Combining multiple simultaneous source cinema to multiple exhibitor receivers

• US 7,690,021 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2003
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Chew, Lester A., Ng, Joseph S., Akers, Robyn M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARRY, CHRISTOPHER L
• Application Number:
  US10/360,019
• Publication Number:
  US 20030204850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,608 Days
• Field of Search: 725/63, 725/65, 725/91
• US Class Current: 725/91
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2347 involving video stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2665 Gathering content from different sources, e.g. Internet and satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309

Abstract

An apparatus and method for combining multiple simultaneous sources to multiple exhibitor receivers in a secure manner is disclosed. An exemplary system includes a plurality of live event sites each producing and transmitting a live video source. A live event director system is used for receiving and combining each transmitted live video source in an overall transmission and transmitting the overall transmission for exhibition. A network operation center coordinates encryption of the overall transmission at the live event director system and decryption of the overall transmission by at least one authorized exhibitor site. In further embodiments, the live event sites selectively transmit high bandwidth signals to reduce bandwidth usage.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

(a) a plurality of live event sites each producing and transmitting a live video source in a low bandwidth signal;

(b) a live event director system configured to;

(i) receive and monitor the low bandwidth signal of each live video source from the plurality of live event sites;

(ii) control the signal transmitted by each of the plurality of live event sites and determine which of the plurality of live event sites should transmit a high bandwidth signal to be used in an overall transmission and which of the plurality of live event sites should continue to transmit the low bandwidth signal;

(iii) when a particular live video source from a particular live event site is required for the overall transmission, transmit a control signal to the particular live event site causing the particular live event site to transmit, via a satellite, a high bandwidth signal of the live video source; and

(iv) receive the high bandwidth signal from the satellite; and

(c) a network operation center for coordinating encryption of the overall transmission at the live event director system and decryption of the overall transmission by multiple exhibitor sites, wherein the overall transmission comprises the high bandwidth signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the overall transmission is transmitted via satellite broadcast to more than one authorized exhibitor site.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein at least one decryption key for decrypting the overall transmission is communicated to the authorized exhibitors from the network operation center.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the live video source comprises cinema quality video.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one exhibitor system, at one of the multiple exhibitor sites, for receiving the overall transmission from the live event director system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the exhibitor system includes:

a receiver for receiving and extracting video data from the received overall transmission;

data storage for buffering the video data;

a decryption unit for decrypting the video data;

a decompression unit decompressing the video data; and

a display device for displaying the decrypted and decompressed video data.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the overall transmission includes file encryption and conditional access encryption.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the conditional access encryption is decrypted before the live video source is stored by authorized exhibitors and the file encryption is decrypted after the live video source is stored but before the overall transmission is played by authorized exhibitors.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the live event director system communicates commands for controlling selective transmission to the plurality of live event sites over a control link to each of the live event sites.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the high bandwidth signal of each live video source from the plurality of live event sites is selectively transmitted so substantially one high bandwidth signal is received by the live event director system at a time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the selective transmission of the high bandwidth signal of each live video source from the plurality of live event sites is synchronized using clocks at the plurality of live event sites and the live event director system.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the live video source of each of the plurality of live event sites is compressed to the low bandwidth signal and communicated to the live event director system.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each low bandwidth signal is communicated through a virtual private network (VPN) connection.

14. A method comprising:

producing more than one live video source in a low bandwidth signal, each live video source being produced at one of a plurality of live event sites;

receiving the low bandwidth signal of each live video source at a live event director system from the plurality of live event sites;

monitoring the low bandwidth signals of each live video source at the live event director system;

controlling the signal transmitted by each of the plurality of live event sites and determine which of the plurality of live event sites should transmit a high bandwidth signal to be used in an overall transmission and which of the plurality of live event sites should continue transmitting the low bandwidth signals;

when a particular live video source from a particular live event site is required for the overall transmission, the live event director system transmits a control signal to the particular live event site causing the particular live event site to transmit, via a satellite, a high bandwidth signal of the live video source;

receiving the transmitted high bandwidth signal of the live video source at the live event director system;

forming an overall transmission comprised of the received high bandwidth signal at the live event director system;

coordinating with a network operation center encryption of the overall transmission at the live event director system and decryption of the overall transmission by multiple exhibitor sites; and

transmitting the overall transmission for exhibition.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the overall transmission is transmitted via satellite broadcast to more than one authorized exhibitor site.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the live video source comprises cinema quality video.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one decryption key for decrypting the overall transmission is communicated to the authorized exhibitors from the network operation center.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one exhibitor system at one of the multiple exhibitor sites receives the overall transmission from the live event director system.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising exhibiting the overall transmission including:

receiving and extracting video data from the received overall transmission at a receiver;

buffering the video data with a data storage device;

decrypting the video data with a decryption unit;

decompressing the video data with a decompression unit; and

displaying the decrypted and decompressed video data with a display device.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the overall transmission includes file encryption and conditional access encryption.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the conditional access encryption is decrypted before the live video source is stored by authorized exhibitors and the file encryption is decrypted after the live video source is stored but before the overall transmission is played by authorized exhibitors.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

communicating commands for controlling selective transmission to the plurality of live event sites over a control link to each of the live event sites from the live event director system.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the high bandwidth signal of each live video source from the plurality of live event sites is selectively transmitted so substantially one high bandwidth signal is received by the live event director system at a time.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising synchronizing the selective transmission of the high bandwidth signal of each live video source from the plurality of live event sites using clocks at the plurality of live event sites and the live event director system.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the live video source of each of the plurality of live event sites is compressed to the low bandwidth signal and communicated to the live event director system.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein each low bandwidth signal is communicated through a virtual private network (VPN) connection.