Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Glenn Alexander Curtis

Toby Steele

Renaud Bordelet

Stuart Lup-Sing Kwan

Mark D Schwesinger

Thaddeus C Pritchett

Shawn E Pickett

Alan E Shield

Eric J Silverberg

Christopher F Pezzee

Detailed herein is a technology which, among other things, allows recording and playback of multi-stream interactive television. In one approach to this technology, the service configuration for an interactive television feature is determined. Data describing this service configuration is then obtained, and a recording device is then configured to record a portion of the interactive television feature. A number of data streams associated with that portion of the interactive television feature are recorded. The recorded portion of the interactive television feature can then be displayed.

Recording multi-stream interactive television

Various embodiments provide accurate EPG lineup construction and PVR scheduling for users, regardless of their geographic location. In accordance with the described embodiments, the guide retrieves and aggregates data from multiple available sources, particularly in-band scanning and EPG metadata download. Services are then identified and sorted into logically equivalent groups. Once the services are grouped, in accordance with one embodiment, an analysis is conducted the outcome of which is directed to selecting which services to use for tuning and which services to use for scheduling on a given channel/preset. In addition, various embodiments can, in an automated fashion, assign services to presets/channels, as well as provide a user interface and methods for editing a lineup, modifying tuning information and personalizing presets/channels.

Methods and systems for constructing and editing electronic program guide lineups

The invention reduces network traffic between client computers and DNS server computers by allowing client computers to send information to DNS server computers that have implemented protocols RFC 2136 and RFC 1995. Network traffic is-minimized in DNS database updates between client computers and server computers by sending a small amount of data. The invention also minimizes the replication of DNS updates between DNS server computers in the face of protocol RFC1995 and defeats Windows Internet Naming System (WINS) referral by its ability to update DNS server computers that emulate WINS server computers and have WINS referral capabilities. Thus, when a client computer's data changes, updates to the DNS database are performed with the minimum number of activities so that the database reaches a desired state, where the minimum amount of data will replicate by sending the minimum content of data replication from one DNS server computer to another. Also, by allowing the client computer to publish DNS data into a DNS server computer's DNS database, and then by performing revisiting operations to assure that the published data is still correct, the inventive method permits neither DNS updates nor server-to-server replication to be performed if the client computer's published data is still correct. If the client data has changed, then the DNS database is updated with a minimal transfer of data between the client computer and the DNS server computer, and from thence from DNS server computer to DNS server computer.

Method and computer readable medium for DNS dynamic update to minimize client-server and incremental zone transfer traffic

The invention detects multiple master DNS server computers and handles multiple namespaces. In traditional DNS, each zone or domain has a primary or master server computer as well as one or more slave server computers. Both the master server computer and the slave server computers have complete information regarding a particular zone. The master server computer is distinct in that it receives changes made by a client. The slave server computers periodically update their own information from the master server computer. In multiple master DNS, each server computer is essentially a primary server computer in that any server computer may accept updates from a client. This information is then distributed to the other multiple master server computers. In order to determine whether a server computer is a multiple master server computer an analysis must be has as to the SOA record, which contains the name of the primary server computer as well as the zone for which the primary server computer is authoritative, and the NS record set, which holds the names of all server computers. The analysis of these records determines which server computers are multiple master DNS server computers. A client, by knowing which server computers are multiple master server computers, may send an update to any one of those server computers. A client is thus not limited to one server computer, which could be down or otherwise not functioning. In multiple master server computer configurations, a client has a choice as to where to send an update. The present invention also determines how many namespaces the client is in. This is also done by examining the SOA and NS record sets. While a client may be physically connected to one or more networks, the networks may in reality be in the same namespace. The invention determines the number of namespaces. When a client is prepared to update information contained in the network or on a server computer, the client need only update each namespace rather than send an update over each network connection.

Method and computer readable medium for discovering master DNS server computers for a given domain name in multiple master and multiple namespace configurations

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Glenn Alexander Curtis