Fast digital channel changing
First Claim
1. A system for tuning channels in a digital video broadcast network, the system comprising:
- a receiver to receive a request to tune to a new channel from a client device; and
a broadcast video extractor to seek for and retrieve a previous complete frame of broadcast video for the new channel from a storage device responsive to the received request.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Fast channel changing in digital-television-based entertainment networks can be implemented, for example, by electing to tune to channels at opportune tuning times. In an exemplary implementation, a method includes: receiving a channel change request that indicates a requested new channel from a client device; preparing a broadcast video data stream of the requested new channel that is offset in time behind a current broadcast time for broadcast video data of the requested new channel; and streaming the broadcast video data stream responsive to the channel change request. In another exemplary implementation, a system includes: a storage device that retains broadcast video data for multiple channels; a video data extractor that accesses the retained broadcast video data and retrieves an intra frame of broadcast video data that is in the past for a requested channel; and a video data distributor that transmits the retrieved intra frame of broadcast video data.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. A system for tuning channels in a digital video broadcast network, the system comprising:
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a receiver to receive a request to tune to a new channel from a client device; and
a broadcast video extractor to seek for and retrieve a previous complete frame of broadcast video for the new channel from a storage device responsive to the received request. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for tuning channels in a digital video broadcast network, the method comprising actions of:
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receiving a request to tune to a requested channel from a client device;
seeking for a previous complete frame of broadcast video for the requested channel;
retrieving the previous complete frame of broadcast video for the requested channel; and
transmitting the previous complete frame of broadcast video for the requested channel to the client device to enable the client device to display an image of the requested channel.
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7. A system for accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the system comprising:
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a storage device that retains broadcast video data for a plurality of channels;
a video data extractor that accesses the retained broadcast video data and retrieves an intra frame of broadcast video data that is in the past for a requested channel of the plurality of channels; and
a video data distributor that receives the retrieved intra frame of broadcast video data and transmits the retrieved intra frame of broadcast video data. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the system comprising:
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a storage device that retains broadcast video data for a plurality of channels;
a channel change request handler that receives channel change requests from a plurality of client devices, the channel change requests including requested channels;
a video data extractor that receives the requested channels from the channel change request handler, the video data extractor adapted to access the retained broadcast video data and to retrieve intra frames of broadcast video data that are prior to a current broadcast time for the requested channels;
a video data booster that is adapted to access the retained broadcast video data and to retrieve respective streams of broadcast video data that follow respective ones of the retrieved intra frames of broadcast video data and that are of sufficient size to fill decoding buffers of the plurality of client devices; and
a video data distributor that receives the retrieved intra frames of broadcast video data and the retrieved respective streams of broadcast video data that follow therefrom, the video data distributor adapted to transmit the retrieved intra frames of broadcast video data and the retrieved respective streams of broadcast video data that follow therefrom to the plurality of client devices responsive to the channel change requests. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An arrangement for accelerating channel changing, the arrangement comprising:
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storage means for storing broadcast video data over time;
extraction means for extracting broadcast video data from the storage means, the extraction means configured to seek backward in time over the broadcast video data until an intra frame of the broadcast video data is located, the extraction means further configured to retrieve the intra frame; and
boosting means for boosting broadcast video data retrieval from the storage means, the boosting means configured to retrieve a stream of the broadcast video data that follows the intra frame, the stream being of a size that is sufficient to fill a decoding buffer of a client device. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system for accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the system comprising:
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one or more memories, the one or more memories including broadcast video data and electronically-executable instructions;
one or more processors, the one or more processors capable of executing the electronically-executable instructions to perform actions comprising;
receive a request for a new channel from a client device;
access the broadcast video data for the new channel;
seek backward in time along the broadcast video data for the new channel until an intra frame is located;
retrieve the intra frame for the new channel from the broadcast video data; and
transmit the intra frame for the new channel to the client device. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. One or more electronically-accessible media comprising instructions that, when executed, direct a server to:
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access stored broadcast video data, the stored broadcast video data corresponding to a plurality of channels;
locate for a requested channel an intra frame of broadcast video data that is a most-recently-received intra frame in a portion of the stored broadcast video data that corresponds to the requested channel;
retrieve the located intra frame for the requested channel from the stored broadcast video data; and
send the located intra frame for the requested channel to a client device. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39)
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40. A method for accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the method comprising actions of:
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receiving, at a client device, a channel change input from a user, the channel change input ordering a change to a requested channel;
sending, from the client device to an upstream node, a channel change request responsive to the channel change input, the channel change request including an indication of the requested channel;
receiving, at the upstream node, the channel change request;
accessing, at the upstream node, a memory that stores retained broadcast video data for a plurality of channels, the plurality of channels including the requested channel;
retrieving, at the upstream node, an intra frame of broadcast video data of the requested channel from the retained broadcast video data, the intra frame of broadcast video data being in the past with respect to a current broadcast time;
sending, from the upstream node to the client device, the intra frame of broadcast video data;
retrieving, at the upstream node, a broadcast video data stream that follows the intra frame of broadcast video data and that is of a size that is sufficient to fill a decoding buffer of the client device;
sending, from the upstream node to the client device, the broadcast video data stream that follows the intra frame of broadcast video data;
receiving, at the client device, the intra frame of broadcast video data; and
receiving, at the client device, the broadcast video data stream that follows the intra frame of broadcast video data. - View Dependent Claims (41, 42, 43, 44, 45)
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46. A method for accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the method comprising actions of:
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receiving a channel change request from a client device, the channel change request indicating a requested new channel;
preparing a broadcast video data stream of the requested new channel that is offset in time behind a current broadcast time for broadcast video data of the requested new channel; and
streaming the broadcast video data stream to the client device responsive to the channel change request. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49)
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50. A method for a client device for accelerating channel changing, the method comprising actions of:
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receiving a channel change input from a user, the channel change input ordering a change to a requested channel;
sending a channel change request responsive to the channel change input, the channel change request including an indication of the requested channel; and
receiving an intra frame of broadcast video data that is prior to a current broadcast time as well as a stream of broadcast video data that follows the intra frame of broadcast video data as a result of the action of sending the channel change request. - View Dependent Claims (51, 52)
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53. A headend capable of accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the headend comprising:
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one or more memories, the one or more memories including electronically-executable instructions and stored broadcast video data, the stored broadcast video data including current broadcast video data and non-current broadcast video data;
one or more processors, the one or more processors capable of executing the electronically-executable instructions to perform actions comprising;
receive a request for a new channel from a client device;
access the stored broadcast video data that corresponds to the new channel;
retrieve part of the non-current broadcast video data that corresponds to the new channel from the stored broadcast video data; and
transmit the part of the non-current broadcast video data that corresponds to the new channel to the client device responsive to the request. - View Dependent Claims (54)
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55. A method for a headend of a television-based entertainment network, the method comprising actions of:
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continuously receiving a stream of broadcast video data for a particular channel;
storing the stream of broadcast video data for the particular channel in a storage device, the stream of broadcast video data including a plurality of intra frames of broadcast video data and a plurality of non-intra frames of broadcast video data;
wherein the plurality of intra frames of broadcast video data include a most-recently-received intra frame of broadcast video data, and the plurality of non-intra frames of broadcast video data include a non-intra frame of broadcast video data that corresponds to a current broadcast time;
receiving a channel change request from a client device, the channel change request indicating a request to change channels to the particular channel;
retrieving the most-recently-received intra frame of broadcast video data and one or more non-intra frames of the plurality of non-intra frames of broadcast video data from the storage device, the one or more non-intra frames of broadcast video data being temporally located after the most-recently-received intra frame of broadcast video data and before the non-intra frame of broadcast video data that corresponds to the current broadcast time; and
sending the most-recently-received intra frame of broadcast video data and the one or more non-intra frames of broadcast video data to the client device responsive to the action of receiving the channel change request. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57)
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58. A headend that is capable of accelerating channel changing in a video broadcast environment, the headend configured to perform actions comprising:
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receiving a channel change request that corresponds to a first time and is directed to a requested channel;
accessing broadcast video data for the requested channel;
retrieving an intra frame of broadcast video data that corresponds to a second time from the broadcast video data for the requested channel, the second time being earlier than the first time;
retrieving broadcast video data frames that follow the intra frame of broadcast video data from the broadcast video data for the requested channel;
sending the intra frame of broadcast video data from the headend; and
sending the broadcast video data frames that follow the intra frame of broadcast video data from the headend. - View Dependent Claims (59, 60)
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Specification