Backwards compatible real-time program guide capacity increase

• US 20020066102A1
• Filed: 11/29/2000
• Published: 05/30/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chapman, Lawrence N., Arsenault, Robert G., Dulac, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US09/726,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20020066102A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/49
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• 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 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

A system and method for transmitting program guide information describing a second set of programs to subscribers is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method is implemented in a network broadcasting a first signal having a first set of programs and a second signal having a second set of programs. The method comprises the steps of broadcasting first program guide information describing the first set of programs to the subscribers on a first service channel on a first signal and broadcasting second program guide information describing the second set of programs to a subset of the subscribers on the first service channel on a second signal, wherein a fundamental signal characteristic of the second signal differs from the fundamental signal characteristic of the first signal. In another embodiment, the method comprises the steps of receiving first program guide information describing the first set of programs on a first service channel on a first signal; and receiving second program guide information describing the second set of programs on the first service channel on a second signal, wherein a fundamental signal characteristic of the second signal differs from the fundamental signal characteristic of the first signal.

Claims

1. In a network broadcasting a first signal having a first set of programs to a plurality of subscribers and a second signal having a second set of programs, a method of providing program guide information describing the second set of programs, comprising:

broadcasting first program guide information describing the first set of programs to the subscribers on a first service channel on a first signal; and

broadcasting second program guide information describing the second set of programs to a subset of the subscribers on the first service channel on a second signal, wherein a fundamental signal characteristic of the second signal differs from the fundamental signal characteristic of the first signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is carrier frequency, and the first signal is characterized by a first carrier frequency and the second signal is characterized by a second carrier frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is polarization and the first signal is characterized by a first polarization and the second signal is characterized by a second polarization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first program guide information includes information describing at least one surrogate channel.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a subscriber selection of at least one of the at least one surrogate channels commands reception of the second signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal is a spot beam directed at the subset of subscribers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of programs comprise local programs and the second signal is a spot beam directed at a subset of the subscribers that are designated to receive the second set of programs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal further includes a portion of the first set of programs and the second program information further describes the portion of the first set of programs.

9. In a network broadcasting a first signal having a first set of programs to a plurality of subscribers and a second signal having a second set of programs to a subset of the subscribers, a method of receiving program guide information describing the second set of programs, comprising the steps of:

receiving first program guide information describing the first set of programs on a first service channel on a first signal; and

receiving second program guide information describing the second set of programs on the first service channel on a second signal, wherein a fundamental signal characteristic of the second signal differs from the fundamental signal characteristic of the first signal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is carrier frequency, and the first signal is characterized by a first carrier frequency and the second signal is characterized by a second carrier frequency.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is polarization and the first signal is characterized by a first polarization and the second signal is characterized by a second polarization.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first program guide information includes information describing at least one surrogate channel and the method further comprises the step of:

accepting a selection of at least one of the at least one surrogate channels in a receiver; and

receiving the second signal at the second carrier frequency on the first service channel.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second signal is a spot beam directed at the receiver.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second set of programs are local programs and the second signal is a spot beam directed at a subset of subscribers designated to receive the second set of programs.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the second signal further includes a portion of the first set of programs and the second program information further describes the portion of the first set of programs.

17. The receiver of claim 16, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is carrier frequency, and the first signal is characterized by a first carrier frequency and the second signal is characterized by a second carrier frequency.

18. The receiver of claim 16, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is polarization and the first signal is characterized by a first polarization and the second signal is characterized by a second polarization.

19. The receiver of claim 16, wherein:

the first program guide includes information describing at least one surrogate channel;

the subscriber commands include a command to select at least one of the at least one surrogate channels; and

the processor further tunes the tuner to receive the second program guide information in response to the command to select at least one of the at least one surrogate channels.

20. The receiver of claim 19, wherein the second signal is a spot beam directed at the receiver.

21. The receiver of claim 19, wherein the second set of programs are local programs and the second signal is a spot beam directed at a subset of subscribers designated to receive the second set of programs.

22. The receiver of claim 19, wherein the second signal further includes a portion of the first set of programs and the second program information further describes the portion of the first set of programs.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is carrier frequency, and the first signal is characterized by a first carrier frequency and the second signal is characterized by a second carrier frequency.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the fundamental signal characteristic is polarization and the first signal is characterized by a first polarization and the second signal is characterized by a second polarization.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first transmitter comprises a first transponder and the second transmitter comprises a second transponder.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first transponder and the second transponder are disposed on a satellite.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first transponder is disposed on a first satellite and the second transponder is disposed on a second satellite, and wherein the first satellite and the second satellite are disposed within a beamwidth of a receiver antenna.

29. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first program guide information includes information describing at least one surrogate channel.

30. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein a subscriber selection of at least one of the at least one surrogate channels commands reception of the second signal.

31. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second signal is a spot beam directed at a subset of subscribers.

32. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second set of programs comprise local programs and the second signal is a spot beam directed at a subset of the subscribers that are designated to receive the second set of programs.

33. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second signal further includes a portion of the first set of programs and the second program information further describes a portion of the first set of programs.

16. A receiver, comprising:

a user interface for accepting subscriber commands;

a tuner selectably configurable to receive a first service channel on a first signal and the first service channel on a second signal, the first signal comprising a first set of programs and first program information describing the first set of programs, and the second signal comprising a second set of programs and second program guide information describing the second set of programs;

wherein a fundamental signal characteristic of the second signal differs from the fundamental signal characteristic of the first signal; and

a processor, communicatively coupled to the user interface and the tuner, for retrieving the first program information and the second program information for providing the first and second program information to a presentation device, and for accepting subscriber commands from the user interface.

23. An apparatus for use with a system broadcasting a first signal having a first set of programs to a plurality of subscribers and a second signal having a second set of programs to a subset of the subscribers, comprising:

a compiler, configured to segment the programs into the first set of programs and the second set of programs, and to generate first program guide describing the first set of programs and second program guide information describing the second set of programs;

a first transmitter, communicatively coupled to the compiler, for transmitting first program guide information on a first service channel on a first signal; and

a second transmitter, communicatively coupled to the compiler, for transmitting the second program guide information on a second service channel on a second signal;

wherein a fundamental signal characteristic of the second signal differs from the fundamental signal characteristic of the first signal.