METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A CURRENT CHANNEL BUFFER FOR NETWORK BASED PERSONAL VIDEO RECORDING

A "pause live television" service is implemented, where in one embodiment, a continuously streaming video from a broadcast programming source is copied into a circular buffer. A set top box ("STB") requests a trick function, such as "pause," by sending a message to the system, which in this case suspends the present broadcast video in the STB. The system determines an offset and when the user requests resumption of the broadcast video (e.g., "play"), the system uses the offset for that particular STB to determine the appropriate resumption point in the particular buffer to resume streaming of the video for that STB. In various embodiments, the network may begin streaming of the video at the resumption point on another channel and direct the STB to then tune to that channel. Thus, the program appears to have been seamless suspended and resumed using a network based capability.