Universal digital broadcast system and methods

• US 20020023267A1
• Filed: 04/24/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: PrediWave Corp.
• Original Assignee: PrediWave Corp.
• Inventors: Hoang, Khoi Nhu
• Application Number:
  US09/841,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20020023267A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26233 involving content or additional data duration or size, e.g. length of a movie, size of an executable file
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26241 involving the time of distribution, e.g. the best time of the day for inserting an advertisement or airing a children program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26275 for distributing content or additional data in a staggered manner, e.g. repeating movies on different channels in a time-staggered manner in a near video on demand system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 : Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

The present invention teaches methods and systems for providing full digital services such as VOD, digital broadcast, as well as a universal set-top-box (STB) capable of handling this variety of digital services. A plurality of hardware architectures and complimentary data transmission methods identifying the distinct services through an electronic program guide enable such transmission. The universal STB of the present invention is capable of distinguishing the different services based upon information received in the electronic program guide, and is designed with unique hardware architecture including a large buffer. The present invention further provides viewing options such as multiple broadcasts and virtual VCR time-shifting features including pausing, recording, and freeze framing a broadcast without suffering the volatility and poor quality of an Internet streaming broadcast. Still further, this variety of digital services is provided via a uni-directional communication link.

Claims

1. A universal broadcast system providing full digital services via a unidirectional communications link over a plurality of channels, each of said channels providing one of VOD or digital broadcast, said universal broadcast system comprising:

first digital broadcast circuitry for a first channel of said universal broadcast system, said first channel being a digital broadcast channel, said first digital broadcast circuitry including;

a plurality of first digital broadcast data sources each providing data intended for broadcast in a digital broadcast mode over said first channel;

a plurality of digital data encoders each coupled to a corresponding unique one of said plurality of data sources, each of said digital data encoders operable to encode received data into a digital program stream format;

a first data merger device coupled to said plurality of digital data encoders, said data merger device operable to merge data received in a digital program stream format into first merged digital stream data;

a first channel server coupled to said data merger device, said first channel server operable to generate a first modulated intermediate frequency signal from said first merged digital stream data;

a first up converter device coupled to said first channel server, said first up converter device operable to convert said first modulated intermediate frequency signal into a first radio frequency signal; and

a combiner amplifier coupled to said first channel circuitry, said combiner amplifier operable to amplify, condition and combine received radio frequency signals such as said first radio frequency signal, said output of said combiner amplifier suitable to deliver said plurality of channels across a unidirectional communications medium.

2. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of first digital broadcast sources is an analog video source.

3. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 2, wherein said analog video source is an analog video camera.

4. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 2, wherein said analog video source is an analog video cassette recorder.

5. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 2, wherein said analog video source is television program source.

6. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of first digital broadcast sources is an digital video source.

7. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 6, wherein said digital video source is an MPEG data file.

8. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 6, wherein said digital video source is an MPEG transport stream.

9. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of digital data encoders is an MPEG encoder.

10. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 1 wherein said first data merger device and said first channel server are fabricated as a single device.

11. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 1 wherein said first digital broadcast circuitry is one of a plurality of digital broadcast circuitry for a portion of said plurality of channels of said universal broadcasts system.

12. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 1, said universal broadcast system further comprising:

a central controlling server;

a central storage device storing data intended for on-demand data provision;

first data-on-demand circuitry for a second channel of said universal broadcast system, said second channel being a data-on-demand channel, said first data-on-demand circuitry including;

a second channel server having a second channel server CPU, local memory, a modulator, and a network interface, said second channel server operable to generate a second modulated intermediate frequency signal from digital data stored in said local memory; and

a second channel up converter device coupled to said second channel server, said second up converter device operable to convert said second modulated intermediate frequency signal into a second radio frequency signal provided to said combiner amplifier.

13. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 12, wherein said central controlling server is operable to select said second channel and calculate a delivery matrix for transmitting data files stored on said central storage device on said second channel.

14. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 13, wherein said central control server is further operable to provide offline addition, deletion, and update of data file information at said second controlling server.

15. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 12 wherein said central control server manages files stored on said central storage device.

17. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 16 wherein said first data merger device and said first channel server are fabricated as a single device.

18. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 18 wherein said first digital broadcast circuitry is one of a plurality of digital broadcast circuitry for a portion of said plurality of channels of said universal broadcasts system.

19. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 16, wherein said central controlling server is operable to select said second channel and calculate a delivery matrix for transmitting data files stored on said central storage device on said second channel.

20. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 19, wherein said central control server is further operable to provide offline addition, deletion, and update of data file information at said second controlling server.

21. A universal broadcast system as recited in claim 16 wherein said central control server manages files stored on said central storage device.

16. A universal broadcast system providing full digital services via a uni-directional communications link over a plurality of channels, each of said channels providing one of VOD or digital broadcast, said universal broadcast system comprising:

first digital broadcast circuitry for a first channel of said universal broadcast system, said first channel being a digital broadcast channel, said first digital broadcast circuitry including;

a plurality of first digital broadcast data sources each providing data intended for broadcast in a digital broadcast mode over said first channel;

a plurality of digital data encoders each coupled to a corresponding unique one of said plurality of data sources, each of said digital data encoders operable to encode received data into a digital program stream format;

a first data merger device coupled to said plurality of digital data encoders, said data merger device operable to merge data received in a digital program stream format into first merged digital stream data;

a first channel server coupled to said data merger device, said first channel server operable to generate a first modulated intermediate frequency signal from said first merged digital stream data;

a first up converter device coupled to said first channel server, said first up converter device operable to convert said first modulated intermediate frequency signal into a first radio frequency signal; and

a combiner amplifier coupled to said first channel circuitry, said combiner amplifier operable to amplify, condition and combine received radio frequency signals such as said first radio frequency signal, said output of said combiner amplifier suitable to deliver said plurality of channels across a uni-directional communications medium.

a central controlling server;

a central storage device storing data intended for on-demand data provision;

first data-on-demand circuitry for a second channel of said universal broadcast system, said second channel being a data-on-demand channel, said first data-on-demand circuitry including;

a second channel server having a second channel server CPU, local memory, a modulator, and a network interface, said first channel server operable to generate a second modulated intermediate frequency signal from digital data stored in said local memory; and

a second channel up converter device coupled to said second channel server, said second up converter device operable to convert said second modulated intermediate frequency signal into a second radio frequency signal provided to said combiner amplifier.

22. A universal broadcast system providing full digital services via a uni-directional communications link over a plurality of channels, each of said channels providing one of VOD or digital broadcast, said universal broadcast system comprising:

a plurality of digital broadcast circuitry one each for a corresponding portion of said plurality of channels of said universal broadcast system each being a digital broadcast channel, each of said digital broadcast circuitry operable to generate digital broadcast data over a corresponding channel;

a central controlling server;

a central storage device storing data intended for on-demand data provision;

a plurality of data-on-demand circuitry for a corresponding portion of said plurality of channels of said universal broadcast system each being a data-on-demand channel, each of said data-on-demand circuitry operable to generate on-demand data over a corresponding channel, each data-on-demand circuitry including a corresponding channel server having a channel server CPU, local memory, a modulator, and a network interface, wherein said central controlling server is operable to select a particular data-on-demand channel and calculate a delivery matrix for transmitting data files stored on said central storage device on said data-on-demand channel, provide offline addition, deletion, and update of data file information at said second controlling server.

23. A computer implemented universal data broadcast method comprising the acts of:

providing a first channel server suitable for the transmission of digital broadcast data via a first channel;

providing a second channel server suitable for the transmission of data-on-demand via a second channel;

prior to data broadcast, preparing a first channel server for the transmission of data-on-demand information;

transmitting an electronic program guide including information indicating that said first channel contains digital broadcast data, said electronic program guide further indicating that said second channel contains on-demand data; and

combining and transmitting data from said first channel and said second channel.