Digital Video Recording System

Abstract

A digital video recorder (DVR) system processes digital streams and associates stream information with segments of video and audio components. Segments of video and audio components from memory are sent to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the segments of video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices. The decoder converts the video and audio components into output signals.

1 . A method for the simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:
 receiving a digital stream that includes video and audio components;   buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components in a memory;   associating stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components;   storing by the media switch the buffered video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;   sending by the media switch a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;   decoding the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals with the one or more decoders;   receiving a control command;   processing with at least a CPU the received control command and stream information associated with the previously stored video and audio components to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders; and   mediating, by the media switch, between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory, the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising separating the video and audio components for storage and play back. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the associated stream information includes any of:
 location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising converting television signals from analog signals to digital streams and formatting the digital streams in accordance with an MPEG standard. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising parsing at least the video components to generate associated stream information. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the parsing is performed by the media switch. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving step receives television signals via a tuner. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the receiving step receives digital streams via an input device. 
     
     
         9 . A method for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:
 accepting multimedia data including video and audio data from an input device;   requesting, by a source object, a buffer and filling, by the source object, the buffer with the video and audio data;   transferring, by a transform object, the video and audio data from the buffer to a storage device, the storage device is separate from the buffer;   storing the video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;   controlling automatically, by the transform object, flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;   placing, by the transform object, a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;   requesting, by a sink object to the transform object, for the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;   supplying, by the transform object to the sink object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;   outputting the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers to a decoder by the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;   converting with the decoder the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;   sending the display signals for display;   receiving control commands with a control object; and   sending by the control object, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising analyzing the video and audio data to generate stream information. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the stream information includes any of: location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the source object obtains the buffer from the transform object. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus for the simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:
 a stream receiver that receives a digital stream that includes video and audio components;   a stream information associate that associates stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components;   a memory for buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components;   one or more storage devices where the media switch stores the buffered video and audio components from the memory and which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;   one or more decoders that receive a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory from the media switch essentially simultaneously with the media switch storing the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;   wherein the one or more decoders decode the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals;   a control command receiver that receives a control command;   a CPU that processes the received control command and stream information associated with the previously stored video and audio components to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders; and   wherein the media switch mediates between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory and wherein the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising a video and audio component separator that separates the video and audio components for storage and play back. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the associated stream information includes any of: location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising a stream converter that converts television signals from analog signals to digital streams and formats the digital streams in accordance with an MPEG standard. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , further comprising a parser that parses at least the video components to generate associated stream information. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the parser is a component of the media switch. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the stream receiver comprises a tuner that receives television signals. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the stream receiver comprises an input device that accepts the digital streams. 
     
     
         21 . An apparatus for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, comprising:
 at least one input device that accepts multimedia data including video and audio data;   a buffer granted upon a request by a source object and filled with the video and audio data by the source object;   a storage device that is separate from the buffer and receives from a transform object the video and audio data from the buffer;   wherein the transform object automatically controls flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;   wherein the storage device stores the video and audio data from the buffer;   wherein the transform object places a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storage device storing the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer;   a sink object that requests and receives from the transform object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;   a decoder that receives the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers from the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;   wherein the decoder converts the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;   wherein the display signals are sent for display;   a control object that receives control commands; and   wherein the control object sends, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.   
     
     
         22 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the transform object analyzes the video and audio data to generate stream information. 
     
     
         23 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the stream information includes any of:
 location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information.   
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 21 , wherein the source object obtains the buffer from the transform object. 
     
     
         25 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:
 accepting multimedia data including video and audio data from an at least one input device;   requesting, by a source object, a buffer and filling, by the source object, the buffer with the video and audio data;   transferring, by a transform object, the video and audio data from the buffer to a storage device, the storage device is separate from the buffer;   controlling automatically, by the transform object, flow of the video and audio data from the at least one tuner to the storage device;   storing the video and audio data from the buffer in the storage device;   placing, by the transform object, a particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer into data stream buffers essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio data from the buffer on the storage device;   supplying, by the transform object to a sink object, the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;   requesting, by a sink object to the transform object, for the data stream buffers that contain the particular segment of video and audio data;   outputting the particular segment of video and audio data from the data stream buffers to a decoder by the sink object, the sink object is automatically flow controlled by the transform object;   converting with the decoder the particular segment of video and audio data into display signals;   sending the display signals for display;   receiving control commands with a control object; and   sending by the control object, in response to the control commands, flow command events to control flow of video and audio data through the source object, the transform object, and the sink object.   
     
     
         26 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 25 , further comprising analyzing the video and audio data to generate stream information. 
     
     
         27 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 26 , wherein the stream information includes any of: location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information. 
     
     
         28 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 25 , wherein the source object obtains the buffer from the transform object. 
     
     
         29 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or more sequences of instructions for simultaneous storage and play back of multimedia data, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of:
 receiving a digital stream that includes video and audio components;   buffering by a media switch segments of video and audio components in a memory;   associating stream information with each segment of a plurality of segments of video and audio components   storing by the media switch the buffered video and audio components from the memory on one or more storage devices which contain previously stored segments of video and audio components that have associated stream information, the memory separate from the one or more storage devices;   sending by the media switch a particular segment of video and audio components from the memory to one or more decoders essentially simultaneously with the storing of the particular segment of video and audio components from the memory on the one or more storage devices;   decoding the particular segment of video and audio components into display output signals with the one or more decoders;   receiving a control command;   processing with at least a CPU the received control command and stream information associated with the previously stored video and audio components to send the previously stored video and audio components to the one or more decoders; and   mediating, by the media switch, between the CPU, the one or more storage devices, and the memory, the media switch operates asynchronously from the CPU.   
     
     
         30 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , further comprising separating the video and audio components for storage and play back. 
     
     
         31 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the associated stream information includes any of: location of I-frames, time stamps, random access information, or index information. 
     
     
         32 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , further comprising converting television signals from analog signals to digital streams and formatting the digital streams in accordance with an MPEG standard. 
     
     
         33 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , further comprising parsing at least the video components to generate associated stream information. 
     
     
         34 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 33 , wherein the parsing is performed by the media switch. 
     
     
         35 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the receiving step receives television signals via a tuner. 
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 29 , wherein the receiving step receives digital streams via an input device.