Fast channel change apparatus and method for IPTV

• US 20070160038A1
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Published: 07/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Knowledge Ventures, L.P. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Chen, Weijing, Liu, Guangtian
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,306 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system that can receive a group of channels (at least one of which includes an I-frame) from a DSL network, a memory that can store the I-frames, and a channel change detector that can detect a user'"'"'s selection of a particular channel. If the memory contains the I-frame corresponding to the particular channel and if an I-frame has not been received from the DSL network, then the system provides the stored I-frame from the memory to the user.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium containing instructions operative to be executed in a computer containing a processor, the instructions comprising:

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to buffer an I-frame sent in a network from a server to a user;

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to detect a user event from the user; and

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to provide the I-frame to the user in response to the user event.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise:

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to buffer an I-frame for each channel in a group of channels, the group of channels being at least one of;

all channels available in the network, all channels to which a neighborhood is subscribed, all channels that are frequently watched by the neighborhood, and all predicted channels (predicting a next channel based upon at least one of user viewing patterns, neighborhood viewing patterns, network viewing patterns, time of day, day of week, and programming schedules).

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise:

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to circularly FIFO buffer a most recent I-frame for each channel of the group of channels.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise:

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to share the I-frame with another processor of a processor cluster.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to detect a user event from the user includes;

at least one of;

at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to detect a channel change from the user, and at least one instruction operative to cause the processor to detect a user device error.

6. A method for providing video content, the method comprising:

buffering an I-frame transmitted over a network in a network device;

detecting a user event from a user; and

providing the buffered I-frame to the user in response to the user event.

7. The method for providing video content of claim 6, further comprising:

buffering an I-frame for each channel in a group of channels, the group of channels being at least one of;

all channels available in the network, all channels to which a neighborhood is subscribed, all channels that are frequently watched by the neighborhood, and all predicted channels (predicting a next channel based upon at least one of user viewing patterns, neighborhood viewing patterns, network viewing patterns, time of day, day of week, and programming schedules).

8. The method for providing video content of claim 6, wherein the buffering includes:

buffering a most recent I-frame for each channel from a group of channels.

9. The method for providing video content of claim 6, further comprising:

sharing the I-frame with another processor of a processor cluster.

10. The method for providing video content of claim 6, wherein:

detecting a user event from the user includes at least one of;

detecting a channel change from the user, and detecting a user device error.

11. A network element operative to provide content to a user in a network, the network element comprising:

a memory operative to store an I-frame of the content;

a user event detector, operative to detect a user event from the user; and

a processor operative to buffer an I-frame in the memory, and further operative to provide the I-frame from the memory to the user in response to the user event.

12. The network element of claim 11, wherein:

the processor is further operative to determine a desired channel in response to the user event; and

the memory is further operative to store an I-frame of the content for each channel in a group of channels, the group of channels including the desired channel and being at least one of;

all channels available in the network, all channels to which a neighborhood is subscribed, all channels that are frequently watched by the neighborhood, and all predicted channels (predicting a next channel based upon at least one of user viewing patterns, neighborhood viewing patterns, network viewing patterns, time of day, day of week, and programming schedules).

13. The network element of claim 11, wherein the memory further comprises:

a circular FIFO buffer.

14. The network element of claim 11, wherein:

the memory is further accessible by another processor of a processor cluster.

15. The network element of claim 11, wherein:

the user event detector is further operative to detect at least one of;

a channel change from the user, and a user device error.

16. A method for modifying a network element, the method comprising:

coupling a memory to the network element such that the memory is operative to buffer an I-frame in a network from a server to a user; and

adapting the network element to detect a user event from the user, and to provide the I-frame to the user in response to the user event.

17. The method for modifying a network element of claim 16, wherein:

the coupling is such that the memory is operative to buffer an I-frame for each channel in a group of channels, the group of channels being at least one of;

all channels available in the network, all channels to which a neighborhood is subscribed, all channels that are frequently watched by the neighborhood, and all predicted channels (predicting a next channel based upon at least one of user viewing patterns, neighborhood viewing patterns, network viewing patterns, time of day, day of week, and programming schedules).

18. The method for modifying a network element of claim 16, wherein coupling the memory includes coupling a FIFO buffer operative to buffer a most recent I-frame for each channel of the group of channels.

19. The method for modifying a network element of claim 16, further comprising:

coupling a memory to another network element.

20. The method for modifying a network element of claim 16, further comprising:

adapting the network element to detect a user event from the user that includes at least one of;

detecting a channel change from the user, and detecting a user device error.