Method for sending multimedia content to at least one multimedia unit, method for processing said multimedia content and multimedia unit for the implementation of these methods

• US 8,316,398 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Original Assignee: Nagravision SA (Kudelski SA)
• Inventors: Robyr, Sebastien, Thomas, Frederic, Molyneaux, Wendy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chokshi, Pinkal R
• Application Number:
  US12/003,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 725/50, 725/54, 725/67, 725/68, 725/70, 725/71, 725/148, 725/151, 375/240.01, 711/206
• US Class Current: 725/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26266 for determining content or additional data repetition rate, e.g. of a file in a DVB carousel according to its importance arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26275 for distributing content or additional data in a staggered manner, e.g. repeating movies on different channels in a time-staggered manner in a near video on demand system
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

The present invention relates in particular to a method for processing multimedia content memorised in the form of digital data in at least one multimedia unit. This method includes the following steps:

• • reception of a program map table containing at least one indication of a proprietary type of data associated to a packet identification data (PID) as well a flag;
  • reception of a matching table between the flag value and the real type of data;
  • search for the flag values appearing in the program map table PMT received by the multimedia unit;
  • search for the corresponding flag values in the matching table between the flag value and the real type of data; and
  • modification of the program map table by replacing the indication of the proprietary type of data of the program map table with the corresponding real type of data of the matching table.

The invention furthermore concerns a method for sending multimedia content in the form of digital data, as well as a multimedia unit for implementing these methods.

Claims

1. A method of sending multimedia content in the form of digital data to at least one multimedia unit, the method comprising:

separating the digital data of said multimedia content into a plurality of content segments, said content segments having a proprietary format allowing sending large content data blocks to the at least one multimedia unit;

integrating service data into the plurality of content segments;

preparing a program map table (PMT), the table including at least one indication of a real type of data, associated to a packet identification data and a flag, the flag having a constant value between a moment when the PMT is prepared and a moment the PMT is received by the at least one multimedia unit;

modifying the PMT by transforming the indication of the real type of data into a proprietary type of data, the data indicated as of a proprietary type being stored in a memory of the at least one multimedia unit without being processed by resources of the at least one multimedia unit, the flag remaining unchanged;

sending at least one content segment to the at least one multimedia unit on a first channel;

storing said content segment in a memory of the at least one multimedia unit;

sending said modified program map table PMT to the at least one multimedia unit;

sending on a second channel synchronisation packets that indicate at least the start of the sending of a content segment, an identifier of the content to which this segment is related, an identifier of this segment and an identifier of the first channel;

sending on said second channel additional synchronisation packets indicating at least an end of the sending of said content segment, an identifier of the content to which the content segment is related, a segment identifier and an identifier of the first channel;

sending a matching table of correspondence between a value of the flag and the associated real type of data, the matching table being separate from the PMT;

searching flag values appearing in the PMT received by the at least one multimedia unit;

searching corresponding flag values in the matching table of correspondence between the flag value and the associated real type of data; and

modifying the PMT by replacing the indication of the proprietary type of data of the program map table with the corresponding real type of data of the matching table.

2. The method of sending multimedia content according to claim 1, wherein the synchronisation packets include at least one indication amongst:

an event identifier, an identifier of the segment of the event, a total number of segments that the event includes, an indication of the start or end of this segment, a total size of the event, an expiration date, a priority and a quality index.

3. The method of sending multimedia content according to claim 1, wherein the real type of data is chosen from among audio, video, teletext or data associated to interactive applications.

4. The method of sending multimedia content according to claim 1, in which a plurality of content segments are sent simultaneously on several different channels, wherein the choice of which segment is memorised to the detriment of other segments sent simultaneously depends on at least one priority rule.

5. The method of sending multimedia content according to claim 1, wherein a priority rule is defined by a category chosen by a user.

6. The method of sending multimedia content according to claim 1, wherein a priority rule depends on the relation between the number of content segments already memorised for a given content and the total number of segments of this content.

7. The method of sending multimedia content according to claim 1, wherein a priority rule is imposed by the content provider.

8. A method of processing multimedia content memorised in the form of digital data in at least one multimedia unit, the method comprising:

receiving a program map table (PMT) including at least one indication of a proprietary type of data associated to a packet identification data, and a flag;

receiving a matching table of correspondence between a value of the flag and an associated real type of data, the matching table being separate from the PMT;

searching the flag values appearing in the PMT received by the at least one multimedia unit;

searching the corresponding flag values in the matching table of correspondence between the flag value and the real type of data; and

modifying the PMT by replacing the indication of the proprietary type of data of the PMT with the corresponding real type of data of the matching table.

9. The method of processing multimedia content according to claim 8, wherein for a given content, the number of segments memorised and received is counted and then compared to the total number of segments corresponding to this content.

10. The method of processing multimedia content according to claim 9, wherein the processing of the segments of a content is stopped when the number of segments received exceeds the total number of segments corresponding to this content.

11. A multimedia unit including a receiver and at least one memory configured to memorize multimedia content in the form of digital data,

wherein the receiver is configured to receive a program map table (PMT) and a matching table separated from the PMT, the PMT includes at least one indication of a proprietary type of data associated to a packet identification data and a flag, the matching table includes indications for correspondence between the value of the flag and real type of data, the receiver is further configured to modify the PMT by replacing the indication of the proprietary type of data of the program map table with the corresponding real type of data of the matching table by using the value of the flag included in the PMT and the matching table.