METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRACKING ACTUAL CHANNEL CONTENT PLAYOUT IN THE EVENT OF AN ENCODER FAILURE

• US 20090070799A1
• Filed: 09/10/2007
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Mitch C.
• Application Number:
  US11/852,969
• Publication Number:
  US 20090070799A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• 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 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6379 directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method includes an automation system receiving a content signal and generating a run log in response to the content signal, an encoder and a monitoring system monitoring an encoder and generating an encoder status signal. The automation system updates the run log in response to the encoder status signal.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a content signal;

generating a run log in response to the content signal;

monitoring an encoder and generating an encoder status signal; and

in response to the encoder status signal, updating the run log.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a content signal comprises generating a content signal at a decoder to form a decoder signal.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein generating a run log comprises generating the run log at a first automation system.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising communicating the run log to a billing system.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising a first automation system in communication with the primary position and a second automation system in communication with the back-up position.

6. A method as recited in claim 5 wherein generating a run log comprises generating a first run log at the first automation system and generating a second run log at the second automation system and wherein generating a run log comprises generating the run log in response to the first run log and the second run log.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 further comprising inserting insert material at the first automation system or the second automation system into the channel signal to form a modified channel signal.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 further comprising updating the consolidated run log with an entry corresponding to the insert material.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the run log comprises a channel identifier, a scheduled start time and scheduled end time.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the run log comprises a channel identifier, an actual start time and duration.

11. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the run log comprises a channel identifier, a scheduled start time, an actual start time and duration.

12. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the run log comprises a channel identifier, a scheduled start time, an insert material identifier an actual start time and duration.

13. A method comprising:

generating a content signal;

generating a run log in response to the content signal;

monitoring an encoder and generating an encoder status signal;

in response to monitoring the encoder being inactive, generation a slide insertion signal and communicating the slide insertion signal to the automation system; and

updating the run log in response to the slide insertion signal.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein generating a slide insertion signal comprises generating the slide insertion signal in response to communicating a slide to a signal processing system.

15. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein generating a slide insertion signal comprises generating the slide insertion signal in response to communicating a slide to an uplink signal processing system.

16. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein generating a slide insertion signal comprises generating the slide insertion signal in response to communicating a slide to a muliplexer, and further comprising generating a multiplexed signal in response to the slide.

17. A method as recited in claim 13 further comprising a first automation system and a second automation system in communication the encoder.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein generating a run log comprises generating a first run log at the first automation system and generating a second run log at the second automation system and wherein generating a run log comprises generating the run log in response to the first run log and the second run log.

19. A method as recited in claim 17 further comprising inserting insert material at the first automation system or the second automation system into the channel signal to form a modified channel signal.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising updating the run log with an entry corresponding to the insert material.

21. A system comprising:

an automation system receiving a content signal and generating a run log in response to the content signal;

an encoder;

a monitoring system monitoring an encoder and generating an encoder status signal;

said automation system updating the run log in response to the encoder status signal.

22. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the content signal comprises a television channel signal.

23. A system as recited in claim 21 further comprising a billing system in communication with the automation system, said automation system communicating the run log to the billing system.

24. A system as recited in claim 21 wherein the automation system comprises a first automation system generating a first run log and a second automation system generating a second run log, said automation system forming a consolidated run log in response to the first run log and the second run log.

25. A system as recited in claim 21 further comprising a content repository storing insert material therein, said content repository in communication with the automation system, said automation system inserting insert material into the content signal to form a modified channel signal.