Video and digital multimedia aggregator content coding and formatting

• US 10,349,096 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Swart, William D., McCoskey, John S., Asmussen, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US14/065,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,079 Days
• Field of Search: 725 93, 725116, 725136
• 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 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/81 Monomedia components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A video and digital multimedia aggregator includes a content decoder, coder (codec) and formatter. The codec formatter receives coding and formatting requests that characterize input source content and desired output target content. Data conveyed about the source and target content may include parameters such as physical and/or logical addresses, coding and compression parameters, format descriptions, content size, description of auxiliary services, and other metadata elements that may be required for coding and formatting.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first source and based on a first content search request, first auxiliary service data;

receiving, from a second source and based on a second content search request for first content in a first format, the first content combined with second auxiliary service data, wherein the first content combined with the second auxiliary service data is in a second format;

after separating the first content from the second auxiliary service data, formatting the first content into the first format;

combining the first content in the first format with the first auxiliary service data; and

outputting the first content in the first format combined with the first auxiliary service data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a single file comprising the first content in the first format combined with the first auxiliary service data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing, based on time code data associated with the first content, the first auxiliary service data with the first content in the first format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content in the first format is formatted based on a first set of compression parameters, and the first content in the second format is formatted based on a second set of compression parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first auxiliary service data comprises one or more of closed captioning, descriptive video narration, alternative language audio, content rating, critical review information, device control, a future content schedule, untargeted advertising, targeted advertising, a text service, a data service, an interactive service, or content metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second auxiliary service data comprises data for a plurality of auxiliary services.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second content search request for the first content in the first format is received from a user device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

polling a plurality of resources to format the first content into the first format;

determining, based on the polling, one or more available resources from the plurality of resources; and

wherein formatting the first content into the first format is based on at least one of the one or more available resources.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining the first content in the first format and the first auxiliary service data into a single transport stream.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, from a first source and based on a first content search request, first auxiliary service data;

receiving, from a second source that is different than the first source and based on a second content search request, first content comprising second auxiliary service data;

after separating the second auxiliary service data from the first content, generating formatted content comprising the first content and the first auxiliary service data; and

outputting the formatted content.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating a single file comprising the first content and the first auxiliary service data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first auxiliary service data comprises a plurality of auxiliary services.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the second auxiliary service data comprises one or more of closed captioning, descriptive video narration, alternative language audio, content rating, critical review information, device control, a future content schedule, untargeted advertising, targeted advertising, a text service, a data service, an interactive service, or content metadata.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

polling a plurality of resources to format the first auxiliary service data from a first format into a second format;

determining, based on the polling, one or more available resources from the plurality of resources; and

formatting, based on at least one of the one or more available resources, the first auxiliary service data from the first format into the second format.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second format is determined by a set of parameters in the second content search request from a user device and for the first content.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein outputting the formatted content comprises:

sending the formatted content via a single transport stream.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

synchronizing the first auxiliary service data with the first content using time code data in the first content.

18. A system comprising:

a user device; and

an apparatus comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the apparatus to;

receive, based on a first content search request, first auxiliary service data;

receive, based on a second content search request for first content in a first format, the first content combined with second auxiliary service data;

generate, after separating the first content from the second auxiliary service data, formatted content comprising the first content and the first auxiliary service data; and

output, to the user device and based on the second content search request, the formatted content.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the user device comprises one or more of a set-top box or a computer.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a second apparatus comprising one or more second processors and second memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more second processors, cause the second apparatus to provide, to the apparatus, the first content in a second format.