Apparatus and method for generating a time-multiplexed channel surfing signal at television head-end sites

• US 6,357,045 B1
• Filed: 03/31/1997
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Devaney, Patrick W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Chris
• Application Number:
  US08/829,108
• Time in Patent Office: 1,807 Days
• Field of Search: 348/385, 348/731, 348/9, 348/7, 348/8, 348/386, 348/387, 348/385.1, 348/564, 455/6.3, 725/37, 725/38, 725/135, 725/138, 725/139
• US Class Current: 725/138
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26208 the scheduling operation being performed under constraints
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A method and apparatus that generates a time-multiplexed channel surfing signal at television head-end sites. The system includes circuitry that receives channel feeds which are analog signals or digitally encoded signals. The channel feeds are segmented and segments from each feed are combined to produce a combined channel feed which is transmitted with the channel feeds.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising:

means for receiving at least a first channel feed and a second channel feed;

selecting means for selecting full resolution first multi-frame segments of the first channel feed and full resolution second multi-frame segments of the second channel feed;

combining means for repetitively splicing the first full resolution multi-frame segments with the full resolution multi-frame second segments to produce a single television program signal containing a time-division multiplexed combined channel feed that provides each of the first and second full resolution multi-frame segments for display at a respectively different time; and

transmitting means for transmitting the first channel feed, the second channel feed, and the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the selecting means, the combining means, and the transmitting means are located at a head-end of a transmission system.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the transmitting means transmits the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed as a digital signal.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the transmitting means transmits the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed as an analog signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the transmitting means transmits the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed via a computer network.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first channel feed is an analog signal and the second channel feed is a compressed digitally encoded signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 further comprising encoding means for compressing and digitally encoding the first channel feed.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for adding program data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the program data describing the selected channel feeds.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising means for adding channel data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the channel data including instructions for controlling a receiver.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising a receiver which receives the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed.

11. Apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an analog channel feed and a full resolution first compressed digital channel feed;

encoding means for digitally encoding and compressing the analog channel feed to produce a full resolution second compressed digital channel feed;

combining means for splicing portions of the full resolution first compressed digital channel feed and portions of the full resolution second compressed digital channel feed to produce a single television program signal containing a combined channel feed that provides each of the first and second full resolution multi-frame segments for display at a respectively different time; and

transmitting means for transmitting the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the first compressed digital channel feed, and the second compressed digital channel feed as respective single channel signals.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the encoding means, the combining means, and the transmitting means are located at a head-end of a transmission system.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the transmitting means transmits the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed as a digital signal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the transmitting means transmits the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed via a computer network.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising means for adding program data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed describing the selected channel feeds.

16. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising means for adding channel data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the channel data including instructions for controlling a receiver.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11 further comprising receiving means for receiving the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the transmitting means includes means for adding channel data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the channel data including instructions for controlling the receiver;

the apparatus further comprising;

means for displaying the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the first digital signal, and the second digital signal; and

means for switching from the display of the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed to the first digital signal or the second digital signal in response to the channel data.

19. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving at least two channel feeds;

(b) splicing a full-resolution multi-frame segment from the first channel feed with a full-resolution multi-frame segment from the second channel feed to produce a single television program signal containing a time-division multiplexed combined channel feed that provides each of the first and second full resolution multi-frame segments for display at a respectively different time;

(c) repeating step (b); and

(d) transmitting the at least two channel feeds and the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein step (d) further includes the step of transmitting the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed as a digital signal.

21. The method according to claim 19 wherein step (d) further includes the step of transmitting the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed as an analog signal.

22. The method according to claim 19 wherein step (d) further includes the step of transmitting the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed via a computer network.

23. The method according to claim 19 wherein step (c) further comprises the step of continuously repeating step (b).

24. A method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an analog channel feed and a full resolution first digital channel feed;

(b) digitally encoding and compressing the analog channel feed to produce a full resolution second digital channel feed;

(c) splicing portions of the full resolution first digital channel feed and portions of the full resolution second digital channel feed to produce a single television program signal containing a combined channel feed that provides each of the first and second full resolution digital channel feeds for display at a respectively different time; and

(d) transmitting the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the first digital channel feed, and the second digital channel feed.

25. The method according to claim 24 further comprising the step of (e) adding program data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed describing the first and second digital channel feeds.

26. The method according to claim 24 further comprising the step of (e) adding channel data to the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed, the channel data including instructions for controlling a receiver.

27. The method according to claim 24 further comprising the step of (e) receiving the single television program signal containing the combined channel feed.