VCR webification

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention addresses the problems identified above and provides an apparatus, method and service model which simplify conventional methods for schedule recordings of television programs and enable users to control recording equipment from any location via the Internet.
Entities connected to computer networks such as the Internet and web-browser software can schedule recordings of television programs and/or operate the recording equipment.
In an example scenario, a user who maintains recording equipment at home may utilize the present invention from his or her workplace or vacation place, accesses a service provider website using her/his user name and password, views the a schedule of television programs provided by a broadcaster or other distributor of programming and selects the television programs to be recorded.
The application service provider in turn transmits the selected television program information to a computer connected to a later described remote control unit to execute and operate the recording of selected programs.
In this manner, the present invention enables anyone with internet access to remotely operate recording equipment to record television programs.
Another attendant advantage of the present invention is an inexpensive solution to provide global connectivity of the Internet to existing recording equipment.
The present invention can be utilized to operate recording equipment such as video cassette recorders, that typically have infrared sensors to receive control commands.
Other recording equipment such as DVD recorders, hard drive based video recorders, etc.
can also be controlled using the present invention.