Channel identification for digital broadcasts in passenger entertainment systems
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for providing video to a passenger seat display of an aircraft, the passenger seat display communicably coupled to a seat controller unit located in close proximity to the passenger seat display and a passenger control unit, the method comprising:
- identifying digital media files stored in a digital media file server on the aircraft;
reading the digital media files and program data of the digital media files to identify viewable programs;
generating an entry of channel assignment information in a programming database for each identified viewable program;
updating the programming database to assign a passenger control unit channel to each of the identified viewable programs;
updating the programming database to assign at least one RF channel to each of the passenger control unit channels;
receiving an input signal from the passenger control unit at the seat controller unit, the input signal representing a request to play back a selected viewable program of the identified viewable programs; and
using the seat controller unit and program channel assignment information of the programming database to;
tune the seat controller unit to a proper RF channel for receiving the selected viewable program; and
causing an identifier of the passenger control unit channel to be displayed.
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Abstract
A passenger entertainment system having video-on-demand, audio-on-demand, near video-on-demand, and digital and audio broadcast capabilities delivers multiple programming signals to the passenger seats. The system allocates an RF channel and one of multiple streams in that RF channel to a particular program channel so that channel surfing may be available to the passengers even when multiple programming signals are delivered on a single RF channel.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for providing video to a passenger seat display of an aircraft, the passenger seat display communicably coupled to a seat controller unit located in close proximity to the passenger seat display and a passenger control unit, the method comprising:
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identifying digital media files stored in a digital media file server on the aircraft; reading the digital media files and program data of the digital media files to identify viewable programs; generating an entry of channel assignment information in a programming database for each identified viewable program; updating the programming database to assign a passenger control unit channel to each of the identified viewable programs; updating the programming database to assign at least one RF channel to each of the passenger control unit channels; receiving an input signal from the passenger control unit at the seat controller unit, the input signal representing a request to play back a selected viewable program of the identified viewable programs; and using the seat controller unit and program channel assignment information of the programming database to; tune the seat controller unit to a proper RF channel for receiving the selected viewable program; and causing an identifier of the passenger control unit channel to be displayed. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A system for providing video to a passenger seat display of an aircraft, the passenger seat display communicably coupled to a seat controller unit located in close proximity to the passenger seat display and a passenger control unit having a display, the system comprising:
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computer memory for storing digital media files, the digital media files including program data; a server configured to read the digital media files and program data to identify viewable programs, wherein the server is further configured to generate an entry of channel assignment information in a programming database for each identified viewable program, wherein the server is further configured to update the programming database to assign a passenger control unit channel to each of the identified viewable programs, wherein the server is further configured to update the programming database to assign at least one RF channel to each of the passenger control unit channels in the programming database; wherein the seat control unit comprises an interface for receiving an input signal from the passenger control unit at the seat controller unit, the input signal representing a request to play back a selected viewable program of the identified viewable programs; wherein the seat controller unit is configured to use the programming assignment information of the programming database to tune the seat controller unit to a proper RF channel for receiving the selected viewable program and to cause an identifier of the passenger control unit channel to be displayed via one of the passenger seat display and the passenger control unit display. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification