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HYBRID CENTRAL/DISTRIBUTED VOD SYSTEM WITH TIERED CONTENT STRUCTURE

  • US 20100043035A1
  • Filed: 08/05/2009
  • Published: 02/18/2010
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2000
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for selecting a network path for delivering on-demand content comprising:

  • a multi-channel network, wherein the multi-channel network comprises a content transport network, a supertrunk network, and a distribution network;

    a headend comprising at least one central media server and a resource management processor;

    a hub remote from the headend comprising at least one hub media server and at least one QAM, wherein the hub and the headend are connected via the content transport network and the supertrunk network; and

    a video termination device, wherein the video termination device is connected to the hub via a distribution network and wherein the video termination device comprises an instruction for sending a request for a particular on-demand content to the resource management processor,a datastore, wherein the datastore comprises a plurality of transport stream identifiers (TSIDs) associated with the video termination device, wherein a TSID identifies network resources comprising an assigned content source, an assigned port on the assigned content source, and an assigned QAM connected to the assigned port by which a video stream may be delivered to the video termination device; and

    wherein the resource management processor comprises instructions for;

    selecting a source from which to obtain the particular on-demand content from the plurality of assigned content sources associated with the video termination device via the plurality of TSIDs comprising the hub media server and the central media server in response to the request sent from the video termination device;

    selecting the TSID associated with the video termination device that includes the selected source; and

    selecting a path over which to deliver the particular on-demand content to the video termination device, andwherein the instruction for selecting a path comprises;

    if the selected source is the hub media server, then selecting the distribution network as the selected path;

    if the selected source is the central media server, then selecting the content transport network, if available, and the distribution network as the selected path, wherein the content transport network transports a transport network stream comprising the particular on-demand content to the assigned QAM associated with the video termination device via the selected TSID where it is RF modulated prior to routing to the distribution network; and

    if the selected source is the central media server and if the content transport network is not available, then selecting the supertrunk network and the distribution network as the selected path, wherein the supertrunk network transports a supertrunk stream comprising the particular on-demand content that is previously RF modulated by the assigned QAM associated with the video termination device via the selected TSID and that is routed to the distribution network; and

    wherein the selected source delivers the particular on-demand content over the selected path to the video termination device using the network resources associated with the selected TSID.

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