Improved methods and arrangements are provided for use in: selecting candidate television and multimedia programs for recording; recording the candidate programs; viewing the recorded programs; and archiving the recorded programs. At the center of this capability is a time-dependent content buffering arrangement that allows candidate programs to be selected by an intelligent content agent, with the assistance of a bubbling agent, an electronic program guide, a select library listing, and/or a personal profile associated with a particular user. According to one feature, a rate at which a viewer consumes programs determines a degree of selectivity by which candidate programs are selected.