SMATV HEADEND USING IP TRANSPORT STREAM INPUT AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20090113492A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tatem, Richard B., Norin, John L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,942,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

A receiving unit 28 includes a tuner that receives a first signal that may include a satellite signal. A demodulator demodulates the satellite signal to form a second signal. The second signal may be internet protocol (IP) encapsulated to form an IP encapsulated signal. The IP encapsulated signal may be communicated through an IP network to a decoder. The decoder 144 decodes the second signal or the IP encapsulated signal. A modulator 146 modulates the decoded signal which is communicated to user devices through a network 147. In addition, IP encapsulated signals may also be communicated to various user devices through the network.

Claims

1. A receiving unit comprising:

a tuner module tuning a satellite signal;

a demodulator demodulating the satellite signal to form a transport stream signal;

an IP encapsulation module generating an IP encapsulated signal from the transport stream signal;

a decoder module decoding the IP encapsulated signal to form an analog signal; and

a modulator modulating the analog signal and communicating the modulated signal to a television tuner.

2. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising an input processing module buffering the transport stream signal.

3. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising an encryption module generating an encrypted IP encapsulated signal.

4. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising an output processing module buffering the IP encapsulated signal.

5. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising an IP network communicating the IP encapsulated signal from the IP encapsulation module to the decoder module.

6. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising an analog network communicating the modulated signal to the television tuner.

7. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the tuner circuit board comprises a low noise block control module receiving a control signal from the IP encapsulation module.

8. A receiving unit as recited in claim 7 wherein the control signal comprises a channel change signal.

9. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising remotely monitoring and controlling a device through a web portal.

10. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 further comprising remotely monitoring and controlling a decoder module through a web portal.

11. A receiving unit as recited in claim 1 wherein the tuner module comprises a plurality of tuner modules and the demodulator comprises a plurality of demodulators corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of channels.

12. A receiving unit as recited in claim 11 wherein the IP encapsulation module forming a plurality of IP encapsulated signals and the decoder module decodes the plurality of IP encapsulated signals into a plurality of analog signals.

13. A receiving unit as recited in claim 12 wherein the modulator modulates the plurality of analog signals.

14. A receiving unit as recited in claim 13 wherein the modulator communicates the plurality of analog signals to a plurality of television tuners.

15. A system comprising:

a tuner module tuning a satellite signal;

a demodulator demodulating the satellite signal to form a transport stream signal;

an IP encapsulation module receiving the transport stream and formatting the transport stream signal to form an IP encapsulated signal and communicating the IP encapsulated signal through an IP network;

a device in communication with the network receiving the IP encapsulated signal, said device decoding the IP encapsulated signal to form a decoded signal.

16. A receiving unit as recited in claim 15 wherein the tuner module comprises a plurality of tuner modules and the demodulator comprises a plurality of demodulators corresponding to a respective one of a plurality of channels.

17. A system as recited in claim 16 wherein the IP encapsulation module forms a plurality of IP encapsulated signals and communicates the IP encapsulated signals to a plurality of devices.

18. A system as recited in claim 17 wherein the plurality of devices comprises a plurality of set top boxes.

19. A method comprising:

receiving a first signal to form a received signal;

demodulating the received signal to form a transport stream signal;

forming an IP encapsulated signal from the transport stream signal;

communicating the IP encapsulated signal through a network; and

decoding the IP encapsulated signal to form a decoded signal.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising modulating the decoded signal to form a modulated signal and communicating the modulated signal to a television tuner through a network.

21. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising routing the IP encapsulated signals through the network.

22. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising communicating the IP encapsulated signal through the network to a plurality of devices associated with a display.

23. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein the network comprises a wireless network or wired.

24. A method as recited in claim 19 wherein the steps of receiving a received signal and demodulating the received signal are performed on a first circuit board.

25. A method as recited in claim 24 further comprising IP encapsulating the transport stream signal to form an IP encapsulated signal prior to decoding and wherein the step of IP encapsulating comprises IP encapsulating on a second circuit board.