Systems and methods for reducing cut-offs in program recording

Abstract

A media recording system may be provided. The recording system may include features for reducing recording cut-off of a particular media event due to changes in the start time and end time of what is scheduled to be recorded. The recording system may provide a user with an opportunity to select a program by for example, selecting a listing, to have that program automatically recorded at a scheduled time for presentation to viewers. Changes in the schedule of programs may be compensated manually or automatically when the recording system receives information about actual or predicted time changes. In a manual mode, a user may adjust start or end times based on time change information that is displayed. For an automatic mode, the recording system may automatically compensate for predicted or actual time changes that are known by automatically adjusting the start and end times of recording.

1 - 57 . (canceled) 
     
     
         58 . A method for use in a recording system for reducing cut-offs when programs are recorded, the method comprising:
 receiving at the user equipment a user selection of a first program to record;   predicting by the user equipment a first time change associated with the selected first program by retrieving from memory a second time change associated with a second program, wherein the selected first program is of a program type similar to a program type of the second program; and   recording by the user equipment the selected first program to compensate for a time change based on the predicted first time change.   
     
     
         59 . The method of  claim 58  wherein the predicted first time change comprises predicted time delay information. 
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 59  wherein the predicted time delay information is based on previously logged time changes. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising displaying a predicted time delay information for the selected first program. 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 58  wherein the predicted first time change comprises predicted time extension information. 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 62  wherein the predicted time extension information is based on previously logged time changes. 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising displaying a predicted time extension information for the selected first program. 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising providing a user with an opportunity to select a recording start time. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising automatically selecting the recording start time. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 66  further comprising providing a user with an opportunity to select to have automatic selection of the recording start time. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising providing a user with an opportunity to select a recording end time. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising automatically selecting the recording end time. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 69  further comprising providing a user with an opportunity to select to have automatic selection of the recording end time. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 69  further comprising displaying an icon in a program listing for the selected first program to indicate that the predicted first time change is available. 
     
     
         72 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising displaying an icon in a program listing for the selected first program that indicates that the selected first program is to be recorded. 
     
     
         73 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising trimming a recording time of the selected first program or an adjacent program to reduce the cut-off in a program recording. 
     
     
         74 . The method of  claim 73  wherein trimming the recording time comprises trimming based on a confidence level in time change information for the selected first program and the adjacent program. 
     
     
         75 . The method of  claim 74  wherein trimming comprises trimming a time changed recording time of the selected program when time change information for the selected first program has a lower confidence level than the adjacent program. 
     
     
         76 . User recording equipment that reduces cut-offs when programs are recorded, the user recording equipment comprising:
 control circuitry that is configured to:
 receive a user selection of a first program to record; and 
 predict a first time change associated with the selected first program by retrieving from memory a second time change associated with a second program, wherein the selected first program is of a program type similar to a program type of the second program; and 
   a media recording device that is responsive to the control circuitry and that is configured to record the selected first program to compensate for a time change based on the predicted first time change.   
     
     
         77 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the predicted first time change comprises predicted time delay information. 
     
     
         78 . The user recording equipment of  claim 77  wherein the predicted time delay information is based on previously logged time changes. 
     
     
         79 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry displays a predicted time delay information for the selected first program. 
     
     
         80 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the predicted first time change comprises predicted time extension information. 
     
     
         81 . The user recording equipment of  claim 80  wherein the predicted time extension information is based on previously logged time changes. 
     
     
         82 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry displays the predicted time change information for the selected first program. 
     
     
         83 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry provides a user with an opportunity to select a recording start time to compensate for the time change. 
     
     
         84 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry automatically selects a recording start time to compensate for the time change. 
     
     
         85 . The user recording equipment of  claim 84  wherein the user recording equipment is configured to provide the user with an opportunity to select to have the control circuitry automatically select a recording start time. 
     
     
         86 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry provides the user with an opportunity to select a recording end time to compensate for the time change. 
     
     
         87 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry automatically selects a recording end time to compensate for the time change. 
     
     
         88 . The user recording equipment of  claim 87  wherein the user recording equipment is configured to provide the user with an opportunity to select to have the control circuitry automatically select the recording end time. 
     
     
         89 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry displays an icon in a program listing for the selected first program to indicate that predicted first time change information is available. 
     
     
         90 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry displays an icon in a program listing for the selected first program that indicates that the selected first program is to be recorded. 
     
     
         91 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry is configured to trim the recording time of the selected first program or an adjacent program to reduce the cut-off in a program recording. 
     
     
         92 . The user recording equipment of  claim 91  wherein the control circuitry is configured to trim the recording based on a confidence level in time change information for the selected first program and the adjacent program. 
     
     
         93 . The user recording equipment of  claim 92  wherein the control circuitry is configured to trim a time change recording time of the first program when time change information for the first program has a lower confidence level than the adjacent program. 
     
     
         94 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising allowing the user to change the predicted first time change. 
     
     
         95 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  wherein the control circuitry allows the user to change the predicted first time change information. 
     
     
         96 . The method of  claim 76 , wherein the predicted first time change is based on time changes for previous programs that were scheduled to be broadcast on the same channel as the selected first program. 
     
     
         97 . The method of  claim 76 , wherein the predicted first time change is based on time changes for previous programs that are the same as the selected first program. 
     
     
         98 . The method of  claim 76 , further comprising:
 receiving the second program from a media provider, wherein the second program is associated with a particular broadcast time interval;   detecting a change in the broadcast time interval of the second program; and   storing the change in the broadcast time interval of the second program in memory in response to detecting the change.   
     
     
         99 . The method of  claim 98 , further comprising:
 determining whether the second program is related to the selected first program; and   retrieving change in the broadcast time interval of the second program from memory in response to determining that the second program is related to the selected first program, wherein the predicted first time change associated with the selected first program is based on the retrieved change in the broadcast time interval of the second program.   
     
     
         100 . The method of  claim 98 , wherein the broadcast time interval of the second program includes a start time and an end time. 
     
     
         101 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76 , wherein the predicted first time change is based on time changes for previous programs that were scheduled to be broadcast on the same channel as the selected first program. 
     
     
         102 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76 , wherein the predicted first time change is based on time changes for previous programs that are the same as the selected first program. 
     
     
         103 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 receive the second program from a media provider, wherein the second program is associated with a particular broadcast time interval;   detect a change in the broadcast time interval of the second program; and   store the change in the broadcast time interval of the second program in memory in response to detecting the change.   
     
     
         104 . The user recording equipment of  claim 103 , wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 determine whether the second program is related to the selected first program; and   retrieve change in the broadcast time interval of the second program from memory in response to determining that the second program is related to the first selected program, wherein the predicted first time change associated with the selected first program is based on the retrieved change in the broadcast time interval of the second program.   
     
     
         105 . The user recording equipment of  claim 103 , wherein the broadcast time interval of the second program includes a start time and an end time. 
     
     
         106 . The method of  claim 58 , wherein the predicted first time change is predicted before any part of the selected first program is recorded. 
     
     
         107 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76 , wherein the predicted first time change is predicted before the selected first program is recorded. 
     
     
         108 . The method of  claim 58  further comprising:
 displaying a prompt to inform the user about the predicted first time change associated with the selected first program; and   receiving indication from the user that instructs the user equipment to compensate for the time change based on the predicted first time change.   
     
     
         109 . The user recording equipment of  claim 76  further comprising, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:
 display a prompt to inform the user about the predicted first time change associated with the selected first program; and   receive indication from the user that instructs the user equipment to compensate for the time change based on the predicted first time change.