Method and apparatus for MPEG encoding
First Claim
1. A method of MPEG encoding a series of input image data provided from a digital source using an apparatus including a plurality of cable television receivers, each television receiver including a processing unit, each television receiver having a first state in which the processing unit therein is performing a subscriber function such as display of video to a user, and a second state in which said processing unit is not performing a subscriber function, the receiver including means for changing between the first and second states, the apparatus further including a central facility coupled to each of said television receivers, the central facility including mass storage means, a control processor, and the digital source, the method comprising:
- at the central facility, identifying television receivers that are in the second state;
partitioning the series of input image data from the digital source into a plurality of subparts to be processed in a plurality of subtasks;
allocating said subtasks among processing units in said television receivers that have been discerned to be in the second state as a plurality of subtasks;
at the television receivers, performing an MPEG encoding process on each of the subparts as part of execution of each of said subtasks;
collecting MPEG processed data from said receivers into said mass storage to form a composite set of MPEG processed data;
sensing a subtask interruption caused by a television receiver being changed from the second state before completing the subtask allocated thereto; and
automatically recovering from said subtask interruption and completing the MPEG encoding.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
MPEG compression for video/audio data is completed in real- or better than real-time by using computer processors in thousands of television receiver set-top boxes interconnected to a cable television network. The set-top boxes form a massively parallel, distributed computer network. MPEG compression for video/audio services is completed by partitioning the processing of video/audio frames into subtasks, and distributing these subtasks to set-top boxes which are not being used for subscriber services. After compression, the compressed video/audio frames are collected from the set-top boxes and are reconstructed into a compressed video/audio stream in the proper temporal order.
79 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method of MPEG encoding a series of input image data provided from a digital source using an apparatus including a plurality of cable television receivers, each television receiver including a processing unit, each television receiver having a first state in which the processing unit therein is performing a subscriber function such as display of video to a user, and a second state in which said processing unit is not performing a subscriber function, the receiver including means for changing between the first and second states, the apparatus further including a central facility coupled to each of said television receivers, the central facility including mass storage means, a control processor, and the digital source, the method comprising:
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at the central facility, identifying television receivers that are in the second state; partitioning the series of input image data from the digital source into a plurality of subparts to be processed in a plurality of subtasks; allocating said subtasks among processing units in said television receivers that have been discerned to be in the second state as a plurality of subtasks; at the television receivers, performing an MPEG encoding process on each of the subparts as part of execution of each of said subtasks; collecting MPEG processed data from said receivers into said mass storage to form a composite set of MPEG processed data; sensing a subtask interruption caused by a television receiver being changed from the second state before completing the subtask allocated thereto; and automatically recovering from said subtask interruption and completing the MPEG encoding. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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- 15. In a computer programmed with MPEG compression software to process input moving image data to produce MPEG-encoded output data corresponding thereto, an improvement comprising means for achieving a compression ratio in excess of 100 to one with an ongoing delay of less than thirty minutes irrespective of the duration of the input moving image data, using a processor that, at other times, is used to perform functions unrelated to MPEG encoding.
- 17. In a method of MPEG compression that includes partitioning a video program into a plurality of clips for processing by a plurality of compression processors, an improvement comprising providing a plurality of different video programs that together total N hours of programming, and MPEG compressing all of said programs, simultaneously, to produce a corresponding plurality of MPEG-compressed programs, and completing said simultaneous compression in less than N hours.
- 31. In a computer programmed with MPEG compression software to process input moving image data to produce MPEG-encoded output data corresponding thereto, an improvement including plural processors receiving compression subtasks from a control station, said plural processors and control station collectively achieving a compression ratio in excess of 100 to one with an ongoing delay of less than thirty minutes irrespective of the duration of the input moving image data, at least some of said plural processors, at other times, being used to perform functions unrelated to MPEG encoding.
Specification