Apparatus and method for multi-service transport multiplexing

• US 6,421,359 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2000
• Issued: 07/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tiernan Radyne ComStream, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tiernan Communications, Inc. (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Bennett, Christopher J., dʼOreye de Lantremange, Maximilien
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Huy D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US09/679,957
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 370/535, 370/401, 370/468, 370/431, 370/449, 370/451, 370/452, 370/437, 370/460, 370/537, 370/538, 370/539, 370/540, 370/541, 370/545, 370/443, 370/465, 370/235, 370/236, 370/229, 370/230
• US Class Current: 370/538
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization

Abstract

An elementary two-stream transport multiplexer provides for the addition of services contained in a transport stream to a pre-existing transport stream. The elementary multiplexer includes a pair of transport demultiplexers, a processor and a transport remultiplexer. The demultiplexers demultiplex a pair of input transport streams to their constituent service components and service control information tables. The service control information tables are routed to the processor which combines and reconfigures the information within the tables to provide a single set of output service control information tables. The demultiplexers filter the service components based on the output service control tables. The transport remultiplexer multiplexes the output tables with the filtered streams to provide an output transport stream.

Claims

1. Apparatus for transport stream multiplexing comprising:

an encoder for encoding a program source to provide a local transport stream, the encoder including a first bandwidth request in the local transport stream indicating a desired bandwidth for encoding the program source;

a multiplexer coupled to the encoder for multiplexing the local transport stream with an input transport stream to provide an output transport stream, the input transport stream including second bandwidth requests, wherein the multiplexer determines from the first and second bandwidth requests a bandwidth allocation to provide to the encoder indicating an actual bandwidth to use for encoding the program source, wherein the output transport stream includes the first and second bandwidth requests and the bandwidth allocation.

2. A transport stream multiplexing system comprising a plurality of elements connected in a ring, each element comprising:

an encoder for encoding a program source to provide a local transport stream, the encoder including a first bandwidth request in the local transport stream indicating a desired bandwidth for encoding the program source;

a multiplexer coupled to the encoder for multiplexing the local transport stream with an input transport stream to provide an output transport stream, the input transport stream including second bandwidth requests, wherein the multiplexer determines from the first and second bandwidth requests a bandwidth allocation to provide to the encoder indicating an actual bandwidth to use for encoding the program source and wherein the multiplexer includes the first and second bandwidth requests in the output transport stream, each output stream coupled to provide the input transport stream of the succeeding element in the ring.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein each output stream includes the bandwidth allocation.

4. A method of transport stream multiplexing comprising the steps of:

encoding a program source to provide a local transport stream that includes a first bandwidth request indicating a desired bandwidth for encoding the program source;

multiplexing the local transport stream with an input transport stream to provide an output transport stream, the input transport stream including second bandwidth requests;

determining from the first and second bandwidth requests a bandwidth allocation indicating an actual bandwidth to use for encoding the program source, wherein the output transport stream includes the first and second bandwidth requests and the bandwidth allocation.

5. A method of transport stream multiplexing comprising connecting a plurality of elements in a ring, in each element:

encoding a program source to provide a local transport stream that includes a first bandwidth request indicating a desired bandwidth for encoding the program source;

multiplexing the local transport stream with an input transport stream to provide an output transport stream, the input transport stream including second bandwidth requests;

determining from the first and second bandwidth requests a bandwidth allocation indicating an actual bandwidth to use for encoding the program source;

including the first and second bandwidth requests in the output transport stream; and

coupling each output stream to provide the input transport stream of the succeeding element in the ring.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein each output stream includes the bandwidth allocation.