Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

David Clancy

Peter T Barrett

Steven J Falkenburg

Kevin Alan Kennedy

Tantek Celik

Steve Falkenburg

Chris Yerga

Multi-DVR (digital video recorder) media content arbitration is described. In an embodiment, client devices are each a node of a multi-DVR system where the nodes are implemented for communication with each other. An arbitration algorithm can arbitrate media content rendered by the client devices so as not to exceed a media content usage capacity of the multi-DVR system. Each of the client devices of the multi-DVR system can communicate status messages to each of the other client devices to indicate rendered media content, and can receive the status messages from each of the other client devices. Each of the client devices can also implement the arbitration algorithm to independently determine which of the client devices has lowest priority media content that can be terminated to provide capacity for higher priority media content at one of the client devices of the multi-DVR system.

Multi-DVR media content arbitration

Methods, apparatuses, systems, and arrangements enable the dynamic manipulation and utilization of electronic program guide (EPG) data. The EPG data can be dynamically manipulated and utilized while in a displayable format. In an exemplary implementation, EPG data is received from an external source, the received EPG data being in a displayable format. The received EPG data is added to previous EPG data to form current EPG data, the previous EPG data and the current EPG data being in the displayable format while the received EPG data and the previous EPG data are added together. At least a portion of the current EPG data is then displayed. In described implementation(s), the receiving, adding, and displaying are effectuated by a node that is coupled to a gateway in a local network system. The gateway may store and provide EPG data, and the local network may be operable in a television-based entertainment environment.

Dynamic electronic program guide

A system and method is provided for populating a plurality of fields appearing on a form such as an HTML-based form rendered on a browser. When a user first populates a form and submits it for processing, a web browser employing the inventive principles determines whether the user has completed a profile containing commonly used fields (e.g., name, address, phone number and the like). If no profile has been completed, data values from the form populated by the user are extracted, matched to the commonly used fields, and used to populate the profile, which is stored for future use. The user is also invited to supply missing data values for other fields contained in the profile. Thereafter, when the user displays the same or a different form, the user is given the option to automatically populate the form using values stored in the profile.

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Berkeley, CA, United States of America

David Clancy