METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR OPERATING A RECEIVING CIRCUIT FOR MULTIPLE TYPES OF INPUT CHANNEL SIGNALS

• US 20090068959A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Miner, Daniel M., Ribordy, Douglas E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,300,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/103 Transmitter-side switching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/236 Assembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. transport stream, by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, e.g. inserting a URL [Uniform Resource Locator] into a video stream, multiplexing software data into a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bit-rate; Assembling of a packetised elementary stream multiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/44209 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 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

A receiving circuit module for receiving different types of channel signals includes a housing having a first input, a second input and an input-output port disposed therein and a controller receiving a control signal. The controller switches between the first input and second output and generates an output signal corresponding to the first input or the second input in response to the control signal.

Claims

1. A method of operating a receiving circuit module comprising:

generating an output signal at the receiving circuit module corresponding to a first receiving circuit module input signal;

generating a control signal;

communicating the control signal to the receiving circuit module; and

changing the output signal of the receiving circuit module to correspond to a second receiving circuit module input signal in response to the control signal.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first receiving circuit module input signal comprises an over-the-air signal and the second receiving circuit module input signal comprises a direct input.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first receiving circuit module input signal comprises an over-the-air television signal and the second receiving circuit module input signal comprises a serial digital input.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a control signal comprises generating the control signal from a monitoring system.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a control signal comprises generating the control signal from a monitoring system and wherein communicating the control signal comprises communicating the control signal to the receiving circuit module through a network connection.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein the network connection comprises an IP connection.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the first receiving circuit module is disposed in a local collection facility disposed remotely from a remote facility.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising communicating the output signal to the remote facility through an IP connection.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising forming an uplink signal from the output signal at the remote facility and uplinking the uplink signal to a satellite.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein changing the output signal of the receiving circuit module to correspond to a second receiving circuit module input signal comprises providing a third input receiving circuit module input signal at the receiving circuit module and changing the output signal of the receiving circuit module to correspond to a second receiving circuit module input signal or a third receiving circuit module input signal.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein a first receiving circuit module input signal comprises a first over-the-air television signal, the second receiving circuit module input signal comprises a serial digital input and the third receiving circuit module input signal comprises a second over-the-air television signal.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein the first over-the-air television signal comprises a standard definition television signal and the second over-the-air television signal comprises a high definition television signal.

13. A receiving circuit module comprising:

a housing having an first input, a second input and an input-output port disposed therein; and

a controller receiving a control signal, switching between the first input and second output and generating an output signal corresponding to the first input or the second input in response to the control signal.

14. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 13 wherein the first input comprises an RF input in communication with an antenna.

15. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 13 wherein the second input comprises a serial digital input.

16. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 13 further comprising a first receiver and a second receiver in communication with the first input.

17. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 16 wherein the first receiver comprises an NTSC receiver.

18. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 16 wherein the second receiver comprises an ATSC receiver.

19. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 16 wherein the first receiver comprises an NTSC receiver and the second receiver comprises an ATSC receiver.

20. A receiving circuit module comprising:

a housing having a first receiver, a second receiver, a serial digital input and an input-output port disposed therein;

a controller receiving a control signal, switching between the first receiver, the second receiver and the serial digital input and generating an output signal corresponding to the first receiver, the second receiver and the serial digital input in response to the control signal.

21. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 20 further comprising an RF input in communication with the first receiver and the second receiver.

22. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 20 wherein the first receiver comprises an NTSC receiver.

23. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 20 wherein the second receiver comprises an ATSC receiver.

24. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 20 wherein the first receiver comprises an NTSC receiver and the second receiver comprises an ATSC receiver.

25. A receiving circuit module as recited in claim 20 further comprising an antenna in communication with the first receiver and the second receiver.