System and method for replacing media content

• US 10,243,782 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2018
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• 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): Nguyen, Minh Trang T
• Application Number:
  US15/873,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20180145870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 433 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/185 Space-based or airborne stations; Stations for satellite systemsH04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0847 Transmission error
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services independent of the application payload and not provided for in the other groups of this subclass networks security protocols H04L9/40; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/00 Systems for electrical power generation, transmission, distribution or end-user application management characterised by the use of communication or information technologies, or communication or information technology specific aspects supporting them

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining a first tuning state of a media processor of a subscriber. The first tuning state includes a satellite service channel, wherein the satellite service channel provides a first media content item that is processed by the media processor for presentation. A terrestrial service channel is identified that provides a second media content item. Access to the terrestrial service channel is provided by control of a switch. Subsequent processing of the second media content item by the media processor is facilitated by replacing the first media content item, responsive to the determining of an unavailability of the satellite service channel Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a switch;

a buffer memory;

a processing system including a processor in communication with the switch and the buffer memory; and

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

receiving a channel indicator of a media processing device of a subscriber, wherein the channel indicator corresponds to a satellite service channel of a plurality of satellite service channels, wherein the satellite service channel provides a first version of a media content item, wherein the first version of the media content item is processed by the media processing device for presentation;

identifying a terrestrial service channel of a plurality of terrestrial service channels providing a second version of the media content item, wherein control of the switch provides access to the terrestrial service channel;

buffering a portion of the second version of the media content item to obtain a buffered second version within the buffer memory; and

detecting an unavailability of the satellite service channel to the media processing device, wherein the buffered second version of the media content item is subsequently processed by the media processing device for presentation in place of the first version of the media content item responsive to the detecting of the unavailability of the satellite service channel.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detecting the unavailability is based on a bit error rate, a signal-to-noise ratio correction, or a combination thereof, and wherein the second version of the media content item is not processed, prior to the control of the switch, by the media processing device for presentation.

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

determining a relative delay between a presentation of the first version of the media content item and a scheduled presentation of the second version of the media content item; and

determining a buffer depth based on the relative delay, wherein a transition at the media processing device from the first version to the buffered second version occurs synchronously.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the terrestrial service channel comprises:

identifying the first version of the media content item based on the channel indicator and a scheduled presentation time.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the unavailability is based on a performance measure of a satellite signal comprising the plurality of satellite service channels, wherein the performance measure comprises an effective isotropic radiated power, a bit error rate, a signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of error correction or a combination thereof.

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

determining a re-availability of the satellite service channel to the media processing device of the subscriber, after the determining of the unavailability of the satellite service channel to the media processing device of the subscriber; and

providing the first version of the media content item to the media processing device in place of the second version of the media content item, responsive to the determining of the re-availability of the satellite service channel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise predicting the unavailability of the satellite service channel at a future time based on a weather forecast or a solar fade evaluation, wherein the identifying of the terrestrial service channel is responsive to the predicting of the unavailability.

8. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a device comprising a processing system including a processor, a first tuning state of a media processing device of a subscriber, wherein the first tuning state comprises a satellite service channel of a plurality of satellite service channels, wherein the satellite service channel presents a media content item, wherein the media content item is presented to the media processing device;

determining, by the device, a terrestrial service channel of a plurality of terrestrial service channels providing a substitute media content item, wherein control of a switch provides access to the terrestrial service channel;

buffering, by the device, a portion of the substitute media content item to obtain a buffered substitute media content item; and

detecting, by the device, an unavailability of the satellite service channel for presentation to the media processing device, wherein the substitute media content item is subsequently processed by the media processing device for presentation in place of the media content item, responsive to the detecting of the unavailability of the satellite service channel.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising buffering, by the device, a portion of the substitute media content item within a buffer memory to obtain a buffered substitute media content item, wherein the providing of the substitute media content item comprises providing the buffered substitute media content item.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining, by the device, a relative delay between the presentation of the media content item and a scheduled presentation of the substitute media content item; and

determining, by the device, a buffer depth based on the relative delay, wherein a transition at the media processing device from the media content item to the substitute media content item occurs synchronously.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the media content item is streamed according to a first protocol, and wherein the substitute media content item is streamed according to a second protocol.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the unavailability is based on a performance measure of a satellite signal comprising the plurality of satellite service channels, wherein the performance measure comprises an effective isotropic radiated power, a bit error rate, a signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of error correction or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the detecting the unavailability is based on a bit error rate, a signal-to-noise ratio, or a combination thereof, and wherein the substitute media content item is not processed, prior to the control of the switch, by the media processing device for presentation.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising predicting, by the device, the unavailability of the satellite service channel at a future time based on a weather forecast or a solar fade evaluation, wherein the determining of the terrestrial service channel is responsive to the predicting of the unavailability.

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

determining a first tuning state of a media processor, wherein the first tuning state comprises a satellite service channel providing a first media content item, wherein the first media content item is processed by the media processor for presentation;

identifying a terrestrial service channel providing a second media content item, wherein control of a switch provides access to the terrestrial service channel;

buffering a portion of the second media content item to obtain a buffered second media content item; and

determining an unavailability of the satellite service channel to the media processor, wherein the second media content item is subsequently processed by the media processor for presentation in place of the first media content item responsive to the determining of the unavailability of the satellite service channel.

16. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the determining the unavailability is based on a bit error rate, a signal-to-noise ratio, or a combination thereof, and wherein the second media content item is not processed, prior to the control of the switch, by the media processor for presentation.

17. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a relative delay between a presentation of the first media content item and a scheduled presentation of the second media content item; and

determining a buffer depth based on the relative delay, wherein a transition at the media processor from the first media content item to the buffered second media content item occurs synchronously.

18. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the determining of the unavailability is based on a performance measure of a satellite signal comprising the satellite service channel, wherein the performance measure comprises an effective isotropic radiated power, a bit error rate, a signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of error correction or a combination thereof.

19. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a re-availability of the satellite service channel to the media processor, after the determining of the unavailability of the satellite service channel to the media processor; and

facilitating a replacing of the second media content item with the first media content item to the media processor, responsive to the determining of the re-availability of the satellite service channel.

20. The non-transitory, machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

predicting the unavailability of the satellite service channel at a future time based on a weather observation or a celestial calculation, wherein the identifying of the terrestrial service channel is responsive to the predicting of the unavailability.