[000l] The present subject matter relates to communication networks and, particularly,
but not exclusively, to systems and methods for recording a multimedia stream.
[0002] Digital television services are quite popular among viewers due to higher quality
sound and greater resolution pictures. In digital TV, multimedia content that is sent across to
various viewers is encoded by an encoder at a service provider's end. The encoded multimedia
content is then transmitted to viewers' ends, where the encoded multimedia content is decoded
a by a decoder. The decoder is generally referred to as a set top box. Thereafter, the decoded
multimedia content is provided to a content viewing device, such as a television or monitor or a
mobile phone.
[0003] With efficient utilization of transmission bandwidth, digital TV offers a wider
range of channels in standard definition (SD) and high definition (HD) than ever before. Further,
digital TV also offers various additional features to the viewers, such as pay TV, video-ondemand,
recording, and pay per view. In an example, for recording a multimedia content, such as
a video or an audio, a viewer can simply press a record button provided on a remote of the
content viewing device or the set top box. In another example, the viewer can fix the time during
which helshe wants to record the multimedia content. Generally, the recorded multimedia
content is stored in a storage medium. Examples of the storage medium may include memory of
the set top box, memory of the content viewing device, and an external storage disk attached to
@ the content viewing device or the set top box.
[0004] This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to recording of a
multimedia stream in a storage medium. This summary is not intended to identify essential
features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the
scope of the claimed subject matter.
I
[OOOS] In an embodiment, a method for recording a multimedia stream in a storage
medium is disclosed. The method comprises determining a size of a multimedia stream to be
recorded. Thereafter, the storage medium is selected from among a plurality of storage media
based on at least one of user preferences and a storage space available in each of the plurality of
storage media. Further, the multimedia stream is received for storing in the storage medium and,
while storing, total storage consumed in the storage medium is monitored and it is estimated
whether sufficient storage space is available for a remaining part of the multimedia stream.
Thereafter, an adaptation request is transmitted to a delivery server based on the monitoring and
the estimating. Further, the remaining part of the multimedia stream with adapted content quality
is received to reduce storage consumption based on the adaptation request. Subsequently, the
remaining part of the multimedia stream is stored in the storage space available in the storage
medium to record the multimedia stream in the storage medium.
[0006] In accordance with another embodiment of the present subject matter, a
@ multimedia processing system is disclosed. The multimedia processing system includes a
processor and a recording module coupled to the processor. The recording module determines a
size of a multimedia stream to be recorded. Thereafter, the recording module selects the storage
medium from among a plurality of storage media based on at least one of user preferences and a
storage space available in each of the plurality of storage media. Further, the recording module
receives the multimedia stream for storing in the storage medium and, while storing, the
recording module monitors total storage consumed in the storage medium and estimates whether
sufficient storage space is available for a remaining part of the multimedia stream. Thereafter,
the recording module transmits an adaptation request to a delivery server based on the
monitoring and the estimating. Further, the recording module receives the remaining part of the
multimedia stream with adapted content quality to reduce storage consumption based on the
adaptation request. Subsequently, the recording module stores the remaining part of the
multimedia stream in the storage space available in the storage medium to record the multimedia
stream in the storage medium.
[0007] In accordance with another embodiment of the present subject matter, a nontransitory
computer readable medium comprising instructions to implement a method for
recording a multimedia stream in a storage medium. The method comprises determining a size of
a multimedia stream to be recorded. Thereafter, the storage medium is selected from among a
plurality of storage media based on at least one of user preferences and a storage space available
in each of the plurality of storage media. Further, the multimedia stream is received for storing in
3
the storage medium and while storing total storage consumed in the storage medium is monitored
and it is estimated whether sufficient storage space is available for a remaining part of the
multimedia stream. Thereafter, an adaptation request is transmitted to a delivery server based on
the monitoring and the estimating. Further, the remaining part of the multimedia stream with
adapted content quality is received to reduce storage consumption based on the adaptation
request. Subsequently, the remaining part of the multimedia stream is stored in the storage space
available in the storage medium to record the multimedia stream in the storage medium.
BRIEFD ESCRIPTIOONF THE FIGURES
[OOOS] The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures.
In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the
a reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference
like features and components. Some embodiments of system andlor methods in accordance with
embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with
reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
[0009] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a transmission environment comprising a
multimedia processing system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[OOl 01 Figure 2 illustrates a method for recording of a multimedia stream in a storage
medium, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0011] Systems and methods for recording of a multimedia stream in a storage medium are
described. The systems and methods can be implemented in a variety of transmission
0 environments. The transmission environments for which the systems and methods can be utilized
include, but are not limited to, direct-to-home (DTH) transmissions, and Internet Protocol (IP)
transmissions. Although the description herein is with reference to 1P networks, the systems and
methods may be implemented in other transmission modes and networks, albeit with a few
variations, as will be understood by a person skilled in the art.
[0012] Television distribution systems, such as DTH broadcast and IP television (IPTV)
broadcast require a set top box (STB) at a receiving location to decode the multimedia stream.
Examples of the multimedia stream may include a video or an audio. The set top box or the
content viewing may allow a user to record the multimedia stream based on hislher preferences.
Typically, the recorded multimedia stream for the purpose of playback is stored in a storage
medium, such as operator network storage, USB memory, cloud storage memory, set top box
memory, home network attached storage (NAS), and internal storage of the content viewing
device.
[0013] While recording the multimedia stream, the user may face various storage related
problems, for example, the multimedia stream to be recorded may have a size greater than the
storage space available in the storage medium. To overcome such problems, a conventional
system provides an on-screen notice to the user that the storage space left in the storage medium
is critical or very less. Such an on-screen notice may be displayed to the user when helshe is
about to start the recording or during the recording of the multimedia content indicating that
@ storage space is very low and some existing content in the storages medium should be deleted in
order to complete or continue the recording of the multimedia stream. Therefore, the user has to
foresee consumption of the storage space in the storage medium when the multimedia stream is
to be recorded or while the multimedia stream is being recorded. Further, the user may also have
to delete some existing content from the storage medium in order to complete or continue the
recording of the multimedia stream. In such cases, presence of the user near the content viewing
device may be needed so that helshe is able to see the on-screen notice on the content viewing
device and take the appropriate actions.
[0014] According to an implementation of the present subject matter, systems and methods
for recording a multimedia stream in a storage medium are described. In one embodiment, the
systems and methods are described for IPTV broadcast systems. In various other embodiments,
the systems and methods may be implemented in television broadcast systems that may include
DTH, and the likes, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.
[0015] In an implementation, in case of content viewing devices such as LED TV and LCD
TV, the content viewing devices may receive the multimedia stream through the set top box,
which decodes the encoded multimedia stream for the content viewing device. On the other
hand, in case of content viewing devices such as mobile phone and tablets, which are capable of
decoding the encoded multimedia stream, the content viewing devices may not need the set top
box for decoding of the multimedia stream.
[0016] In one implementation, when an instruction for recording a program is received from
the user, a size of a multimedia stream may be obtained by analyzing a bit rate and duration of
the multimedia stream corresponding to the program. In an example, the duration of the
multimedia stream may be obtained from a program guide. Thereafter, the storage medium may
be selected from among a plurality of storage media coupled to a content viewing device or a set
top box. The plurality of storage media may include operator network storage, USB memory,
cloud storage memory, set top box memory, home network attached storage (NAS), and internal
storage of the content viewing device. In one implementation, the storage medium may be
selected based on user preferences and storage space available in each of the plurality of storage
media.
[0017] Once the storage medium is selected, the multimedia stream is received for storing in
@ the storage medium. While storing the multimedia stream, total storage consumed in the storage
medium may be monitored and it may be estimated whether sufficient storage space is available
for a remaining part of the multimedia stream.
[0018] Further, an adaptation request is sent to a delivery server to adapt content quality of
the multimedia stream based on the monitoring and the estimating. In an example, upon
ascertaining that the total storage consumed in the storage medium is greater than a threshold
storage limit and the storage space left in the storage medium is not sufficient for storing a
remaining part of the multimedia stream, the adaptation request may be transmitted to the
delivery server. The adaptation request may include user profile and a user selection to adapt
content quality of the multimedia stream so that most of the multimedia stream or complete
multimedia stream gets stored in the limited storage left in the storage medium.
[0019] In one implementation, the threshold storage limit may be determined based on user
preferences. In an example, the user may define a storage limit up to which helshe wants to
record the multimedia stream without adapting content quality of the multimedia stream. This
storage limit is referred to as the threshold storage limit.
[0020] In case of the IPTV broadcast systems, the delivery server may be located at a
network provider's end. On the other hand, in case of the DTH broadcast systems, the delivery
server may be located at a content provider's end. The content provider provides the multimedia
content to the delivery server, which encodes the multimedia content and delivers the encoded
multimedia stream to content viewing devices. In one implementation, the delivery server may
comprise an encoder which encodes the multimedia stream at multiple bit rates. Further,
availability of the multimedia stream at multiple bit rates is also communicated to the content
viewing device or the set top box. Upon receiving the adaptation request, the delivery server may
provide the remaining part of multimedia stream with adapted content quality. In an example, the
delivery server may inform the content viewing device or the set top box that multimedia streams
encoded at 360 Kbps, 720 Kbps, and 1080 Kbps are available to the content viewing device and
currently the multimedia stream encoded at 720 Kbps is being transmitted to the content viewing
device. Upon receiving the adaptation request, the delivery server may adapt the content quality
of the multimedia steam and transmit the multimedia stream encoded at the lower bit rate, i.e.,
360 Kbps to the content viewing device.
[0021] In this manner, the present subject matter provides example methods and systems for
recording multimedia stream in the storage medium. Further, with the present subject matter,
storage space of the storage medium is efficiently utilized during recording of the multimedia
stream. The present subject matter selects the storage medium when the plurality of storage
media is available to the user based on the user preferences and the storage space in the storage
medium. Further, the present subject matter can reduce the storage consumption by the
multimedia stream in the storage medium by adapting the multimedia stream size. The content
quality of the multimedia stream is dynamically adapted so that complete multimedia stream can
be stored in the storage space left in the storage medium.
[0022] It should be noted that the description merely illustrates the principles of the
present subject matter. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to
devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described herein, embody the principles
of the present subject matter and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all
examples recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to
aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by
the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such
specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles,
aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to
encompass equivalents thereof.
[0023] The manner in which the systems and methods for recording a multimedia stream
in a storage medium are implemented shall be explained in details with respect to the Figures 1-
2. While aspects of described systems and methods for minimizing storage consumption during
recording of a multimedia stream in a storage medium can be implemented in any number of
different computing systems, transmission environments, and/or configurations, the
embodiments are described in the context of the following exemplary system(s).
[0024] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a transmission environment 100 comprising a
multimedia processing system 102, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject
matter. The transmission environment 100 further comprises a plurality of content viewing
devices 104- 1, 104-2, . . . ., and 104-N, hereinafter collectively referred to as content viewing
devices 102 and individually referred to as content viewing device 104. Examples of the content
@ viewing device 102 may include variety of displays known in the art, such as an electro
luminescent display (ELD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode
(OLED), a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and a thin-film
transistor LCD (TFT-LCD) and various computing devices, such as a laptop, a personal
computer, a mobile phone, and a tablets.
[0025] Further, the transmission environment 100 includes a delivery server 106 and a
content database 108. The delivery server 106 receives multimedia content, such as a video and
an audio from the content database 108. The data in the content database 108 may be provided
by a content provider. Generally, the content database 108 has the multimedia content in various
file formats and at different bit rates. In one implementation, the delivery server 106 may be
located at a network provider's end. In another implementation, in absence of the network
provider, the delivery server 106 may be located in a content provider's network.
[0026] As shown in Figure 1, the delivery server 106 may communicate with the content
viewing devices 104 through a network 110. In one implementation, the delivery server 106 may
comprise an encoder to encode the multimedia stream at multiple bit rates and communicate the
bit rates at which the multimedia stream is available to the user of the content viewing device
104. Thereafter, the delivery server 106 may transmit the multimedia stream encoded at a
particular bit rate determined based on user profile and a request for receiving the multimedia
stream. The network 110 may be a combination of wired and wireless networks. The network
1 10 may be implemented through satellite communication, terrestrial communication, or may be
implemented through the use of routers and access points connected to various Digital
Subscriber Line Access Multiplexers (DSLAMs) of wired networks. The network 110 can be
implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, telecom network, local
area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), Virtual Private Network (VPN), internetwork,
Global Area Network (GAN), the Internet, and such. The network 1 10 may either be a dedicated
network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks
that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCPIIP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to
communicate with each other. In one implementation, the network 110 may include television
networks, broadcast networks and the likes, as would be understood by those skilled in the art.
@ f00271 In one implementation, the content viewing devices 104 may or may not have an
ability to decode the encoded multimedia stream received from the delivery server 106. In such
cases, a decoder 112, hereinafter referred to as a set top box 112, may be used to decode the
multimedia stream for the content viewing device 104. As shown in Figure 1, in case of the
content viewing device 104-2, a set top box 112 is used to decode the multimedia stream. Once
the multimedia stream is decoded by the set top box 112, the decoded multimedia stream may be
provided to the content viewing device 104. For example, a TV may not have decoding
capabilities to decode the multimedia stream encoded by the delivery server 106. In such cases,
the encoded multimedia stream is first decoded by the set top box 112 and then provided to the
content viewing device 104. Thereafter, the content viewing device 104 may display the
multimedia stream on a screen of the content viewing device 104. Although the set top box 1 12
is shown to be connected directly to the content viewing device 104-2, it would be appreciated
by those skilled in the art that the set top box 112 may be distributed locally or across a different
geographic location. In one implementation, in case of the content viewing devices 104 in which
the decoding capabilities are integrated within the content viewing devices 104, such as a laptop,
a personal computer, a mobile phone, and a tablet, the set top box 112 may not be needed as
shown in Figure 1.
[0028] Further, in situations where the user is authorized to record the multimedia stream
in a storage medium, the user may record the multimedia stream by simply pressing a record
button provided on the content viewing device 104 or the set top box 112 or through a remote of
9
the content viewing device 104 or the set top box 112. In an example, the user may input the
time during which helshe wants to record the multimedia stream. In another example, the
multimedia stream may be recorded in the storage medium when the multimedia stream is
paused.
[0029] Further, during the recording of the multimedia stream, the user may face storage
space related issues. For example, the storage space in the storage medium may get completely
consumed with the recordings and there may not be enough storage space in the storage medium
for further recording. In such cases, the multimedia stream may not be downloaded completely
due to lack of storage space in the storage medium. In another example, the user may not be able
to foresee the storage space consumption due to the recording of the multimedia stream.
Therefore, it may become difficult for the user to decide in which storage medium the
@ multimedia stream should be stored.
[0030] The present subject matter allows selection of the storage medium for storing the
multimedia stream based on the storage space needed to store the multimedia stream
corresponding to a particular program and user preferences. The present subject matter can also
reduce the storage consumption during recording of the multimedia stream in the storage
medium. For the purpose, the set top box 112 or the content viewing device 104 may comprise
the multimedia processing system 102. In one implementation, the multimedia processing system
102 may be present in the content viewing device 104 which has the decoding capabilities. In
another implementation, the multimedia processing system 102 may be present in the set top box
112 having the decoding capabilities. Although Figure 1 shows that the content viewing device
104-1 comprises the multimedia processing system 102, it may be understood that the
multimedia system may also be present in other content viewing devices 104 and the set top box
112.
[0031] In one implementation, the multimedia process system 102 includes, one or more
processor(s) 1 14, 110 interface(s) 1 16, and a memory 1 18 coupled to the processor(s) 1 14. The
processor(s) 114 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers,
microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic
circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among
other capabilities, the processor(s) 114 are configured to fetch and execute computer-readable
instructions stored in the memory 1 18.
[0032] The functions of the various elements shown in the figures, including any
functional blocks labeled as "processor(s)", may be provided through the use of dedicated
hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate
software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated
processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which
may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term "processor" should not be construed to refer
exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without
limitation, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable
gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory
(RAM), and non volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional andlor custom, may also be
included.
[0033] The 110 interface(s) 116 may include a variety of software and hardware
interfaces, for example, interfaces for peripheral device(s), such as data input output devices,
referred to as I10 devices, storage devices, network devices, etc. The 110 interface(s) 116
facilitate the communication of the multimedia processing system 102 with the content viewing
device 104 or the set top box 112.
[0034] The memory 118 may include any non-transitory computer-readable medium
known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random access memory
(SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), andlor non-volatile memory, such as
read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical
@ disks, and magnetic tapes.
[0035] The multimedia processing system 102 may also include various module(s) 120.
The module(s) 120, amongst other things, include routines, programs, objects, components, data
structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The
module(s) 120 may also be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic
circuitries, andlor any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational
instructions.
[0036] Further, the module(s) 120 can be implemented in hardware, instructions executed
by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processing unit can comprise a computer,
a processor, such as the processor 114, a state macbine, a logic array or any other suitable
devices capable of processing instructions. In another aspect of the present subject matter, the
module(s) 120 may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a
processor/processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities. The machine-readable
instructions may be stored on an electronic memory device, hard disk, optical disk or other
machine-readable storage medium or non-transitory medium.
[0037] The multimedia processing system 102 may further include data 122, which
amongst other things, serves as a repository for storing data processed, received, associated, and
generated by one or more of the module(s) 120.
[0038] The module(s) 120 further include a recording module 124, and other module(s)
126. The other module(s) 126 may include programs or coded instructions that supplement
applications and functions of the multimedia processing system 102. The data 122 includes, for
example, user data 128 and other data 130. The other data 130 includes data generated as a result
of the execution of one or more modules in the other module(s) 130.
[0039] In one implementation, when an instruction for recording a program is received
from the user, the recording module 124 may determine a size of a multimedia stream
corresponding to the program which the user wants to record. The recording module 124 may
determine the size of the multimedia stream based on a bit rate of the multimedia stream and
duration of the multimedia stream obtained from a program guide. The bit rate is one among
multiple bit rates made available to the content viewing device 104 by the delivery server 106.
For example, the recording module 124 may identify that the duration of the multimedia stream
for the program is 2 hours and the bit rate of the multimedia stream is 360 Kbps. Thereafter, the
recording module 124 may determine that the multimedia stream of 360 Kbps may consume 3
Megabyte (Mb) per minute when stored in the storage medium. In this manner, the recording
module 124 may determine that the size of the multimedia stream is around 360 Mb.
[0040] Subsequently, the recording module 124 may select the storage medium from
among a plurality of storage media based on the user preferences and storage space available in
each of the plurality of storage media. The recording module 124 may obtain the user
preferences from the user data 128. The plurality of storage media are the storage mediums that
are available to the user for storing the multimedia stream. Examples of the plurality of storage
media may include operator network storage, USB memory, cloud storage memory, Set top box
112 memory, home NAS, and internal storage of the content viewing device 104.
[0041] In one implementation, the recording module 124 may select the storage based on
the user preferences and the storage space available in each of the plurality of storage media. In
an example, the user preferences may indicate the storage medium in which the multimedia
stream should be stored. In another example, the user preferences may indicate priorities
assigned to the storage media. In one implementation, the recording module 124 may determine
whether the storage medium is in the user preferences. In case, the storage medium is in the user
preferences, the recording module 124 may select that particular storage medium for storing the
0 multimedia stream. On the other hand, in case, the user preferences do not specify any storage
medium for storing the multimedia stream, the recording module 124 may select the storage
medium with maximum storage space available for storing. In another example, if the three
storage media are in the user preferences, the recording module 124 may select the storage
medium with the highest priority or the storage medium with the maximum storage space.
[0042] Once the storage medium is selected, the recording module 124 may receive the
multimedia stream for storing in the storage medium. The multimedia stream received by the
recording module 124 has the bit rate as requested by the user of the content viewing device 104.
As described above, the delivery server 106 communicates the multiple bit rates at which the
multimedia stream is available to the user. Thereafter, the bit rate from among the multiple bit
rates at which helshe wants to receive the multimedia stream is transmitted by the delivery server
[0043] Further, while storing the multimedia stream, the recording module 124 may
monitor total storage consumed in the storage medium and estimate whether sufficient storage
space is available for a remaining part of the multimedia stream. In one implementation, while
storing the multimedia stream, the recording module 124 can continuously determine the total
storage consumed in the storage medium, the storage space available for the multimedia stream,
and storage space needed for recording the remaining part of the multimedia stream. For
example, the recording module 124 may monitor that the storage space of 3 GB has been
consumed in the storage medium and the storage space of 2 GB is needed for the remaining part
of the multimedia stream. Thereafter, in case the storage space of 1 GB is available in the storage
medium, the recording module 124 may estimate that the storage space available is not sufficient
for storing the remaining part of the multimedia stream. On the other hand, in case the storage
space of more than 2 GB is available in the storage medium, the recording module 124 may
estimate that the storage space available is sufficient for storing the remaining part of the
multimedia stream
[0044] Thereafter, the recording module 124 may transmit an adaptation request to a
delivery server 106 based on the monitoring and the estimating. In one implementation, when the
recording module 124 ascertains that the total storage consumed is greater than a threshold
storage limit and the storage space available in the storage medium is insufficient for storing the
@ remaining part of the multimedia stream, the recording module 124 transmits the adaptation
request the delivery server 106. The adaptation request may include the user profile and a user
selection for adaptation of content quality of the multimedia stream. The user profile may have
information related to the subscription of the user, such as type of the content viewing device
104 associated with the user and an IP address of the content viewing device 104. In one
implementation, the adaptation request may be sent in a networking protocol, such as hyper text
transfer protocol (HTTP).
[0045] In one implementation, the recording module 124 may obtain the threshold
storage limit may by analyzing the user preferences. For example, the recording module 124 may
obtain that the threshold storage limit is 50 % of total storage capacity of the storage medium
base on the user preferences. Further, the delivery server 106, upon receiving the adaptation
@ request, may provide the remaining part of the multimedia stream with adapted content quality.
In one implementation, the delivery server 106 may adapt the content quality of the multimedia
stream based on the user profile and the user selection For example, the delivery server 106 may
adapt the content quality depending upon the type of the content viewing device 104. The
delivery server 106 may determine the type of the content viewing device 104 form the user
profile. In another example, the recording module 124 may adapt the content quality of the
remaining part of the multimedia stream based on user selection. As the multiple bit rates at
which the multimedia stream is available are known to the user, the user selection may indicate a
bit rate from the multiple bit rates at which the user wants to receive the remaining part of the
multimedia stream with adapted content quality.
[0046] Thereafter, the recording module 124 receives the remaining part of the
multimedia stream with adapted content quality to reduce storage consumption by the remaining
part of the multimedia stream in the storage medium. Due to adaptation in the content quality,
the remaining part of the multimedia stream received is less in size in comparison the remaining
part of the multimedia stream without adaptation in the content quality, thereby consuming less
storage space in the storage medium.
[0047] Further, the recording module 124 stores the remaining part of the multimedia
stream in the storage space available in the storage medium to record the multimedia stream in
@
the storage medium. In this manner, most of the multimedia stream or complete multimedia
stream is stored in the storage medium selected from among the plurality of storage media
available for storage of the multimedia stream.
[0048] In a scenario, when the user wants to record the multimedia stream encoded at
720 Kbps and two storage media of storage capacity 4 GB and 8GB are available for storing the
multimedia stream, the multimedia processing stem of the present subject matter may select the
storage medium with capacity of 8 GB for recording of the multimedia stream. Further, in said
scenario, if it is identified that threshold storage limit is crossed and remaining storage space of 2
GB available in the storage medium is not sufficient for storing the remaining part of the
multimedia stream which is 3 GB, the multimedia processing system 102 may receive the
remaining part of the multimedia stream with adapted content quality, i.e., encoded at the 360
8 Kbps. In this manner, with the multimedia processing system 102 of the present subject matter,
the multimedia stream is stored in the storage medium.
[0049] In an embodiment of the present subject matter, the recording module may
identify that the adaptation in the content quality is not permissible and the bit rate of the
multimedia stream may not be adapted. In such cases, the recording module 124 continues the
storing of the multimedia stream in the storage medium without adaptation of the content quality.
For example, if the user has requested for a movie-on-demand in High definition (HD) quality,
then the content quality of the multimedia stream for the movie-on-demand may not be adapted
as the user has requested for the HD quality.
[0050] Thus, the present subject matter selects the storage medium when the plurality of
storage media is available to the user. Further, the present subject matter minimizes the storage
consumption by the multimedia stream in the storage medium. The storage space of the storage
medium is efficiently utilized during recording of the multimedia stream. The content quality of
the multimedia stream is dynamically adapted so that complete multimedia stream can be stored
in the storage space left in the storage medium. With the present subject matter, the user needs
not to be present near the content viewing device 104 when the recording is on. Now the user can
simply switch on the recording of the multimedia stream without worrying about storage left in
the storage medium.
[005 11 Figure 2 illustrates a method 200 for recording a multimedia stream in a storage
medium, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter. The order in which the
method 200 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the
described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method, or an
alternative method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method 200 without
departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the
methods 200 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination
thereof.
[0052] A person skilled in the art will readily recognize that steps of the method 200 can
be performed by programmed computers. Herein, some embodiments are also intended to cover
program storage devices, for example, digital data storage media, which are machine or
computer readable and encode machine-executable or computer-executable programs of
instructions, wherein said instructions perform some or all of the steps of the described method
200. The program storage devices may be, for example, digital memories, magnetic storage
media, such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital
data storage media.
[0053] At block 202, a size of a multimedia stream to be recorded in a storage medium is
determined. In one implementation, when an instruction for recording a multimedia stream
corresponding to a particular program is received, the recording module 124 may determine the
size of the multimedia stream based on a program guide. In one example, the recording module
124 may obtain duration of the multimedia stream from the program guide and identifj a bit rate
of the multimedia stream which is being currently received by the content viewing device 104.
Thereafter, based on the duration and the bit rate of the multimedia stream, the recording module
124 may determine the size of the multimedia stream.
[0054] At block 204, the storage medium from among a plurality of storage media is
selected based on at least one of user preferences and a storage space available in each of the
plurality of storage media. In one implementation, the plurality of storage media may be
available to the user for storing the multimedia stream. Examples of the plurality of storage
media may include operator network storage, USB memory, cloud storage memory, Set top box
1 12 memory, home NAS, and internal storage of the content viewing device 104. In an example,
the user may specify preferences for storing the multimedia stream. Further, it may also be
possible that some of the storage media from the plurality of storage media may not have
@ sufficient storage space to store the multimedia stream requested by the user of the content
viewing device 104. In such cases, the recording module 124 may check whether the user has set
any preference for storing the multimedia stream. If the storage medium is in the user
preferences, the recording module 124 may select the storage medium for storing. On the other
hand, if the storage medium is not in the user preferences, the recording module 124 may select
the storage medium with maximum storage space available for storing the multimedia stream.
[0055] At block 206, the multimedia stream for storing in the storage medium is
received. Further, while storing the multimedia stream, total storage consumed in the storage
medium is monitored and it is estimated whether sufficient storage space is available for
remaining part of the multimedia stream. In one implementation, while storing the multimedia
stream, the recording module 124 continuously determine the total storage consumed in the
storage medium, the storage space available for the multimedia stream, and storage space needed
for recording the remaining part of the multimedia stream.
[0056] At block 208, an adaptation request is transmitted to a delivery server 106 based
on the monitoring and the estimating. In one implementation, when the recording module 124
ascertained that the total storage consumed greater than a threshold storage limit and the storage
space available in the storage medium insufficient for storing the remaining part of the
multimedia stream, the adaptation request is sent by the recording module 124 to the delivery
server 106. The adaptation request may include a user profile and a user selection for adaptation
of content quality of the multimedia stream. In one implementation, the threshold storage limit
may be obtained by analyzing the user preferences. For example, the user may specify in the user
preference that 60% of total storage capacity of the storage medium should be the threshold
storage limit. Further, the delivery server 106, upon receiving the adaptation request, may
provide the remaining part of the multimedia stream with adapted content quality, i.e., the
multimedia stream encoded at lower bit rate which will consume less space when stored in the
storage medium. In one implementation, content quality of the multimedia stream may be
adapted based on the user profile and the user selection obtained from the adaptation request.
[0057] At block 210, the remaining part of the multimedia stream with adapted content
quality is received, based upon the adaptation request, to reduce storage consumption. In one
implementation, the recording module 124 may receive the remaining part of the multimedia
content with the adapted content quality. Due to adaptation in the content quality, the remaining
part of the multimedia stream received may have less size in comparison to size of the remaining
part of the multimedia stream without adaptation in the content quality.
[0058] At block 2 12, the remaining part of the multimedia stream is stored in the storage
space available in the storage medium to record the multimedia stream in the storage medium. In
one implementation, the recording module 124 may store the remaining part of the multimedia
stream in the storage medium. Since the content quality of the remaining part of the multimedia
stream has been adapted, the remaining part of the multimedia stream may now consume less
storage space when stored in the storage medium. Therefore, the multimedia stream is stored
completely in the storage medium selected from among the plurality of storage media available
for storage of the multimedia stream.
[OOSS] Although implementations for recording a multimedia stream in a storage medium
have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be
understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or
methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as exemplary
implementations for recording a multimedia stream in a storage medium.

I/We claim:
1. A method for recording a multimedia stream in a storage medium, the method comprises:
determining a size of the multimedia stream to be recorded;
selecting the storage medium from among a plurality of storage media based on at
least one of user preferences and a storage space available in each of the plurality of
storage media;
receiving the multimedia stream for storing in the storage medium and while
storing:
monitoring total storage consumed in the storage medium; and
estimating whether sufficient storage space is available for a remaining
part of the multimedia stream;
transmitting an adaptation request to a delivery server (106) based on the
monitoring and the estimating;
receiving, based on the adaptation request, the remaining part of the multimedia
stream with adapted content quality to reduce storage consumption; and
storing the remaining part of the multimedia stream in the storage space available
in the storage medium to record the multimedia stream in the storage medium.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adaptation request comprises at least one
of a user profile and user selection to adapt the content quality of the multimedia stream.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the adaptation request is sent to the delivery
server (106) upon ascertaining that the total storage consumed is greater than a threshold
storage limit and the storage space available in the storage medium is insufficient for
e storing the remaining part of the multimedia stream.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the threshold storage limit is obtained by
analyzing the user preferences.
5. A multimedia processing system (102) for recording a multimedia stream in a storage
medium, the multimedia processing system (1 02) comprises:
a processor (1 14);
a recording module (124) coupled to the processor (1 l4), to:
determine a size of the multimedia stream to be recorded;
select the storage medium from among a plurality of storage media based
on at least one of user preferences and a storage space available in each of the
plurality of storage media;
receive the multimedia stream for storing in the storage medium and while
storing:
monitor total storage consumed in the storage medium; and
estimate whether sufficient storage space is available for a
remaining part of the multimedia stream;
transmit an adaptation request to a delivery server (106) based on the
monitoring and the estimating;
receive, based on the adaptation request, the remaining part of the
multimedia stream with adapted content quality to reduce storage consumption;
and
store the remaining part of the multimedia stream in the storage space
available in the storage medium to record the multimedia stream in the storage
medium.
6. The multimedia processing system (102) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the adaptation
request comprises at least one of a user profile and user selection data to adapt the content
quality of the multimedia stream.
7. The multimedia processing system (102) as claimed in claim 5, the recording module
(124) transmits the adaptation request upon ascertaining that the total storage consumed
is greater than a threshold storage limit and the storage space available in the storage
Q medium is insufficient for storing the remaining part of the multimedia stream.
8. The multimedia processing system (102) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the recording
module (124) analyzes the user preferences to obtain the threshold storage limit.
9. The multimedia processing system (102) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the recording
module (124) stores the multimedia stream without adapting content quality on
identifying adaptation not permissible.
10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer
program for executing a method for recording complete multimedia stream in a storage
medium, the method comprising:
determining a size of the multimedia stream to be recorded;
selecting the storage medium from among a plurality of storage media based on at
least one of user preferences and a storage space available in each of the plurality of
storage media;
receiving the multimedia stream for storing in the storage medium and while
storing:
monitoring total storage consumed in the storage medium; and
estimating whether sufficient storage space is available for a remaining
part of the multimedia stream;
transmitting an adaptation request to a delivery server (106) based on the
monitoring and the estimating;
receiving, based on the adaptation request, the remaining part of the multimedia
stream with adapted content quality to reduce storage consumption; and
storing the remaining part of the multimedia stream in the storage space available
in the storage medium to record the multimedia stream in the storage medium.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
adaptation request comprises at least one of a user profile and user selection to adapt the
content quality of the multimedia stream.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
adaptation request is sent to the delivery server (106) upon ascertaining that the total
storage consumed is greater than a threshold storage limit and the storage space available
in the storage medium is insufficient for storing the remaining part of the multimedia
stream.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 10, wherein the
threshold storage limit is obtained by analyzing the user preferences.