Media recording and playback

Abstract

A media recording device automatically records selected broadcast programmes according to categories specified by the user, without requiring the user to specify in advance which programmes are to be recorded. The recorded programmes are then presented to the user for selection, and the selected programmes may be played back immediately or saved for later playback. Each broadcast programme may be allocated a priority, and the device may decide which programmes to record or delete according to their relative priority. For each broadcast programme, a corresponding visibility period may be specified, during which the programme can be selected for playback and is not deleted. There may be a delay between the broadcast of the programme and the beginning of its visibility period. An expiry time may be specified for each programme, after which the programme is deleted. There may be a delay between the end of the visibility period and the expiry time.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . Apparatus for selectively recording and playing back broadcast media content items, the apparatus comprising:
 a. a push content manager that receives media content information relating to the media content items;   b. non-transitory data storage that selectively receives and records from a broadcast stream ones of the media content items selected on the basis of the media content information;   c. a user interface that indicates recorded media content items to a user and receives a user selection of the indicated media content items; and   d. an audiovisual display that is configured to play back said user-selected media content item or items;   wherein the media content information includes availability times corresponding to the media content items, and wherein the user interface is arranged not to indicate said recorded media content items before said corresponding availability times.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the media content information indicates expiry times corresponding to the media content items, the recording means being arranged to delete ones of the media content items for which the corresponding expiry times have passed. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the media content information indicates a relative priority between different ones of said media content items. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the non-transitory data storage is arranged to select said ones of the media content items on the basis of the relative priority. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the non-transitory data storage is arranged to delete ones of the media content items having lower priority than ones of the media content items selected for recording. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the non-transitory data storage is arranged to delete selected ones of said media content items according to a storage capacity constraint. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the media content information indicates one or more categories corresponding to each of said media items, and wherein the non-transitory data storage is arranged to record selected ones of the media content items on the basis of said one or more categories. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the apparatus further receives user category preferences from a user, and the non-transitory data storage is arranged to record selected ones of the media content items on the basis of said user category preferences. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 8 , wherein said categories include a default category, and wherein the non-transitory data storage is arranged to record selected ones of the media content items belonging to the default category independently of said user category preferences. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein said media content information includes media content identification information uniquely identifying said media content items, and wherein the non-transitory data storage is arranged to record only ones of said media content items which the media content identification information indicates are not already recorded. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the user selection includes an indication that the selected one or more of the media content items are to be saved for subsequent playback, such that the non-transitory data storage is inhibited from deleting the saved one or more media content items. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 11 , wherein the media content information includes an indication as to which of the media content items are not permitted to be saved, such that the user is prevented from saving those indicated media content items. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the media content information is received from the broadcast stream. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further includes a plurality of receiver resources configured to receive said broadcast stream, and includes a live play resource configured to play live content from the broadcast stream substantially as it is received, the apparatus being further arranged to allocate at least one of the receiver resources to the live play resource in preference to recording by the non-transitory data storage. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 14 , further including a live content resource that detects whether the user is attending to the live content, and that reallocates the at least one of the receiver resources from the live play resource to the non-transitory data storage if the user is detected not to be attending to the live content. 
     
     
         16 . A method of selectively recording and playing back broadcast media content items, the method comprising:
 a. receiving media content information relating to the media content items at a push content information interface;   b. selectively receiving and recording from a broadcast stream ones of the media content items, selected on the basis of the media content information, at a non-transitory data storage;   c. indicating recorded media content items to a user and receiving a user selection of the indicated media content items; and   d. playing back said user-selected media content item or items;   wherein the media content information includes an availability time corresponding to a recorded one of the media content items, and the user interface is arranged not to indicate said corresponding recorded media content items before said availability time.   
     
     
         17 . A method of broadcasting media content items for recording and subsequent playback, the method comprising broadcasting said media content items together with media content information indicating a relative priority between different ones of said media content items. 
     
     
         18 . A method of broadcasting media content items for recording and subsequent playback, the method comprising broadcasting said media content items together with media content information indicating availability times corresponding to the media content items, such that the media content items are available to be selected for playback only after the corresponding availability times. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the availability times are subsequent to the corresponding broadcast times of the media content items. 
     
     
         20 . A method of broadcasting media content items for recording and subsequent playback, the method comprising broadcasting said media content items together with media content information indicating visibility times corresponding to the media content items, such that the media content items are available to be selected for playback only during the corresponding visibility times. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the media content information includes save information indicating whether each of the media content items can be saved during their corresponding visibility times for viewing after their corresponding visibility times.