System and method for coordinating back-up services for land based content subscribers

• US 10,051,338 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Medina, Douglas, Fryer, Todd Andrew, Nicas, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/919,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20170118531A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6473 Monitoring network processes errors for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, accessing a terrestrial content service that delivers media content to premises of a subscriber for presentation to media processing equipment of the subscriber. An interruption in the terrestrial content service is determined that interrupts the delivery of the media content item to the media processing equipment. An alternative media content item is identified based on the media content item, wherein the alternative media content item is available by way of a direct broadcast satellite service not subscribed to by the subscriber. The direct broadcast satellite service is provisioned to the media processing equipment responsive to the determining of the interruption in the terrestrial content service. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processing system including a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

accessing a terrestrial content service comprising delivery of a media content item by way of a terrestrial network to a media processing equipment of a subscriber of the terrestrial content service;

determining an interruption in the terrestrial content service that interrupts the delivery of the media content item to the media processing equipment of the subscriber;

identifying an alternative media content item similar to the media content item, wherein the alternative media content item is available by way of a direct broadcast satellite service, wherein the direct broadcast satellite service is not subscribed to by the subscriber and by a different subscriber; and

provisioning direct broadcast satellite equipment of the different subscriber to obtain a provisioned service that facilitates access to the direct broadcast satellite service, wherein the alternative media content item is obtained by the provisioned service and forwarded to the media processing equipment of the subscriber responsive to the determining of the interruption in the terrestrial content service.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that the media processing equipment cannot process data formatted according to the direct broadcast satellite service;

reformatting the alternative media content item formatted according to the direct broadcast satellite service to obtain an updated alternative media content item having a format compatible with the media processing equipment; and

sending the updated alternative media content item to the media processing equipment.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the reformatting comprises:

collecting packets of the direct broadcast satellite service that correspond to the alternative media content item;

assembling the packets as an output transport stream;

formatting the output transport stream as a multicast signal; and

provisioning the multicast signal to direct the output transport stream to the media processing equipment of the subscriber.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an availability of the terrestrial content service delivering the media content item to the media processing equipment of the subscriber; and

terminating the provisioning of the direct broadcast satellite service to the media processing equipment of the subscriber responsive to the availability of the terrestrial content service, wherein the media content item, instead of the alternative media content item, is presented to the media processing equipment of the subscriber.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the determining of the interruption in the terrestrial content service is based on a first prediction of an occurrence of a first event that can result in the interruption, and wherein the determining of the availability of the terrestrial content service is based on a second prediction of an occurrence of a second event that can result in the availability.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying an attribute of the media content item;

comparing the attribute to other attributes of a plurality of alternative media content items to obtain a comparison; and

identifying the alternative media content item based on the comparison, wherein a first subject matter of the media content item differs from a second subject matter of the alternative media content item.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the attribute comprises a title, a category, a portrayed party, an actor, a producer, a studio, or a combination thereof.

8. A method, comprising:

accessing, by a processing system comprising a processor, a first content service comprising delivery of a media content item by way of a terrestrial network to a media processing equipment of a subscriber of the first content service, wherein the media content item is presented to equipment of the subscriber;

determining, by the processing system, an interruption in the first content service that interrupts the delivery of the media content item to the media processing equipment of the subscriber;

identifying, by the processing system, an alternative media content item based on the media content item, wherein the alternative media content item is available by way of a wireless service, wherein the wireless service is not subscribed to by the subscriber and by a different subscriber; and

provisioning, by the processing system, wireless service equipment of the different subscriber to obtain a provisioned service that facilitates access to the wireless service, wherein the alternative media content item is obtained by the provisioned service and forwarded to the media processing equipment of the subscriber responsive to the determining of the interruption in the first content service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless service is received at the media processing equipment of the subscriber, by way of the wireless service equipment at premises of the different subscriber.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless service equipment of the different subscriber:

collects packets of the wireless service that correspond to the alternative media content item;

assembles the packets as an output transport stream;

generates a multicast of the output transport stream; and

provisions the multicast to the media processing equipment of the subscriber.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining, by the processing system, an availability of the first content service delivering the media content item to the media processing equipment of the subscriber; and

terminating, by the processing system, the provisioning of the wireless service to the media processing equipment of the subscriber responsive to the availability of the first content service, wherein the media content item, instead of the alternative media content item, is presented to the media processing equipment of the subscriber.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the interruption in the first content service is based on delivery of a placard screen in place of the media content item.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

identifying, by the processing system, a characteristic feature of the media content item;

comparing, by the processing system, the characteristic feature to other characteristic features of a plurality of alternative media content items to obtain a comparison; and

identifying, by the processing system, the alternative media content item based on the comparison.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the media content item and the alternative media content item are different, and wherein the characteristic feature comprises a title, a category, a portrayed party, an actor, a producer, a content source, a format, or a combination thereof.

15. A machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:

accessing a first media content service comprising user-subscribed media content, wherein the first media content service provides the user-subscribed media content to a media processing equipment of a subscriber by way of a terrestrial network;

determining an interruption in the accessing of the first media content service at the media processing equipment of the subscriber;

identifying alternative media content based on the user-subscribed media content, wherein the alternative media content is available by way of a direct broadcast satellite service to which the subscriber and a different subscriber have not subscribed; and

provisioning, direct broadcast satellite equipment of the different subscriber to obtain a provisioned service that facilitates access to the direct broadcast satellite service, wherein the alternative media content is obtained by the provisioned service and forwarded to the media processing equipment of the subscriber, responsive to the determining of the interruption.

16. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the direct broadcast satellite service is received by way of a direct broadcast satellite terminal at the media processing equipment of the subscriber, wherein the alternative media content is not subscribed to by the different subscriber through the direct broadcast satellite service.

17. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

collecting packets of the direct broadcast satellite service that correspond to the alternative media content;

assembling the packets as an output transport stream;

generating a multicast of the output transport stream; and

provisioning the multicast to equipment of the subscriber.

18. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining an availability of the first media content service comprising the user-subscribed media content; and

terminating the provisioning of the direct broadcast satellite service to the media processing equipment of the subscriber responsive to the availability of the first media content service, wherein the user-subscribed media content, instead of the alternative media content, is presented to equipment of the subscriber.

19. The machine-readable storage device of claim 18, wherein the determining of the availability of the first media content service is based on a first prediction of an occurrence of a first event that can result in the interruption, and wherein the determining an availability of the first media content service is based on a second prediction of an occurrence of a second event that can result in the availability.

20. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

identifying an attribute of the user-subscribed media content, wherein the attribute comprises a title, a category, a portrayed party, an actor, a producer, a studio, or a combination thereof;

comparing the attribute to other attributes of a plurality of alternative media content options to obtain a comparison; and

identifying the alternative media content from among the plurality of alternative media content options based on the comparison.