METHOD FOR DETECTING VIDEO TILING

• US 20090232007A1
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Field, Brian E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,259,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/064 involving time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing

Abstract

A method for detecting errors on an audio/video (A/V) data stream in a data service network includes providing multicast components operably coupled to each other via respective links for transmitting the A/V data stream to a user and for defining at least one multicast tree. The method further includes generating a state information signal indicative of a number of errors on the A/V data stream for at least one of the links and at least one of the plurality of multicast components. The method further includes determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream that are indicative of the number of errors for the at least one of the links and the at least one of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to the state information signal.

Claims

1. A method for detecting errors on an audio/video (A/V) data stream in a data service network, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of multicast components operably coupled to each other via respective links for transmitting the A/V data stream to a user and for defining at least one multicast tree;

generating a state information signal indicative of a number of errors on the A/V data stream for at least one of the links and at least one of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree; and

determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream that are indicative of the number of errors for the at least one of the links and the at least one of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to the state information signal.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the cumulative number of errors includes determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream for the links in the multicast tree for a predefined time frame.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing at least three multicast components operably coupled to each other via a respective link to define a path in the multicast tree.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein determining the cumulative number of errors includes determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream for each path in the multicast tree in response to the state information signal.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream for each path includes determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream for the path in the multicast tree for a predefined time frame.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating at least one identification signal with at least one of the multicast components, wherein the at least one identification signal corresponds to packet data received on a first interface belonging to the at least one of the multicast components and packet data transmitted by a second interface belonging to the at least one of the multicast components.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating a logical representation of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to the at least one identification signal prior to determining the cumulative number of errors, wherein the multicast components include at least one of a transmission source, a receiver, and a router.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the logical representation of the multicast tree includes the position of the plurality of multicast components with respect to each other, the quantity of the multicast components in the multicast tree and the links coupled to each multicast component.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising generating error alert signals which correspond to errors detected on the A/V data stream with at least one of the transmission source and the receiver subsequent to generating the logical representation of the multicast tree.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising searching a particular multicast tree which includes the at least one of the transmission source and the receiver which generates the error alert signals.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising performing a real time query on a path of the multicast tree which includes the at least one of the transmission source and the receiver to determine recent network events.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the errors include errors which cause video tiling.

13. A method for detecting errors on an audio/video (A/V) data stream in a data service network, wherein a plurality of multicast components are operably coupled to each other via respective links for transmitting the A/V data stream to a user and for defining at least one multicast tree, the method comprising:

providing at least three multicast components operably coupled to each other via the link to define a path in the multicast tree, wherein the multicast components include at least one of a transmission source, a receiver, and a router;

generating a state information signal indicative of a number of errors on the A/V data stream at one or more paths and at one or more of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree; and

determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream that are indicative of the number of errors at the one or more paths and the one or more of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to the state information signal.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein determining the cumulative number of errors includes determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream for the path in the multicast tree for a predefined time frame.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising generating at least one identification signal with at least one of the routers, wherein the at least one identification signal corresponds to packet data received on a first interface belonging to the at least one of the routers from any one or more of the multicast components and packet data transmitted by a second interface belonging to the at least one of the routers to any one or more of the multicast components.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating a logical representation of the multicast tree in response to the at least one identification signal, wherein the logical representation of the multicast tree includes the position of the plurality of multicast components with respect to each other, the quantity of the multicast components in the multicast tree, and the links coupled to each multicast component.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising generating error alert signals which correspond to errors detected on the A/V data stream with at least one of the transmission source and the receiver.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising searching a particular multicast tree which includes the at least one of the transmission source and the receiver.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising performing a real time query on the path of the multicast tree which includes the at least one of the transmission source and the receiver to determine recent network events.

20. A method for detecting errors on an audio/video (A/V) data stream in a data service network, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of multicast components operably coupled to each other via respective links for transmitting the A/V data stream to a user and for defining at least one multicast tree;

generating at least one identification signal with at least one of the plurality of multicast components;

generating a logical representation of the multicast tree in response to the at least one identification signal, wherein the logical representation includes the position of the plurality of multicast components with respect to each other, the quantity of the multicast components in the multicast tree, and the corresponding links coupled to each multicast component; and

generating a state information signal indicative of a number of errors on the A/V data stream for at least one of the links and at least one of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to generating the logical representation of the multicast tree, and determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream that are indicative of errors for the at least one of the links and the at least one of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to the state information signal, wherein the errors cause the presence of video tiling at any one of the plurality of multicast components.