Multi-stream premises apparatus and methods for use in a content-based network

• US 20090210912A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sarosi, George W., Cholas, Chris, Helms, William L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,743,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4583 Automatically resolving scheduling conflicts, e.g. when a recording by reservation has been programmed for two programs in the same time slot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/462 Content or additional data management, e.g. creating a master electronic program guide from data received from the Internet and a Head-end, controlling the complexity of a video stream by scaling the resolution or bit-rate based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/50 Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for enhanced tuner efficiency, wherein tuner resources function to permit multiple content streams to be demultiplexed and thus made available for subsequent display. In one embodiment, Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) comprises a resource manager on which a guide application is run to control the tuning of an available tuner resource. This approach obviate reliance on OCAP or other proprietary vendor architecture applications. In another variant, the CPE is adapted to receive RF source data from a wideband tuner, or multiple tuners. The CPE may also be utilized in conjunction with other system configurations designed to enforce a security or other policies within a premises network. The CPE may also employ ‘look ahead’ capabilities to anticipate a QAM stream content before it is received.

Claims

1. Network resource management apparatus adapted to manage a plurality of tuner resources within one or more premises devices, said resource manager comprising first apparatus adapted to:

receive information regarding said plurality of tuner resources;

process said information; and

control said plurality of tuner resources according to at least one resource management policy.

2. The resource management apparatus of claim 1, wherein said information comprises status information comprising at least one of:

(i) the current frequency to which at least one of said tuner resources is currently tuned;

(ii) the programs that are available on the current frequency; and

(iii) the program identifications associated with the programs available on the current frequency.

3. The resource management apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus is further adapted to maintain a content routing table, said routing table comprising information at least relating a plurality of programs and respective routing thereof.

4. The resource management apparatus of claim 3, wherein said control comprises:

reserving at least one of said plurality of tuner resources; and

directing said reserved at least one tuner resource to distribute a first program stream from said routing table to at least one receiving apparatus.

5. The resource management apparatus of claim 4, wherein said apparatus is further adapted to direct said reserved at least one tuner resource to distribute a second program stream from said routing table to at least one receiving apparatus concurrently with said distribution of said first stream.

6. The resource management apparatus of claim 1, wherein said apparatus comprises a storage medium, and an object-oriented computer program stored at least partly on said medium.

7. The resource management apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a processor in data communication with said storage medium, said processor capable of executing said computer program; and

an interface adapted to communicate data or signals between said plurality of tuner resources and said processor.

8. The resource management apparatus of claim 7, wherein said plurality of resources comprise a plurality of radio frequency (RF) tuners each adapted to tune to and receive at least one quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signal.

9. The resource management apparatus of claim 8, further comprising at least one demodulator, said demodulator adapted to demodulate said at least one quadrature amplitude modulated (QAM) signal;

wherein said at least one demodulator is in communication with said processor and is at least partly controllable thereby.

10. The resource management apparatus of claim 9, wherein said at least one resource management policy comprises a network operator-specified policy that is communicated to said resource management apparatus over said network.

11. The resource management apparatus of claim 1, wherein said at least one resource management policy comprises a user-specified policy.

12. The resource management apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of tuner resources comprises at least one out-of-band (OOB) tuner, and said resource management apparatus is adapted to control said at least one OOB tuner.

13. The resource management apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one OOB tuner is disposed on a second platform physically separate from a first platform of said resource management apparatus.

14. The resource management apparatus of claim 13, wherein said second platform comprises a digital video recorder, and said first platform comprises a set top box or receiver.

15. Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) adapted to manage a plurality of tuner resources, the CPE comprising:

an RF front end, said front end adapted to at least receive signals from a distribution network;

a demultiplexer in signal communication with said front end and adapted to demultiplex a plurality of program streams from at least one multiplexed transport; and

a resource manager in signal communication with at least said RF front end and said demultiplexer, said resource manager adapted to distribute said plurality of program streams to respective ones of receiving devices in communication with said CPE.

16. The CPE of claim 15, wherein said RF front end comprises a plurality of RF tuners.

17. The CPE of claim 15, wherein said RF front end comprises at least one wide-band tuner, said at least one wideband tuner being capable of tuning to and receiving a plurality of RF channels simultaneously.

18. The CPE of claim 15, wherein said demultiplexer further comprises an internal filter, said filter adapted to facilitate selective identification and recovery of said plurality of program streams from said transport.

19. The CPE of claim 18, wherein said internal filter comprises a program identification (PID) filter, and selective identification and recovery is based at least in part on PIDs associated with each of said plurality of streams.

20. The CPE of claim 18, wherein said resource manager is further adapted to:

receive status information regarding said plurality of tuner resources;

process said resource status information; and

decrypt at least a portion of said plurality of streams.

21. A method of operating a premises device in a cable network, said premises device having at least one tuner resource associated therewith, the method comprising:

providing a resource manager adapted to determine the availability of said at least one tuner resource and control the tuning thereof;

receiving at least one composite transport comprising a plurality of individual program streams;

receiving information relating to said plurality of individual streams;

processing said information using said resource manager; and

implementing at least one content distribution scheme based at least in part on said processed information, said distribution scheme distributing individual ones of said plurality of streams to respective ones of receiving, content rendering, and/or content storage devices.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said information comprises information received over an out-of-band tuner, said information relating to the plurality of individual streams in said transport, said transport being received over an in-band tuner.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein said control of the tuning of said at least one tuner resource comprises:

determining the availability of said at least one tuner resource;

reserving said at least one resource;

causing, if required, said reserved tuner resource to tune to a specified channel; and

updating a content router associated with said resource manager as to the status of said tuner resource.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said receiving at least one composite transport comprises receiving said at least one transport via a wide-band tuner adapted to receive a plurality of RF channels simultaneously.

25. The method of claim 21, the method further comprising:

providing a plurality of consumer devices; and

placing said plurality of consumer devices in signal communication with said premises device, thereby establishing a premises network;

wherein said plurality of consumer devices may exchange protected content with at least said premises device without the use of an entity outside of said premises network.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein said information comprises data regarding the bitrate profile of at least a portion of said plurality of individual streams.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said data regarding the bitrate profile of at least a portion of said plurality of individual streams is used by said resource manager as at least part of the determination on how to distribute each of said streams.

28. A method of operating a premises device in a cable network, said premises device having at least one tuner associated therewith, the method comprising:

providing a resource manager adapted to control the tuning of said at least one tuner;

providing an application enabled to run on said premises device, said application being configured to generate a request for at least one content element and provide said request to said resource manager;

receiving a transport stream at said premises device; and

obtaining said requested at least one content element from said transport stream using said resource manager.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said application contains no capability to identify or utilize said at least one tuner itself to obtain said requested content element from said stream.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein said application cannot obtain said content element via said user without use of said resource manager.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein said application is adapted to be substantially agnostic to the resource manager so that said application can be run on at least one other premises device.

32. A method of doing business, comprising:

providing a premises device having at least an in-band network interface, an out-of-band (OOB) network interface capable of receiving a multiplexed transport, and a resource manager adapted to control said in-band and OOB interfaces, to a subscriber;

providing a video rendering or recording device to said subscriber; and

operating said resource manager to extract a plurality of individual transport streams from said multiplexed transport and distribute at least one of said streams to said rendering or recording device.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said rendering or recording device has no out-of-band network interface, and said method further comprises using said at least OOB interface of said premises device for OOB communications between said rendering or recording device and said network.

34. A method of controlling content distribution within a premises network, comprising:

providing a premises device adapted to interface with a content delivery network;

receiving, at said premises device, at least one multiplexed transport comprising a plurality of individual program streams;

representing at least a portion of said program streams on a graphical user interface (GUI) as a plurality of first graphical objects;

representing a plurality of other devices in communication with said premises device as respective ones of a plurality of second graphical objects; and

enabling a user of said GUI to associate ones of said program streams with ones of said other devices via at least one of said first and second graphical objects.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein said act of enabling comprises providing a drag-and-drop functionality whereby said first objects can be dragged and dropped onto respective ones of said second objects, thereby forming said association.