System and method for improved multi-stream multimedia transmission and processing
First Claim
1. A method for efficiently transmitting several multimedia streams to one or more multimedia receivers comprising:
- defining a minimum acceptable time for rendering a multimedia stream to a user when said user selects a particular stream;
defining a packet size for packets containing data for each multimedia stream, said packet size defined based on one or more performance characteristics of mass storage devices on said one or more multimedia receivers;
concurrently transmitting said packets for each multimedia stream to said one or more multimedia receivers;
continually storing said multimedia streams on said mass storage devices; and
playing back said multimedia content from said mass storage devices responsive to a user tuning to a particular multimedia stream when a delay greater than said minimum acceptable time would otherwise result waiting for a next packet containing data for said particular multimedia stream to arrive.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method for efficiently transmitting several multimedia streams to one or more multimedia receivers is disclosed comprising: defining a minimum acceptable time for rendering a multimedia stream to a user when the user selects a particular stream; defining a packet size for packets containing data for each multimedia stream, the packet size defined based on one or more performance characteristics of mass storage devices on the one or more multimedia receivers; concurrently transmitting the packets for each multimedia stream to the one or more multimedia receivers; continually storing the multimedia streams on the mass storage devices; and playing back the multimedia content from the mass storage devices responsive to a user tuning to a particular multimedia stream when a delay greater than the minimum acceptable time would otherwise result waiting for a next packet containing data for the particular multimedia stream to arrive.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method for efficiently transmitting several multimedia streams to one or more multimedia receivers comprising:
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defining a minimum acceptable time for rendering a multimedia stream to a user when said user selects a particular stream;
defining a packet size for packets containing data for each multimedia stream, said packet size defined based on one or more performance characteristics of mass storage devices on said one or more multimedia receivers;
concurrently transmitting said packets for each multimedia stream to said one or more multimedia receivers;
continually storing said multimedia streams on said mass storage devices; and
playing back said multimedia content from said mass storage devices responsive to a user tuning to a particular multimedia stream when a delay greater than said minimum acceptable time would otherwise result waiting for a next packet containing data for said particular multimedia stream to arrive. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 29)
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7. A method comprising:
transmitting a plurality of packets of a specified size to a plurality of multimedia receivers, each of said plurality of packets containing content for one of a plurality of multimedia streams, wherein a delay in time between two successive packets containing data for one of said multimedia streams is greater than a minimum defined speed for displaying said one multimedia stream for an end user. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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12. A method for reducing buffering requirements of a multi-stream multimedia receiver:
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for each multimedia stream, combining multimedia content contained in a plurality of PID packets into a single packet of a specified size;
storing said multimedia content on a hard drive at said multimedia receiver; and
playing back said multimedia content from said hard drive responsive to a user tuning to a stream carrying said multimedia content when a delay greater than a required channel tuning speed would otherwise result if said multimedia content were not played back from said hard drive.
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17. A method comprising:
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transmitting a first plurality of channels within a first plurality of frequency blocks having a first frequency range, said first frequency range being the range to which a legacy group of multimedia receivers are capable of tuning; and
simulcasting said first plurality of channels within one or more alternate frequency blocks having an alternate frequency range, said alternate frequency range being the range to which an alternate group of multimedia receivers are capable of tuning.
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26. A method comprising:
transmitting a plurality of packets with each packet in said plurality containing data for one of a plurality of multimedia streams, wherein packets containing data for at least one particular multimedia stream of said plurality are separated in said transmission by an amount of time greater than a required channel tuning speed at a multimedia receiver to which said plurality of packets are transmitted.
Specification