Media Content Redirection

Abstract

A content delivery server may allow users to redirect browsed content from one system to another. A user may install or activate a plug-in to a browser, such as an Internet browser, and the plug-in may be linked to the user's account on another service. As the user browses content from the browser, the user may select a command to cause the browsed content to be delivered to the other service, ingested by the other service, and made available to the user from the other service.

We claim: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 allowing a user to identify and tag a video on a first network using a first computing device for playback on a second device associated with a second network;   using a centralized content server disposed between the first network and the second network to redirect playback of the video to the second device including receiving at least portions of the   video and transcoding the video into a different format; and   listing, at the second device, the video along with user selected content recorded by the second device.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 offering the user an option to begin playback of the video on the second device before the video has been completely transcoded;   initiating a stream of the video to the second device in response to the user's request to begin playback of the video before the video has been completely transcoded; and   continuing to transcode the video while streaming transcoded portions of the video to the second device.   
     
     
         4 . (canceled) 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 receiving a user request to skip forward in the playback of the video, and skipping forward in the transcoding of the video in response;   receiving a request from the user to stop playback of video;   identifying two or more untranscoded gaps in the video; and   transcoding the contents of the two or more gaps at the centralized content server.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising including the video in an electronic program guide listing of future scheduled video programs made available by the second device to the user. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising including the video in a listing of available movies for purchase by the user using the second device. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising linking an account of the user on the second network to the computing device. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the tagging further comprises the centralized content server sending a content request message to a network site on the first network hosting the video to direct the video, where the request identifies the computing device, and not the centralized content server, as a sender of the message. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 allowing a user to identify and tag a video on a first network using a first computing device;   linking the video to a first user account associated with a second network;   using a centralized content server disposed between the first network and the second network to redirect playback of the video to a target device associated with a different user; and   displaying status information associated with the target device of the different user, to the first user to allow the first user to select the target device for displaying the video based on the status information.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising determining the target device based on a characteristic of the video. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the target device is a digital video recorder (DVR). 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising
 streaming the video twice, from the centralized content server, wherein during a first streaming, the centralized content server inserts a transcoding delay animation into the streamed video and during a second streaming, the centralized content server streams the video without inserting a transcoding delay animation into the streamed video.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising generating a display containing information identifying one or more video redirection preferences of the different user. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising providing a network browser on the first network, with which the user finds the video, with a selection of a specific device of the different user. 
     
     
         17 . A computing device, comprising:
 a processor;   a memory, storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the following to occur:
 tune and record scheduled video programs in response to user requests; 
 present a list of the recorded video programs to a user, wherein the list includes an entry to stream an Internet video redirected by the user to the computing device; 
 receive a user request to view the redirected Internet video; and 
 receive a stream of the redirected Internet video for the user to view, wherein the received stream is in a same format as one of the scheduled video programs recorded by the computing device. 
   
     
     
         18 . The computing device of  claim 17 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the following to occur:
 offering the user an option to begin playback of the Internet video before the Internet video has been completely transcoded by a centralized content server.   
     
     
         19 . (canceled) 
     
     
         20 . A system including the computing device of  claim 17  and a centralized content server configured to transcode the Internet video and provide it to the computing device, wherein the centralized content server is further configured to:
 in response to a user request to skip forward in a playback of the Internet video, skip forward in the transcoding of the Internet video; 
 identify one or more transcoding gaps in the Internet video at the centralized content server; and 
 after playback of transcoded portions of the Internet video, transcode patch segments of the Internet video. 
 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising obtaining a list of devices of the different user, and filtering the list based on the different user's preferences prior to displaying it for selection by the user. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising displaying a list of other users, and in response to receiving a user selection of the different user, displaying a list of available devices of the different user's for receiving the redirected video. 
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second network is a video on demand network and wherein the second device is a digital video recorder (DVR). 
     
     
         25 . The computing device of  claim 17 , wherein the memory further stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the following to occur:
 display a time-ordered listing of scheduled programs wherein:
 the listing includes Internet videos redirected by the user; and 
 the listing depicts a combined duration of at least one Internet video.