Method and apparatus for a receiver/decoder

• US 7,984,478 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2002
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canal + Technologies Societe Anonyme, Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Canal + Technologies Societe Anonyme
• Inventors: Maillard, Michel, Le Crom, Francois, Letourneur, Patrice
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton; Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): IDOWU, OLUGBENGA O
• Application Number:
  US10/487,276
• Publication Number:
  US 20050144646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,254 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/151
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/42 characterised by implementation details or hardware specially adapted for video compression or decompression, e.g. dedicated software implementation H04N19/635 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4437 Implementing a Virtual Machine [VM] virtual machines in general G06F9/45533
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/454 Content or additional data filtering, e.g. blocking advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/781 : on disks or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction

Abstract

A method and apparatus relating to a receiver/decoder in a digital television environment, including logical devices (including logical demultiplexer devices) for representing physical and other devices in the receiver/decoder. The method includes the instantiation of devices by the receiver/decoder as required to support functionality thereof. The method further includes the use of multiple demultiplexers/remultiplexers, for example in the recording of more than one service simultaneously; and a control word device for the management of control word operations; the use of two or more tuners. Various elements of a digital television system (such as a receiver/decoder and a set top box) are also disclosed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a demultiplexing process in a decoder integral with a receiver, comprising:

a control signal management unit for managing signals for controlling a demultiplexing device to demultiplex at least a first and a second data stream over a common time period;

wherein said control signal management unit maintains a first family of devices for use in controlling the demultiplexing device for demultiplex the first data stream, and a second family of devices for use in controlling the demultiplexing device to demultiplex the second data stream, and

wherein the first and second family of devices are each allocated an identifier comprising at least one common portion for a corresponding family of devices, wherein the common portion for the first family of devices is different from the common portion for the second family of devices, wherein the identifiers are used to coordinate processes executed by each family of devices to control the demultiplexing device to demultiplex a respective data stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one remultiplexing device for remultiplexing each of the first and second data streams.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is for use in the decoder integral with a receiver, and wherein the decoder integral with a receiver comprises at least a first and a second input for connection to respective channels, and a correlation unit for correlating a signal received at the first input with a signal received at the second input.

4. A method of controlling a demultiplexing process in a decoder integral with a receiver, comprising:

sending at least one control signal to a demultiplexing device, wherein the at least one control signal identifies a first data stream and a second data stream to be demultiplexed over a common time period;

maintaining a first family of devices for use in controlling the demultiplexing device to demultiplex the first data stream;

maintaining a second family of devices for use in controlling the demultiplexing device to demultiplex the second data stream; and

allocating an identifier to each device in each family of devices, wherein the identifiers comprise at least one common portion associated with a corresponding family of devices, wherein the common portion for the first family of devices is different from the common portion for the second family of devices, wherein the identifiers are used to coordinate processes executed by each family of devices to control the demultiplexing device to demultiplex a respective data stream.