BANDWIDTH SENSITIVE SWITCHED DIGITAL VIDEO CONTENT DELIVERY

• US 20080244667A1
• Filed: 03/27/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Scientific-Atlanta LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Osborne, Jason C.
• Application Number:
  US11/691,565
• Publication Number:
  US 20080244667A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2396 characterized by admission policies admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for network security using user profiles for access control H04L63/102; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed for enabling a switched digital video (SDV) server to prioritize SDV programs. More specifically, SDV programs carried on an RF carrier frequency are given priorities in the event of unavailable bandwidth. In this manner, the SDV server selects which SDV programs to broadcast, to unbind, or not to fulfill.

Claims

1. A method for broadcasting programs in a switched digital video (SDV) system, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for an SDV program;

determining available bandwidth of an RF carrier frequency;

if bandwidth is available, broadcasting the requested SDV program on the RF carrier frequency along with other broadcasting SDV programs;

if bandwidth is unavailable, determining a priority of the requested SDV program compared to priorities of the other SDV programs; and

broadcasting the SDV programs that are within the available bandwidth of the RF carrier frequency having a highest priority.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the priorities of the requested SDV program and the other SDV programs comprises the steps of:

retrieving an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprising tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active set-top box (STB); and

determining the priority based on the tuner status.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the tuner status may be one or more of providing a corresponding SDV program to a main screen, a picture-in-picture (PIP) screen, a pay-per-view (PPV) event, or a recording function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the priorities of the requested SDV program and the other SDV programs comprises the steps of:

retrieving an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprising tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active STB; and

determining the priority based on how many active STBs are tuning a same SDV program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the priorities of the requested SDV program and the other SDV programs comprises the steps of:

retrieving an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprising tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active STB, wherein one or more of the corresponding SDV programs is a high definition (HD) SDV program; and

determining the priority based on the presence of the one or more HD SDV programs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, when bandwidth is limited, assigning the HD SDV program a lower priority when a standard definition (SD) format of the HD SDV program is available for broadcasting.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, when bandwidth is available, assigning the HD SDV program a higher priority than the SD format, wherein the SD format of the HD SDV program is no longer transmitted and the HD SDV program is transmitted.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the priorities of the requested SDV program and the other SDV programs comprises the steps of:

retrieving an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprising tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active STB, wherein one or more of the corresponding SDV programs may be a pay-per-view (PPV) SDV program; and

determining the priority based on the presence of a PPV SDV program.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of terminating at least one of the broadcasting SDV programs having a lower priority in order to begin broadcasting the request for the SDV program, wherein the requested SDV program has a higher priority.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of updating an SDV program log with the broadcasting SDV programs, the program log comprising tuner status of an STB and a corresponding SDV program.

11. A switched digital video (SDV) system comprising an SDV server for broadcasting SDV programs on demand when bandwidth is available, the SDV server comprising:

a processor for receiving a request for an SDV program, and for determining available bandwidth of an RF carrier frequency,

wherein, when bandwidth is available, broadcasting the requested SDV program on the RF carrier frequency along with other broadcasting SDV programs, and

wherein, when bandwidth is unavailable, determining a priority of the requested SDV program compared to priorities of the other broadcasting SDV programs,

wherein the SDV programs are broadcasted on the RF carrier frequency having highest priorities that are within the available bandwidth.

12. The SDV server of claim 11, further comprising memory for storing an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprises tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active set-top box (STB), wherein the priority of SDV programs is based on the tuner status of each STB.

13. The SDV server of claim 12, wherein the tuner status may be one or more of a main screen function, a PIP screen function, a PPV event, or a recording function.

14. The SDV server of claim 11, further comprising memory for storing an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprises tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active set-top box (STB), wherein the priority of SDV programs is based on how many active STBs are tuning a same SDV program.

15. The SDV server of claim 11, further comprising memory for storing an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprises tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active set-top box (STB), wherein one or more of the corresponding SDV programs is a high definition (HD) SDV program, wherein the priority of SDV programs is based on the presence of the one or more HD SDV programs.

16. The SDV server of claim 15, wherein, when bandwidth is limited, the one or more HD SDV programs is determined to be a lower priority when a standard definition (SD) format of the HD SDV program is available for broadcasting.

17. The SDV server of claim 16, wherein, when bandwidth is available, the one or more HD SDV programs are higher priority than the SD format, wherein the SD format of the HD SDV program is no longer transmitted and the HD SDV program is transmitted.

18. The SDV server of claim 11, further comprising memory for storing an SDV program log, the SDV program log comprises tuner status and a corresponding SDV program for an active set-top box (STB), wherein one or more of the corresponding SDV programs is a pay-per-view (PPV) SDV program, wherein the priority of SDV programs is based on the presence of the one or more PPV SDV programs.

19. The SDV server of claim 11, wherein the processor terminates at least one of the broadcasting SDV programs having a lower priority in order to begin broadcasting the requested SDV program, wherein the requested SDV program has a higher priority.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the processor updates an SDV program log with the broadcasting SDV programs, the program log comprising tuner status of an STB and a corresponding SDV program.

21. A switched digital video (SDV) system comprising an SDV server for broadcasting SDV programs on demand when bandwidth is available, the SDV system comprising:

a plurality of STBs each for transmitting a request for an SDV program; and

an SDV server for managing the broadcasting SDV programs, the SDV server comprising;

a processor for receiving the request, and for determining available bandwidth of an RF carrier frequency,

wherein, when bandwidth is available, broadcasting the requested SDV program on the RF carrier frequency along with other broadcasting SDV programs, and

wherein, when bandwidth is unavailable, determining a priority of the requested SDV program compared to priorities of the other broadcasting SDV programs,

wherein the SDV programs are broadcasted on the RF carrier frequency having highest priorities that are within the available bandwidth, and wherein a message is transmitted to a STB that requested a lowest priority SDV program.

22. The SDV system of claim 21, wherein the SDV server updates an SDV program log with the broadcasting SDV programs, the program log comprising tuner status of an STB and a corresponding SDV program.