FIELD-PROGRAMMABLE LOW-NOISE BLOCK DOWNCONVERTER

• US 20150089548A1
• Filed: 09/24/2013
• Published: 03/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Petruzzelli, Edmund
• Granted Patent: US 10,034,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/68
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite

Abstract

A field-programmable low-noise block downconverter. The low-noise block downconverter may, as part of a system install or upgrade for example, be programmed in the field to source channels containing programming to a particular television receiver based on the particular configuration of the receiver.

Claims

1. A method for programmatically configuring a low-noise block downconverter (LNB), comprising:

identifying a particular configuration of at least one receiver coupled to the LNB;

accessing, based on the identifying, a particular file containing instructions to configure the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver are formatted according to the particular configuration of the at least one receiver; and

modifying logic of the LNB based on the instructions so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver are formatted according to the particular configuration of the at least one receiver.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a band-translation mode or channel-stacking mode.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a double-band band-translation mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a triple-band band-translation mode.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver over a coaxial cable are formatted according to a channel-stacking mode.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver are formatted according to a polarity band granularity filtering mode, wherein a polarity band is about 500 MHz in band width.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that output signals provided by the LNB to the at least one receiver are formatted according to a transponder band granularity filtering mode, wherein a transponder band is about 30 MHz in band width.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying logic of the LNB so that the LNB sources channels of a particular band width to the least one receiver.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising identifying by the LNB the particular configuration of the at least one receiver in response to detection of connection of the LNB to the at least one receiver.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising further comprising identifying by the LNB the particular configuration of the at least one receiver in response to detection of an instruction based on user-input to identify the particular configuration.

11. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a command to reprogram a block downconverter from a first mode to a second different mode so that the block downconverter is reconfigured to output signals to a television receiver formatted according to at least one particular configuration of the television receiver;

modifying one or more logical modules of the block downconverter from a first configuration to a second different configuration so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to the at least one particular configuration of the television receiver; and

outputting signals from the block downconverter to the television receiver formatted according to the at least one particular configuration of the television receiver.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a band-translation mode or channel-stacking mode.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a double-band band-translation mode.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a triple-band band-translation mode.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the one or logical modules so that output signals provided by the block downconverter to the television receiver are formatted according to a channel-stacking mode.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the command from the television receiver.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving the command from a system or device other than the television receiver.

18. A low-noise block downconverter, comprising:

at least one input module configured to include a plurality of input ports each communicatively coupleable to a feedhorn to receive as input signals broadcast by a particular satellite;

at least one output module coupled to the input stage and configured to include a plurality of output ports each communicatively coupleable to a particular television receiver to supply as output signals in accordance with a particular television receiver configuration; and

at least one controller coupled to at least the output module and configured to receive a command to program the output module so that output signals supplied to each plurality of output ports are formatted according to a particular configuration of a respective television receiver coupled thereto.

19. The low-noise block downconverter of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to receive a command to program the output stage so that output signals supplied to each plurality of output ports are formatted according to a particular one television receiver configuration.

20. The low-noise block downconverter of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to receive a command to program the output stage so that output signals supplied to at least one of the output ports is formatted according to a particular television receiver configuration, and so that output signals supplied to at least one other of the output ports is formatted according to a different particular television receiver configuration.