Method and apparatus for increasing video streams in a video system

• US 20050108763A1
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: John Pickens, Michael Field, Paul Baran, Xu Duan Lin
• Original Assignee: John Pickens, Michael Field, Paul Baran, Xu Duan Lin
• Inventors: Lin, Xu Duan, Pickens, John, Field, Michael, Baran, Paul
• Application Number:
  US10/976,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108763A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/87
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/068 using time-dependent keys, e.g. periodically changing keys cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for controlling usage of secret information H04L9/088
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2318 using striping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2326 Scheduling disk or memory reading operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26606 for generating or managing entitlement messages, e.g. Entitlement Control Message [ECM] or Entitlement Management Message [EMM] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0275 Security details, e.g. tampering prevention or detection
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/144 Stacked arrangements of planar printed circuit boards
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/185 Components encapsulated in the insulating substrate of the printed circuit or incorporated in internal layers of a multilayer circuit semiconductor chips encapsulated by interconnect and support structures H01L23/5389, H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10151 Sensor

Abstract

A video system for providing a large number of video streams. The video system includes a video server and dividing means. Storage means, a switch and control means are located at the video server. The video server has a plurality of central-processing units (CPUs). The dividing means divides a plurality of input video-streams entering the video system, and sends the divided plurality of input-video streams, with each divided video stream identified with a separate Ethernet address, to the video server. The storage means stores an input video-stream of the plurality of input video-streams as a stored-video stream. The switch routes an input-video stream of the plurality of input-video streams to the storage means. The control means controls the storage means to replay the stored-video stream and to control portions of the stored-video stream at an appropriate time, and controls the plurality of CPUs at the video server to work in parallel.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A video system for providing a large number of video streams, as required in Retrovue, comprising:

dividing means for dividing a plurality of input video-streams entering the video system, and for sending the divided plurality of input video-streams, with each divided video stream identified with a separate Ethernet address, to a video server;

a switch at the video server for routing an appropriate input video-stream of the plurality of input video-streams to an appropriate disk drive; and

the appropriate disk drive for replaying the appropriate input video-stream and for controlling portions of the appropriate input video-stream at an appropriate time, through the switch, thereby avoiding a single bottleneck of a CPU and RAM and allowing a video-server having a plurality of CPU'"'"'s to work in parallel to produce a much larger number of video streams.

9. A video method for providing a large number of video streams, as required in Retrovue, comprising the steps of:

dividing a plurality of input video-streams entering the video system, and sending the divided plurality of input video-streams, with each divided video stream identified with a separate Ethernet address, to a video server;

routing, with a switch at the video server, an appropriate input video-stream of the plurality of input video-streams to an appropriate disk drive; and

replaying the appropriate input video-stream from the appropriate disk drive; and

controlling portions of the appropriate input video-stream at an appropriate time, through the switch, thereby avoiding a single bottleneck of a CPU and RAM and allowing a video-server having a plurality of CPU'"'"'s to work in parallel to produce a much larger number of video streams.

10-34. -34. (canceled)

35. A video system for providing a large number of video streams, comprising:

a video server having a plurality of central-processing units (CPUs);

dividing means for dividing a plurality of input video-streams entering the video system, and for sending the divided plurality of input-video streams, with each divided video stream identified with a separate Ethernet address, to said video server;

storage means, located at said video server, for storing an input video-stream of the plurality of input video-streams as a stored-video stream;

a switch, located at the video server, for routing an input-video stream of the plurality of input-video streams to the storage means; and

control means, located at the video server, for controlling said storage means to replay the stored-video stream and to control portions of the stored-video stream at an appropriate time, through said, and to the plurality of CPUs at the video server to work in parallel, thereby producing a much larger number of video streams than a single CPU.

36. A video method for providing a large number of video streams in a video system, using a video server having a plurality of central-processing units (CPUs), comprising the steps of:

dividing a plurality of input video-streams entering the video system;

sending the divided plurality of input-video streams, with each divided video stream identified with a separate Ethernet address, to said video server;

storing, at said video server, an input video-stream of the plurality of input video-streams as a stored-video stream;

routing, at the video server, an input-video stream of the plurality of input-video streams to the storage means;

replaying the stored-video stream; and

controlling the plurality of CPUs at the video server to work in parallel portions of the stored-video stream at an appropriate time, thereby producing a much larger number of video streams than a single CPU.

37. A video system for providing a large number of video streams, comprising:

a video server having a plurality of central-processing units (CPUs);

a signal divider for dividing a plurality of input video-streams entering the video system, and for sending the divided plurality of input-video streams, with each divided video stream identified with a separate Ethernet address, to said video server;

a storage device, located at said video server, for storing an input video-stream of the plurality of input video-streams as a stored-video stream;

a switch, located at the video server, for routing an input-video stream of the plurality of input-video streams to the storage means; and

a controller, located at the video server, for controlling said storage means to replay the stored-video stream and to control portions of the stored-video stream at an appropriate time, through said, and to the plurality of CPUs at the video server to work in parallel, thereby producing a much larger number of video streams than a single CPU.