Method and Device for Providing Programs to Multiple End User Devices

• US 20090168679A1
• Filed: 10/16/2006
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Solutions, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Elad, Asi, Avieli, Gilat, Benjamim, Shai, Finkelstein, Modi, Reister, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,627,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/26 Arrangements for switching distribution systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/42 Arrangements for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A scheme for providing programs to multiple end user devices. Two types of media streams that convey a first group of programs are provided to multiple end user devices via an edge device. The two types of programs include a unicast media stream and a multicast media stream. When a request from a first end user device to view a first program that belongs to the first group of programs is received, a type of a media stream that conveys the first program to a second end user device is selectively switched, in response to bandwidth constraints imposed on a communication path coupled to the edge device.

Claims

1. A method for providing programs to multiple end user devices, the method comprising:

providing to multiple end user devices, via an edge device, two types of media streams that convey a first group of programs, wherein the two types of media streams include a unicast media stream and a multicast media stream;

receiving a request from a first end user device to view a first program that belongs to the first group of programs; and

selectively switching, in response to bandwidth constraints imposed on a communication path coupled to the edge device, a type of a media stream that conveys the first program to a second end user device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selective switching occurs at substantially an advertisement insertion splicing point.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selective switching occurs at substantially a reception of a request from the second end user device to change a program.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and provision of the media stream that conveys the first program to the second end user device, a last independently decodable image of a first multicast media stream that was received prior to the switching.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and a provision of the media stream that conveys the first program to the second end user device, an intermediate media stream that comprises a last independently decodable frame of a first multicast media stream that was received prior to the switching and previously decodable frames that follow said last independently decodable frame.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and provision of a first multicast media stream, an intermediate media stream that is a time shifted version of the first multicast media stream.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising converting non-independently decodable frames of a first multicast media stream to independently decodable frames and sending to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and a provision of the first multicast media stream, an intermediate media stream that includes the independently decodable frames.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the selective switching is responsive to a switching priority associated with programs conveyed by the media streams.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising compressing at least one media stream in response to the bandwidth constraints imposed on the communication path coupled to the edge device.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining multiple bandwidth thresholds and wherein the selective switching is responsive to a relationship between required bandwidth and the multiple bandwidth thresholds.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining at least one unicast-to-multicast switching bandwidth threshold and defining at least one multicast-to-unicast switching bandwidth threshold, wherein the at least one unicast-to-multicast switching bandwidth threshold differs from the at least one multicast-to-unicast switching bandwidth threshold.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving at least one multicast media stream and re-generating the at least one multicast media stream.

13. A device for providing multiple programs, the device comprises an output interface adapted to:

(i) provide to an edge device two types of media streams that convey a first group of programs, wherein the two types of media streams include a unicast media stream and a multicast media stream, the media streams provided via the edge device to multiple end users;

(ii) receive a request from a first end user device to view a first program that belongs to the first group of programs; and

a controller adapted to determine when to selectively switch, in response to bandwidth constraints imposed on a communication path coupled to the edge device, a type of a media stream that conveys the first program to a second end user device.

15. The device according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further adapted to perform the selective switching at substantially a reception of a request from the second end user device to change a program.

16. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to send to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and a provision of a first multicast media stream, a last independently decodable image of the first multicast media stream that was received prior to the switching.

17. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to send to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and provision of a first multicast media stream, an intermediate media stream that comprises a last independently decodable frame of the first multicast media stream that was received prior to the switching and previously decodable frames that follow said last independently decodable frame.

18. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to send to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and provision of a first multicast media stream, an intermediate media stream that is a time shifted version of the first multicast media stream.

19. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to convert non-independently decodable frames of a first multicast media stream to independently decodable frames and to send to the second end-user device, during a time gap between a switching point and provision of the first multicast media stream, an intermediate media stream that comprises the independently decodable frames.

20. The device according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further adapted to selectively switch in response to a switching priority associated with programs conveyed by media streams.

21. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to compress at least one media stream in response to the bandwidth constraints imposed on the communication path coupled to the edge device.

22. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to define multiple bandwidth thresholds, and wherein the selective switching is responsive to a relationship between required bandwidth and the multiple bandwidth thresholds.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein the definition comprises defining at least one unicast-to-multicast switching bandwidth threshold and defining at least one lticast-to-unicast switching bandwidth threshold;

wherein the at least one unicast-to-multicast switching bandwidth threshold differs from the at least one multicast-to-unicast switching bandwidth threshold.

24. The device according to claim 13, further adapted to receive at least one multicast media stream and to re-generate the at least one multicast media stream.

14. The device according to claim 14, wherein the controller is further adapted to perform the selective switching at substantially an advertisement insertion splicing point.