Realtime broadcast stream and control data conversion system and method

• US 8,352,990 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2011
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Encore Incorporated (Wynit)
• Original Assignee: Encore Incorporated (Wynit)
• Inventors: Higgins, Sean Gordon, Billingsley, Derek Joseph Tobias, McNeill, Jared David, Furlong, Jeffrey Louis
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava, Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le, Rong
• Application Number:
  US13/104,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20110276994A1
• Time in Patent Office: 609 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4147 PVR [Personal Video Recorder] H04N5/76 takes precedence ; arrangements for broadcast with accumulation-type receivers H04H20/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4355 involving reformatting operations of additional data, e.g. HTML pages on a television screen optimising the visualization of content for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/9577; adaptation of message content in packet-switching networks H04L51/066; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• 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 21/4823 using a channel name
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• 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

Abstract

A system that delivers live broadcast media to consumer devices, including a system for enabling devices without native capabilities such as internal bulk storage and stream processing, to have command and control of live broadcast streams, has been provided. This is achieved through intercepting and converting the normal service provider channel mapping data to a new channel map which points to a software system that delivers command and control of live broadcast media, and implementation of a software system which can receive a channel change protocol, establish a command and control session with the device, convert the channel map protocol to the original format, tune in, receive, convert and process the live stream so that it can be delivered to the requesting device and in turn be controlled by user interaction with that device or the software system. A corresponding method is also provided.

Claims

1. A system for processing a broadcast stream, carrying video channels and an electronic program guide (EPG) information, and for distributing same over a local area network to a plurality N of subscriber terminals (STs), the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of N broadcast tuners, each broadcast tuner being configured for tuning in a respective one of the video channels of the broadcast stream;

(b) an EPG tuner for extracting the EPG information from the broadcast stream; and

(c) a multichannel proxy module, comprising;

(i) a live conversion system for buffering and processing said tuned-in video channels, comprising;

(i-1) a media buffer, operatively coupled to the N broadcast tuners and configured to buffer respective media payloads for the tuned-in video channels, the media buffer being indexed for each tuned-in video channel;

(i-2) a realtime processing module for providing normal play and trick play functions for each respective video channel, including processing the respective media payloads, the realtime processing module comprising a plurality of N realtime processing function units;

(i-3) an output buffer configured to accumulate a predetermined number of media packets contained in the media payloads for transmission to the respective STs in a form of network packets;

wherein the media buffer and the output buffer are partitioned into respective N sections assigned to a respective one of the N realtime processing function units;

(ii) an EPG conversion sub-system for converting the EPG information into a format suitable for transmission over the local area network; and

(iii) a streaming control sub-system for transmitting each buffered and processed video channel to a corresponding ST and for controlling the normal play and trick play functions of said buffered and processed video channel by the ST.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the EPG conversion sub-system comprises:

a Tuner Interface for periodically receiving the EPG information from the EPG tuner; and

a Parsing Module for converting the received EPG information as a channels file, and storing the channels file into a channels files memory.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the EPG conversion sub-system further comprises:

a format conversion module for converting the channels file into a converted channel map; and

a Local network input/output (I/O) module for sending the converted channel map to each ST.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the EPG conversion sub-system further comprises a control program module and a timer module for periodically updating the converted channel map.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the realtime processing module further comprises:

a normal play module for providing the normal play function and

a trick play module for providing the trick play function for use by any of the realtime processing function units upon a command from a corresponding ST.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the streaming control sub-system is configured to distribute the buffered and processed video channels as a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) stream.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the streaming control sub-system comprises:

an RTSP conversion subsystem operatively coupled to the N broadcast tuners; and

a plurality of N RTSP session units operatively connected to the RTSP conversion subsystem, and to corresponding STs over respective Media Links and respective control and command (CC) links for enabling each ST to control a corresponding one of the N broadcast tuners.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of N RTSP session units are further configured to forward the processed video channels to respective STs.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the broadcast stream is one of the following:

an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) stream;

a multi-channel cable television signal;

a multi-channel satellite television signal;

or

a multi-channel terrestrial television signal.

10. A method for processing a broadcast stream carrying video channels and an electronic program guide (EPG) information, and for distributing same over a local area network to a plurality N of subscriber terminals (STs), the method comprising:

(a) under control of the STs, tuning a plurality of N corresponding broadcast tuners into the video channels of the broadcast stream;

(b) extracting the EPG information from the broadcast stream;

(c) buffering and processing said tuned-in video channels, comprising;

(i) forming a media buffer, operatively coupled to the N broadcast tuners and configured to buffer respective media payloads for the tuned-in video channels;

(ii) indexing the media buffer for each tuned-in video channel;

(iii) providing normal play and trick play functions for each respective video channel, including processing the media payloads;

(iv) forming an output buffer configured to accumulate a predetermined number of media packets contained in the media payloads for transmission to the respective STs in a form of network packets; and

(v) forming a plurality of N realtime processing function units, partitioning the media buffer and the output buffer into respective N sections, and assigning each partitioned section to a respective one of the N realtime processing function units;

(d) converting the EPG information into a format suitable for transmission over the local area network to the STs for controlling the normal play and trick play functions by the STs; and

(e) transmitting the buffered and processed video channels to corresponding STs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the processing comprises controlling the play mode of each tuned-in video channel by a corresponding ST.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the step (b) further comprises identifying the EPG information related to video channels with respective local network addresses; and

the step (a) further comprises identifying video channels with said respective local network addresses for communicating a selection of video channels by respective STs to corresponding broadcast tuners.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step (c) further comprises buffering and processing the tuned-in video channels identified with said respective local network addresses.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the step (b) further comprises periodically receiving the EPG information;

the step (d) further comprises;

parsing the received EPG information as a channels file; and

converting the channels file into the format of a converted channel map suitable for the transmission to each ST over the local area network.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (c) further comprises distributing the buffered and processed video channels as a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) stream.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the step (c) further comprises:

launching a plurality of N RTSP sessions for corresponding STs;

establishing RTSP control and command (CC) links between STs and respective broadcast tuners for selecting video channels in respective broadcast tuners and for transmitting the buffered and processed video channels to the STs.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the broadcast stream is carried as one of the following:

an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) stream;

a multi-channel cable television signal;

a multi-channel satellite television signal;

a multi-channel terrestrial television signal.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (e) comprises:

(f) establishing a RTSP session;

(g) buffering media packets from each tuned-in video channel in the media buffer;

(g) storing the buffered and processed video channels for each respective subscriber terminal in the output buffer;

(h) estimating a stream bit rate of each tuned-in video channel;

(i) sending the contents of the output buffer in the form of network packets to the associated subscriber terminal substantially at the stream bit rate.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the step (d) comprises converting the EPG information into a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) control and command (CC) format.

20. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium, having computer readable instructions stored thereon for execution by a processor, causing the processor to:

process a broadcast stream carrying video channels and an electronic program guide (EPG) information, and to distribute same over a local area network to a plurality N of subscriber terminals (STs), comprising;

(a) under control of the STs, tuning a plurality of N corresponding broadcast tuners into the video channels of the broadcast stream;

(b) extracting the EPG information from the broadcast stream;

(c) buffering and processing said tuned-in video channels, comprising;

(i) forming a media buffer, operatively coupled to the N broadcast tuners and configured to buffer respective media payloads for the tuned-in video channels;

(ii) indexing the media buffer for each tuned-in video channel;

(iii) providing normal play and trick play functions for each respective video channel, including processing the media payloads;

(iv) forming an output buffer configured to accumulate a predetermined number of media packets contained in the media payloads for transmission to the respective STs in a form of network packets; and

(v) forming a plurality of N realtime processing function units, partitioning the media buffer and the output buffer into respective N sections, and assigning each partitioned section to a respective one of the N realtime processing function units;

(d) converting the EPG information into a format suitable for transmission over the local area network to the STs for controlling the normal play and trick play functions by the STs; and

(e) transmitting the buffered and processed video channels to corresponding STs.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive the EPG information;

parse the received EPG information as a channels file; and

convert the channels file into the format of a converted channel map suitable for the transmission to each ST over the local area network.