Methods and apparatus for providing video on demand and network PVR functions using IP streaming

• US 20070127519A1
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Inc. (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gould, Kenneth, Hasek, Charles
• Granted Patent: US 8,181,209 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/27 Server based end-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64707 for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for supporting on-demand content services, using conventional non-IP based VOD servers are described. The methods and apparatus of the present invention, through the use of a protocol converter and/or a content redirector, can be used to enable a conventional VOD server to supply content to a customer premise equipment (CPE) device which supports IP based content delivery and/or RSTP control of content delivery. The protocol converter of the invention can be implemented as an RTSP-ISA PROXY. The RTSP Proxy converts messages between RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) to the appropriate ISA protocol signal or another protocol format. The proxy module handles the conversion between these formats and converts a received signal, e.g. message, into the format required by the device which responds by implementing the operation requested by the signal.

Claims

1. A content distribution system for use with a customer premise device that receives IP streams, the system comprising:

a video on demand server; and

a protocol converter module in communication with said customer premise device to said video on demand server, said protocol format conversion module for converting signals between a first protocol used by said customer premise device and a second protocol used by said video on demand server.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an IP business management system module in communication with said customer premise device and to said protocol format conversion module, said IP media server for receiving and processing content delivery requests from said customer premise device and sending signals to initiate delivery of requested content to said protocol conversion module.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a cable network business management system module in communication with said protocol conversion module for processing signals from said protocol format converter module.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said video on demand server is a network based video recorder device which provides network personal video recorder functionality in response to one or more ISA protocol compliant signals.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein said cable network broadband media service is coupled to said video on demand server.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said first protocol is an RTSP protocol and wherein said second protocol is an Interactive Services Architecture protocol.

7. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a video redirector module for receiving video content from said video on demand server and forwarding said video content as an IP stream to said customer premise device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said video redirector packetizes said video content.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said video redirector reformats said video content from a first encoding format to a second encoding format prior to delivery to said customer premise device.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a broadband network in communication with said customer premise device to said protocol converter module, said IP business management system module and to said video redirector.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein said customer premise device is a personal computer, the system further comprising:

a plurality of set top boxes in communication with said video on demand server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said plurality of set top boxes are communicate with said video server through a cable network and wherein said broadband network includes a DSL connection to said customer premise device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said protocol converter is an ISA-RTSP protocol converter for converting at least some signals between an ISA signal format and an RTSP signal format.

14. The system of claim 2, wherein said video on demand server is located in a cable head end.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said IP business management system module supports RTSP signaling and is located in an IP headend which is in a different building than said cable headend.

16. A method for use in delivering content, the method comprising:

operating an IP business management system module to process a content delivery request from a customer premise device;

operating the first business management system module to send a first signal in a first format corresponding to a first protocol to initiate delivery of the requested content, said first business management system module supporting IP based content delivery;

operating a protocol converter module to convert said first signal from said first format to a second format corresponding to a second protocol, said protocol conversion producing a second signal; and

operating a second broadband media server to processes said second signal.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

operating said second business management system module to signal a video on demand server to supply the requested content.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said video on demand server is a network based video recorder device which provides network personal video recorder functionality in response to one or more ISA protocol compliant signals.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein operating the protocol converter module to convert said first signal includes converting from said first signal format to an ISA signal format.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said first format is an RTSP signal format.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

operating the video on demand server to begin supplying the requested content to a video redirector module.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

operating the video redirector module to generate an IP packet stream including at least some of the content to be delivered, packets in said IP packet stream including an IP addresses corresponding to a customer premise device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

operating the video redirector to perform an encoding format conversion operation to produce said IP packet stream.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

operating the video redirector to perform a data rate shaping operation when producing said IP packet stream.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

operating said protocol converter module to receive a playback control signal from said customer premise device; and

operating said protocol converter module to perform a protocol conversion operation on said network video playback control signal to convert said signal to a protocol format supported by said video on demand server, said conversion producing a second video playback control signal.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

operating said video on demand server to receive said second video playback control signal and to modify the video stream being supplied to said video redirector in accordance with said video playback control signal.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said video control playback signal is one of a fast forward and a reverse signal.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

operating the video on demand server to supply a plurality of set top boxes with on demand video streams.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

operating an IPTV stream server to send a plurality of IP TV streams to a plurality of different IP based customer premise devices, said customer premise device being one of said plurality of different IP based customer premise devices.

30. A content delivery method comprising:

receiving a content delivery control signal;

converting the received content delivery control signal from a first format corresponding to a first protocol into a second format corresponding to a second protocol;

supplying the content delivery control signal in the second format to a video on demand server; and

operating the video on demand server to respond to the content delivery control signal by outputting content in accordance with the content delivery control signal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said content delivery control signal is a playback control command used to control the streaming of video content to the customer premise device.

32. The content delivery method of claim 31, wherein said first format is an RTSP signal format.

33. The content delivery method of claim 32,

wherein said second format is an ISA signal format;

and

wherein said content delivery control signal is one of a reverse control signal and a fast forward control signal.

34. The content delivery method of claim 32, further comprising:

operating a video redirector module to receive a video stream from said video on demand server and to reformat said received video content stream into an IP packet stream.

35. The content delivery method of claim 33, further comprising:

communicating the IP packet stream to an IP based customer premise device over a broadband connection.

36. A content distribution system for use with a customer premise device that receives IP streams, the system comprising:

a network based video on demand server for providing network personal video recorder functionality; and

a protocol converter module in communication with said customer premise device to said network based video on demand server, said protocol format conversion module for converting signals between a first protocol used by said customer premise device and a second protocol used by said video on demand server.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

an IP business management system module in communication with said customer premise device and to said protocol format conversion module, said IP media server for receiving and processing content delivery requests from said customer premise device and sending signals to initiate delivery of requested content to said protocol conversion module.

38. The system of claim 37, further comprising a cable network business management system module in communication with said protocol conversion module for processing signals from said protocol format converter module.