Shared use video processing systems for distributing program signals from multiplexed digitized information signals

• US 5,784,683 A
• Filed: 10/20/1995
• Issued: 07/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Bell Atlantic Network Services, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Lawrence, William F., Sistanizadeh, Kamran, Seazholtz, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US08/546,255
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 455/4.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.1, 348/12, 348/6, 348/13, 348/7, 348/10, 370/487
• US Class Current: 725/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/02 Arrangements for relaying broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/22 Arrangements for broadcast of identical information via plural broadcast systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/33 by plural channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/67 Common-wave systems, i.e. using separate transmitters operating on substantially the same frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/81 combined with telephone network over which the broadcast is continuously available
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2801 Broadband local area networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/108 the cable being constituted by a pair of wires
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17309 Transmission or handling of upstream communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

A broadcast system supplies multiplexed channels to a plurality of receiving systems. The broadcast system preferably comprises a wireless digital simulcasting network. Each multiplexed channel carries multiplexed digital information signals relating to a group of programs. At least one of the receiving systems serves a plurality of living units. The multi-unit receiving system includes common equipment to perform as much of the processing of the digital information signals as is practical for the particular installation. The common equipment includes a digital receiver processing each multiplexed channel to capture a digital transport stream therefrom and a demultiplexer for separating out the digital information signals for each program from each digital transport stream. A switch routes selected information signals to individual drops or loops going to the living units. In one implementation, each digital information signal is modulated, and selected modulated signals are routed and transported over telephone wiring to terminals in the living units. The terminals demodulate and decode selected program signals for presentation on a television. In a second implementation, a decoder in the common equipment decodes each digital information signal, and the common equipment transmits an analog television channel carrying decoded signals for selected programs over coaxial cables to the living units. In this implementation, the added equipment required in a living unit includes only a remote control, an infrared receiver and a data device to transmit program request messages over coaxial cable to the common equipment.

Claims

1. A communication system receiving a plurality of multiplexed digitized information signals relating to a plurality of programs, said communication system comprising:

means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals relating to the plurality of programs to derive separate program signals, each program signal containing information relating to a single one of the plurality of programs;

a plurality of lines, each line coupled to a broadband output device;

a switch, coupled between the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals and the plurality of lines, for routing selected ones of the program signals; and

a controller controlling the routing by the switch in response to program requests received via the plurality of lines.

2. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of multiplexed digitized information signals comprise a plurality of multiplexed channels, each channel carrying a digital transport stream containing multiplexed digitized information relating to a group of the programs, and the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals comprises:

a plurality of receivers, one receiver for each of the plurality of multiplexed channels, wherein each receiver processes a different one of the multiplexed channels to recover the digital transport stream therefrom; and

demultiplexer means for demultiplexing each recovered digital transport stream, to thereby derive separate digital program signals, each digital program signal containing digitized information relating to a single one of the plurality of programs.

3. A communication system as in claim 2, wherein:

the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals further comprises modulators, each modulator modulating one of the separate digital program signals; and

the switch selectively routes the modulated digital program signals.

4. A communication system as in claim 3, wherein the lines are telephone loops, and the modulators modulate the digital program signals into a predetermined frequency range compatible with transport over telephone loops.

5. A communication system as in claim 4, wherein telephone loops comprise twisted wire pairs.

6. A communication system as in claim 4, wherein the system further comprises splitter/combiners, one splitter/combiner being coupled between an output port of the switch and each respective telephone loop for frequency division multiplexing a modulated signal from the switch output port together with downstream telephone signals from a telephone network for transport over the respective telephone loop and for frequency demultiplexing upstream signals received over the respective telephone loop to supply upstream telephone signals from the loop to the telephone network and to supply upstream control program request signals from the respective telephone loop to the controller.

7. A communication system as in claim 2, wherein:

the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals further comprises digital decoders, each digital decoder converting one of the separate digital program signals to a corresponding television signal; and

the switch selectively routes the television signals output by the digital decoders.

8. A communication system as in claim 7, further comprising television channel modulators for modulating television program signals into a predetermined television channel.

9. A communication system as in claim 8, wherein at least one of the television channel modulators is coupled between an output port of the switch and each of the plurality of lines.

10. A communication system as in claim 7, wherein each of the digital decoders comprises an MPEG decoder.

11. A communication system as in claim 2, wherein each of the receivers comprises:

a channel selector; and

a demodulator.

12. A communication system as in claim 11, wherein the channel selector comprises a frequency channel selector.

13. A communication system as in claim 11, wherein the demodulator comprises a QAM demodulator.

14. A communication system as in claim 11, wherein each of the receivers further comprises an adaptive delay equalizer.

15. A communication system as in claim 11, wherein each of the receivers further comprises forward error correction circuitry.

16. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of multiplexed digitized information signals comprise a plurality of multiplexed wireless broadcast channels, said communication system further comprising at least one antenna receiving and supplying multiplexed wireless broadcast channels to the means for processing the digitized information signals.

17. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein at least some of the routing by the switch comprises point to multi-point routing.

18. A communication system as in claim 1, wherein the lines run to a plurality of living units.

19. A communication system, comprising:

a broadcast network broadcasting a plurality of multiplexed digitized information signals relating to a plurality of programs; and

a plurality of receiving systems receiving the plurality of multiplexed digitized information signals from the broadcast network;

wherein one of the receiving systems serves a plurality of living units, the one receiving system comprising;

(a) means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals relating to the plurality of programs to derive separate program signals, each program signal containing information relating to a single one of the plurality of programs;

(b) a plurality of lines, each line coupled to a broadband output device in one of a plurality of living units;

(c) a switch, coupled between the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals and the plurality of lines, for routing selected ones of the program signals; and

(d) a controller controlling the routing by the switch in response to program requests received via the plurality of lines.

20. A communication system as in claim 19, wherein the broadcast network comprises a headend system producing a signal containing multiplexed channels, each channel carrying a transport stream comprising multiplexed streams of digitized broadband information, each multiplexed stream consisting essentially of digitized information relating to one of the plurality of programs.

21. A communication system as in claim 20, wherein the broadcast network further comprises at least one broadband wireless transmitter for broadcasting the signal containing multiplexed channels into a service area.

22. A communication system as in claim 21, wherein the one receiving system further comprises at least one receiving antenna for receiving the wireless transmission of the signal containing multiplexed channels and supplying the received signal containing multiplexed channels to the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals.

23. A communication system as in claim 22, wherein:

said at least one broadband wireless transmitter comprises a plurality of transmitters located at spaced apart sites transmitting said signal containing multiplexed channels so that areas of propagation from respective ones of the transmitters substantially overlap over each other in at least a major portion of a service area encompassing the receiving systems; and

the at least one receiving antenna comprises a directional antenna directed towards one of the transmitters.

24. A communication system as in claim 23, wherein:

the at least one antenna comprises at least two directional receiving antennae, each directional receiving antenna being directed to receive said signal from a different one of the transmitters; and

the one receiving system further comprises signal processing circuitry receiving a signal from each of the receiving antennae and in response thereto supplying a single optimized representation of said signal including multiplexed channels to the means for processing the multiplexed digitized information signals.

25. A communication system as in claim 21, wherein said at least one broadband wireless transmitter comprises a plurality of transmitters located at spaced apart sites transmitting said signal containing multiplexed channels so that areas of propagation from respective ones of the transmitters substantially overlap over each other in at least a major portion of a service area encompassing the receiving systems.

26. A system as in claim 20, wherein the headend comprises:

(1) a source of a first digital multiplexed data stream containing a plurality of packet streams, each packet stream carrying digitized data representing one of a first group of programs,

(2) a source of a second digital multiplexed data stream containing a plurality of packet streams, each packet stream carrying digitized data representing one of a second group of programs, and

(3) a modulation system modulating the first digital multiplexed data stream and the second digital multiplexed data stream into first and second channels, respectively.

27. A communication system as in claim 26, wherein at least one of the sources comprises:

a plurality of encoders responsive to analog audio and video information for producing packets of digitized, compressed audio and video data; and

a multiplexer multiplexing packets of digitized, compressed audio and video data from the plurality of encoders into one digital multiplexed data stream.

28. A communication system as in claim 26, wherein said modulation system comprises:

a first modulator for modulating the first digital multiplexed data stream into the first channel;

a second modulator for modulating the second digital multiplexed data stream into the second channel; and

a combiner combining output signals from the first and second modulators into a combined spectrum signal for broadcast.

29. A communication system as in claim 28, wherein each of the first and second modulators comprises a quadrature amplitude modulator.

30. A communication system as in claim 19, wherein the broadcast system comprises a landline broadband network.

31. A communication system comprising:

a headend comprising;

(1) a source of a first digital multiplexed data stream containing a first plurality of packet streams, each packet stream of the first plurality of packet streams carrying digitized data representing one of a first group of video programs,

(2) a source of a second digital multiplexed data stream containing a second plurality of packet streams, each packet stream of the second plurality of packet streams carrying digitized data representing one of a second group of video programs,

(3) a modulation system modulating the first digital multiplexed data stream and the second digital multiplexed data stream into first and second channels, respectively;

a plurality of wireless transmitters located at respective different sites in a service area, the transmitters simultaneously transmitting a combined wireless signal containing the first and second channels into overlapping portions of the service area; and

a plurality of receiver systems within the service area, at least one of the receiver systems serving a plurality of living units, said at least one of the receiver systems comprising;

(a) means for processing the combined wireless signal to derive separate program signals, each program signal containing information relating to a single one of the video programs;

(b) a plurality of lines, each line coupled to a broadband output device in one of a plurality of living units;

(c) a switch coupled between the means for processing and the plurality of lines, for routing selected ones of the video program signals; and

(d) a controller controlling the routing by the switch in response to program requests received via the lines.

32. A communication system as in claim 31, wherein the means for processing comprises:

a first demodulator demodulating the first channel to recover the first transport stream;

a first demultiplexer separating out the first plurality of packet streams from the recovered first transport stream;

a second demodulator demodulating the second channel to recover the second transport stream; and

a second demultiplexer separating out the second plurality of packet streams from the recovered first transport stream.

33. A communication system as in claim 32, wherein the means for processing further comprises:

a first group of modulators, each modulator in the first group of modulators modulating one of the first plurality of packet streams from the recovered first transport stream; and

a second group of modulators, each modulator in the second group of modulators modulating one of the second plurality of packet streams from the recovered second transport stream.

34. A communication system as in claim 33, wherein the lines are telephone loops, and each of the modulators in the first and second groups of modulators modulate one packet stream into a predetermined frequency range compatible with transport over telephone loops.

35. A communication system as in claim 32, wherein the means for processing further comprises a plurality of digital decoders, each digital decoder coupled to one output of the demultiplexers for converting one packet stream to a corresponding television signal.