Apparatus and method for effectively implementing a wireless television system

• US 7,992,176 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sling Media LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sling Media Incorporated (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Margulis, Neal
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, IV; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parry; Chris
• Application Number:
  US12/758,196
• Publication Number:
  US 20100192186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• Field of Search: 725/78, 725/81, 725/82, 725/80
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2829 involving user profiles according to which the execution of a home appliance functionality is automatically triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4122 additional display device, e.g. video projector digital output for controlling a plurality of local displays G06F3/1423
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/106 for domestic distribution

Abstract

An apparatus and method for effectively implementing a wireless television system may include a communications processor and a transmitter device that combine at least one of a local-area network interface, a wide-area network interface, and one or more television data interfaces for effectively performing a wireless network transmission process. A transmitted stream from the wireless television system may be received via wireless network processing for viewing local-area network data, wide-area network data (such as Internet data), or television data by flexibly utilizing various electronic devices such as a notepad personal computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a handheld TV remote control device.

Claims

1. A base station comprising:

a switcher configured to receive program information from at least one program source;

a first processor configured to process the program information generated by the at least one program source to generate a digital processed stream;

a second processor coupled to the first processor, the second processor configured to perform a network processing procedure on the digital processed stream to produce an output stream for transmission; and

a network interface configured to transmit the output stream over a network to a display system using a type of bus arbitration, wherein the network processing procedure depends upon the type of bus arbitration.

2. A base station comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate on a network using a type of bus arbitration;

a switcher configured to receive program information from at least one program source; and

a processor configured to generate a processed stream from the program information received from the program source, wherein the processed stream depends upon the type of bus arbitration used by the network interface, and wherein the processed stream is transmitted from the base station to a remote device via the network.

3. The base station of claim 2 wherein the at least one program source is selected from a plurality of program sources that each provide program information to the switcher.

4. The base station of claim 3 wherein the at least one program source is selected in response to control signals received from the remote device via the network.

5. The base station of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to combine video information from the program information received from a first one of the plurality of program sources with processed data stream information received from another of the plurality of program sources to produce a combined video image.

6. The base station of claim 5 wherein the processor is further configured to perform a video compression procedure on the combined video image.

7. The base station of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to combine video information from the program information received from a first one of the plurality of program sources with data information provided from a non-program source to produce a combined video image.

8. The base station of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to perform a video compression procedure on the combined video image.

9. The base station of claim 3 wherein the processor is configured to combine processed video, processed audio, and processed data from at least one of the plurality of program sources to create the processed stream, and to perform a network processing procedure on the processed stream.

10. The base station of claim 2 further comprising a memory configured to store component status information about the at least one program source, and wherein the processor is configured to use the component status information to respond to a viewer request received from the remote device.

11. The base station of claim 2 further comprising a memory configured to store user profile information, and wherein the processor is configured to use the user profile information to respond to a viewer request received from the remote device.

12. A base station comprising:

a network interface configured to communicate on a network;

a radio-frequency transmitter;

a switcher configured to receive program information from at least one program source;

a processor configured to generate a processed stream from the program information received from the program source, wherein the processed stream is transmitted from the base station to a remote device via at least one of the radio-frequency transmitter and the network interface,

wherein the processed stream depends upon a type of bus arbitration used by at least one of the network interface or the radio-frequency transmitter.

13. The base station of claim 12 further comprising a memory configured to store user profile information, and wherein the processor is configured to use the user profile information to respond to a viewer request received from the remote device.

14. The base station of claim 12 wherein the base station comprises a communications processor configured to receive the processed stream from the processor and to perform a network processing procedure on the processed stream before the processed stream is transmitted to the remote device.

15. A method executable by a base station that provides program information to a display system via a network, the method comprising:

receiving the program information generated by a program source;

processing the received program information to generate a transmitter-ready stream based upon a type of bus arbitration used by an interface to the network; and

transmitting the transmitter-ready stream over a network to the display system using the interface to the network.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the processing is adapted in response to control signals received from the remote device via the network.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the adapting comprises adjusting encoding of the received program information in response to the control signals.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the adapting comprises adjusting compressing of the received program information in response to the control signals.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein the adapting comprises adjusting the type of bus arbitration used by the interface in response to the control signals.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein the processing comprises combining video information from the program information received from a first one of a plurality of program sources with processed data stream information received from a second one of the plurality of program sources to produce a combined video image.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the processing further comprises compressing the combined video image.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the processing comprises combining video information from the program information with data information provided from a non-program source to produce a combined video image.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the processing further comprises compressing the combined video image.