Transmodulated broadcast delivery system for use in multiple dwelling units

• US 6,134,419 A
• Filed: 01/20/1998
• Issued: 10/17/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Williams, Jim C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John W.
• Application Number:
  US09/009,295
• Time in Patent Office: 1,001 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.1, 455/3.2, 455/4.1, 455/6.1, 455/6.2, 455/6.3, 348/6, 348/8, 348/10
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002

Abstract

A system for redistributing a broadband audio-visual-data signal to a multiplicity of receiver units within a multiple dwelling unit (MDU) includes a main receiving antenna that receives a broadband video/audio/data signal having a number of individual program multiplex signals therein and a transmodulator device that transmodulates the individual program multiplex signals associated with the broadband signal from a first modulation scheme to a second modulation scheme to reduce the bandwidth of the broadband signal. The transmodulated signals are broadcast over a cable network, along with terrestrial signals, to individual receiver units at the MDU. The receiver units demodulate the transmodulated and/or terrestrial signals and provide user-specified channels to television sets for display. A dual mode receiver is compatible with the MDU system and with a known digital satellite system commonly used in single family housing (SFH). An adapter enables a standard SFH receiver used in a digital satellite system to be compatible with the MDU system.

Claims

1. A signal distribution system for distributing a composite signal having a plurality of individual program multiplex signals modulated according to a first modulation scheme therein over a communication channel in a manner capable of being received by a plurality of individual receivers at a local site, the distribution system comprising:

a main receiver disposed at the local site for receiving the composite signal;

a plurality of transmodulator channels coupled to the main receiver, each of which transmodulates one of the plurality of individual program multiplex signals from the first modulation scheme to a second modulation scheme to produce one of a plurality of transmodulated signals;

a combiner coupled to the plurality of transmodulator channels that combines the plurality of transmodulated signals at different carrier frequency bands to produce a combined signal;

a transmitter that transmits the combined signal over the communication channel in a manner capable of being received by the plurality of individual receivers at the local site; and

a dual mode reception device coupled to the communication channel at one of the plurality of individual receivers, including (a) means for receiving the combined signal and means for demodulating a selected one of the transmodulated signals within the received combined signal, and (b) means for receiving the composite signal and means for demodulating a selected one of the individual program multiplex signals modulated according to the first modulation scheme to provide video, audio and/or data signals.

2. The signal distribution system of claim 1, wherein the first modulation scheme is a quaternary phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation scheme and the second modulation scheme is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) scheme.

3. A dual mode receiver compatible with (a) a first signal distribution system for distributing a composite signal having a plurality of individual program multiplex signals modulated according to a first modulation scheme therein over a communication channel in a manner capable of being received by a plurality of individual receivers at respective sites remote from each other, and (b) a second signal distribution system transmodulating the individual program multiplex signals from the first modulation scheme to a second modulation scheme and distributing the transmodulated signals over a communication channel in a manner capable of being received by a plurality of individual receivers at a local site, the dual mode receiver comprising:

first means for receiving the composite signal and means for demodulating a selected one of the individual program multiplex signals modulated according to the first modulation scheme to provide first program-multiplexed data;

second means for receiving the transmodulated signals and means for demodulating a selected one of the transmodulated signals to provide second program-multiplexed data; and

processing means for processing one of the first and second program-multiplexed data to provide video, audio and/or data signals.

4. The dual mode receiver of claim 3, wherein the first modulation scheme is a quaternary phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation scheme and the second modulation scheme is a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) scheme.

5. The dual mode receiver of claim 3, wherein the processing means includes transport decoder means for decoding one of the first and second program-multiplexed data to provide a stream of corresponding digital data.

6. The dual mode receiver of claim 5, including demultiplexer means receiving the stream of corresponding digital data to provide extracted data pertaining to an extracted program from the program-multiplexed data.

7. An adapter for enabling a digital satellite system receiver to be compatible with a signal distribution system which distributes transmodulated signals over a communication channel in a manner capable of being received by a plurality of individual receivers at a local site, the adapter comprising:

means for receiving the transmodulated signals;

means for demodulating a selected one of the transmodulated signals; and

means for modulating said demodulated one transmodulated signal in a manner capable of being received by the digital satellite system receiver.

8. The adapter of claim 7, wherein the demodulating means is a quadrature amplitude demodulator and the modulator means is a quaternary phase shift keying modulator.

9. The adapter of claim 7, including means for passing error information from the demodulated received signal to the transmodulated output signal.