METHOD OF GENERATING AND DEMULTIPLEXING AN OPTIMIZED CONTRIBUTION SIGNAL, AND REGIONALIZED DATA BROADCASTING SYSTEM

• US 20090040962A1
• Filed: 10/13/2006
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Lhermitte, Richard, Lebars, Eric, Oger, Benoit
• Granted Patent: US 8,139,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/316
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23412 for generating or manipulating the scene composition of objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• 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 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526

Abstract

The invention relates to a method of generating an optimized contribution signal comprising multiplexes. Each multiplex comprises global broadcasting services and its own combination of regional services. Each multiplex comprises stuffing packets and packets transporting signaling tables. The optimized contribution signal is generated by retaining only the global broadcasting services that are different from one another. The stuffing packets are marked and the packets transporting the signaling tables according to the multiplex to which they belong. Data bursts are constructed from the data streams corresponding to the global broadcasting services, to the regional services and to the marked stuffing packets and to the marked packets transporting the signaling tables. Another subject of the invention is a demultiplexing method, an optimized contribution signal and a regionalized data broadcasting system, and a receiver. More particularly, the invention makes it possible to optimize the bandwidth needed to broadcast, in data bursts, notably via a satellite link, global broadcasting services and regional broadcasting services.

Claims

1. A method of generating an optimized contribution signal comprising multiplexes, each multiplex comprising global broadcasting services and an own combination of regional services, each multiplex comprising stuffing packets and packets transporting signaling tables wherein the optimized contribution signal is generated by:

retaining only the global broadcasting services which are different from one another;

marking the stuffing packets and the packets transporting the signaling tables according to the multiplex to which they belong;

constructing data bursts from the data streams corresponding to the global broadcasting services, to the regional services, and to the marked stuffing packets and to the marked packets transporting the signaling tables.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stuffing packets and the packets transporting the signaling tables are marked by applying a translation of the identifier (Pid) of said stuffing packets and of the packets transporting the signaling tables.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the data bursts of the optimized contribution signal are constructed firstly for all the global broadcasting services, then secondly for all the regional services.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optimized contribution signal comprises synchronous data bursts with identical period and bit rate.

5. The method as claimed claim 1 wherein synchronization information is introduced into the optimized contribution signal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the optimized contribution signal conforms to the DVB-H standard.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein it comprises a step for smoothing the bit rate of the signal constructed in the data burst construction step.

10. A system for broadcasting regional services and global broadcasting services, said system being able to generate an optimized contribution signal comprising multiplexes, each multiplex comprising the global broadcasting services and an own combination of regional services, and each multiplex comprising stuffing packets and packets transporting signaling tables, wherein said system is able to broadcast certain regional services and global broadcasting services in data bursts, the contribution signal being generated by:

retaining only the global broadcasting services that are different from one another;

marking the stuffing packets and the packets transporting the signaling tables according to the multiplex to which they belong;

constructing data bursts from the data streams corresponding to the global broadcasting services, to the regional services, and to the marked stuffing packets and to the marked packets transporting the signaling tables,

said system preferably being able to implement the signal generation method as claimed in claim 1.

11. The broadcasting system as claimed in claim 10, wherein said system being designed to broadcast the multiplexes over a coverage area comprising geographic regions and each geographic region receiving at least one multiplex, said system comprises receivers distributed over various geographic regions and able to receive said optimized signal transmitted in the coverage areas, each receiver being able to generate from the optimized contribution signal a signal to be transmitted intended for the geographic region in which said receiver is located, the signal to be transmitted being transmitted by transmission means to the whole geographic region in which the transmission means are located, the transmission means forming a single-frequency network and being synchronized, at least some of said receivers preferably being able to implement the demultiplexing method as claimed in claim 1.

12. A receiver comprising a processing unit, an input and an output, wherein the input being designed to receive an optimized contribution signal comprising data relating to at least one multiplex, each multiplex comprising global broadcasting services and regional services, stuffing packets and packets transporting signaling tables marked according to the multiplex to which they belong, the processing unit is able to construct a signal sent to the output by:

retaining only the services intended for said geographic region;

constructing data bursts from the data streams included in the optimized contribution signal corresponding;

to the global broadcasting services;

to the regional services intended for said geographic region;

to the marked stuffing packets and to the marked packets transporting the signaling tables corresponding to the regional services intended for said geographic region,

said receiver preferably being able to implement the demultiplexing method as claimed in claim 1.

13. An optimized contribution signal comprising multiplexes, each multiplex comprising global broadcasting services and its own combination of regional services, each multiplex comprising stuffing packets and packets transporting signaling tables, wherein the optimized contribution signal is such that:

the global broadcasting services are different from one another;

the stuffing packets and the packets transporting the signaling tables are marked according to the multiplex to which they belong;

said signal comprises data bursts constructed from the data streams corresponding to the global broadcasting services, to the regional services, and to the marked stuffing packets and to the marked packets transporting the signaling tables,

said signal preferably being generated by a signal generation method as claimed in claim 1.

7. A demultiplexing method, wherein, for a given geographic region, from an optimized contribution signal comprising data relating to at least one multiplex, each multiplex comprising global broadcasting services and regional broadcasting services, stuffing packets and packets transporting signaling tables marked according to the multiplex to which they belong, a signal is constructed by:

retaining only the services intended for said geographic regions;

constructing data bursts from the data streams included in the optimized contribution signal corresponding;

to the global broadcasting services;

to the regional services intended for said geographic region;

to the marked stuffing packets and to the marked packets transporting the signaling tables corresponding to the regional services intended for said geographic regions.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, during the data burst construction step, the identifier (Pid) of the marked stuffing packets and the marked packets transporting the signaling tables is translated so as to reconstruct the data streams corresponding to the services intended for the geographic region.