[mythtv-users] tivo patents cover mythtv?

[Simon Hobson]

Jean-Yves Avenard wrote:

>I have a double deck VCR letting me do just what Tivo claimed to have
>invented: can record while watching another program..
>
>That device alone would be sufficient to make any appeal to the
>verdict successful as it is anterior to the "invention" date.
>
>Stupid patents as usual...

So you haven't read either the patent or any comments by people that have.

I'll repeat, and this was said the first time around when this was 
discussed (ie when the suit was filed). The patent is NOT, I repeat 
**NOT** a patent on DVRs, or the ability to watch while recording, or 
to time shift. It's a fairly safe bet that even with the broken 
patent system currently in place, a wide ranging patent on the "PVR" 
would not be granted.

The patent specifically claims a method for breaking the input stream 
into chunks, storing those chunks in buffers, and instructing the 
readout (ie playback subsystem) which buffers to play and in what 
order. All the time, the CPU merely direct the hardware as to which 
buffers to write/read and when - is the CPU can be a fairly low spec 
(ie cheap) one while the "heavy lifting" is done by application 
specific hardware.

IMO Myth does not fall foul of this as it doesn't do that - it 
streams the data to a file and uses the CPU to handle the data, and 
it uses the CPU to read the data back from the file for playback.

What will fall foul will probably be most consumer PVR appliances 
that will have used something similar to the process patented in 
order to not need a CPU capable of handling the data streams.

-- 
Simon Hobson

WANTED: "Software CD ROM Kit" for Canon CLBP 360-PS printer (Canon 
part no RH6-3612, or possibly RH6-3810, or RH6-3610 might do). I've a 
dead HD and need this CD so I can replace the disk and re-install the 
printer OS on it.
This is NOT the same thing as the printer drivers to load on the 
computer - there's no problem there.
If anyone knows where I might get hold of one I'd be grateful - 
requests to Canon drew a blank, it's been out of support for years.
Alternatively, if anyone has one of these and would let me image 
their hard disk ...

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