Video containers: a system for the on-demand storage, delivery, and management of television programs

Television programs (both broadcast and cable) have pre-determined starting times and durations, which often do not match the preferred viewing times of most people. Also, several programs of interest might have overlapping times. To alleviate this rigid viewing situation, the paper proposes a system for the on-demand, online storage of user selected TV programs, and their subsequent management and delivery, which provides flexibility of customized viewing and recording of TV programs. It also facilitates the editing, annotation and archival of the stored TV programs suited to users' convenience, taste, and format. The proposed system is expected to have tremendous impacts on the consumption and dissemination of information in many diverse areas such as personal entertainment, journalism, education, commerce, and several others.