
   
       13 . A television system, comprising:
 at least one TV display;   at least one decoder driving the display;   means for sending a received digital stream having time base discontinuities through the decoder for presentation thereof on the display;   means for pausing and/or bookmarking the display;   means for sending a recorded version of the received digital stream through the decoder for presentation thereof on the display upon resumption of play, the means for sending a recorded version accounting for time base discontinuities in the stream.   
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the means for sending a recorded version operates based at least in part on at least one timestamp of at least one frame of the digital stream. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein at least the means for sending a received digital stream and the means for sending a recorded version are embodied by at least one processor. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is associated with a personal video recorder. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the processor uses the timestamp and discontinuity count of a last-presented frame in a live video stream to resume play using video data in a storage local to the processor. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein video frames in the storage are associated with respective timestamps and digital stream discontinuity counts. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein if a frame comes unaccompanied by an associated timestamp, a timestamp is calculated for the frame. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 13 , comprising a record discontinuity counter in a recording path and a decode discontinuity counter in a decoding path, and the counters are synchronized with each other.