Digital video broadcast device decoder

• US 20040250273A1
• Filed: 12/14/2001
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bellsouth Intellectual Property Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Zimler, Randy S., Watson, P. Thomas, Swix, Scott
• Application Number:
  US10/017,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20040250273A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4385 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream decrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

A digital video broadcast (DVB) device decoder as part of a digital residential entertainment system (DRES) is disclosed. A media server, such as a broadband multimedia gateway (BMG), sends an entire transport layer, rather than a single program stream, over a Network Bus to a digital video broadcast (DVB) device decoder. The transport layer includes multiple program, data and information streams. For example, the transport layer may include multiple MPEG signals, such as MPEG-2 signals. The media server provides the DVB tuning function with integrated Personal Video Recording (PVR) functionality. The DVB device decoder provides decrypting, demultiplexing, decoding and digital-to-analog conversion. The complexity of the media server is minimized because it only has to decode a transport layer rather than decoding a single stream of data. The combination of entertainment video and data streams on the same transport is also optimized for the purpose of providing enhanced multimedia services.

Claims

1. A digital residential entertainment system comprising;

a media server tuning a transport layer and transmitting the transport layer over a network bus,

a network input/output module receiving the transport layer off the network bus;

a decryption module decrypting the transport layer;

a demultiplexer demultiplexing the transport layer, and

a decoder decoding the transport layer.

2. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 1 further comprising a digital-to-analog converter converting the digital transport layer to analog signals.

3. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 1 further comprising a conditional access system (CAS) restricting access to media services offered via the transport layer to authorized customers.

4. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 3 wherein the CAS comprises a card reader and an access card.

5. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 3 wherein the CAS comprises a secured network CAS.

6. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 5 wherein the secured network CAS comprises a secured Internet Protocol (IP) connection to an authentication service provider.

7. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 6 wherein the secured Internet Protocol (IP) connection is an IPsec connection.

8. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 5 wherein the secured network CAS comprises a broadband connection to an authentication service provider.

9. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 8 wherein the broadband connection is a private virtual circuit (PVC) connection.

10. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the decrypting, demultiplexing and decoding functions are integrated into a single chip.

11. The digital residential entertainment system of claim 1 wherein the network input/output module, the decryption module, the demultiplexer and the decoder comprise a computer-readable medium comprising computer-readable instructions, which when executed perform the functions of the network input/output module, the decryption module, the demultiplexer and the decoder.

12. A digital residential entertainment system (DRES) comprising:

a tuner array receiving and demodulating a plurality of transport layers, X tuning to a specific transport layer identified by a decoder and sending the identified transport layer over a bus;

a network input/output module retrieving the identified transport layer from the bus,

a decryption module decrypting the identified transport layer,

a demultiplexer demultiplexing the identified transport layer; and

the decoder decoding the identified transport layer.

13. The DRES of claim 12 wherein the decoder is part of a thin client set top box.

14. The DRES of claim 12, further comprising a digital-to-analog converter converting the identified transport layer to analog signals.

15. The DRES of claim 12, further comprising a conditional access system (CAS) restricting access to media services offered via the transport layer to authorized customers.

16. The DRES of claim 12 wherein the identified transport layer is an Ethernet transport layer.