Methods and apparatus for frequency agile band-pass filtering of broadcast signals

• US 8,549,577 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wilson, Brian, Coppa, Frank Robert, Medina, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US13/742,997
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132991A1
• Time in Patent Office: 258 Days
• Field of Search: 725/119, 725/127, 348/683
• US Class Current: 725/127
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/06 among broadcast stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25 Management operations performed by the server for facilitating the content distribution or administrating data related to end-users or client devices, e.g. end-user or client device authentication, learning user preferences for recommending movies maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42607 for processing the incoming bitstream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/438 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. retrieving encoded video stream packets from an IP network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82

Abstract

Example frequency agile band-pass filtering methods disclosed herein include monitoring reception quality of a media broadcast signal received at a headend including a frequency agile band-pass filter to receive the media broadcast signal, sending a first set of commands to cause the frequency agile band-pass filter to tune to and attenuate a first channel included in the media broadcast signal, the first set of commands being sent in response to determining that the first channel is experiencing a degradation of reception quality determined to be caused by a first type of channel interference, and sending subsequent second set of commands over the communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to override attenuation processing invoked by the first set of commands in response to determining that the degradation of reception quality is caused by fading in addition to the first type of channel interference.

Claims

1. A method for media broadcast signal reception and distribution, the method comprising:

monitoring reception quality of at least some of a plurality of channels included in a media broadcast signal received at a headend, the headend including a frequency agile band-pass filter to receive the media broadcast signal for distribution to a plurality of reception sites;

sending, via a processor, a first set of commands over a communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to cause the frequency agile band-pass filter to tune to and attenuate a first channel included in the media broadcast signal, the first set of commands being sent in response to determining that the first channel is experiencing a degradation of reception quality determined to be caused by a first type of channel interference;

remotely commanding, via the processor, a switch at the headend to replace a first output signal from a first receiver providing the first channel for distribution to the plurality of reception sites with a second output signal from a second receiver processing an output of the frequency agile band-pass filter; and

sending, via the processor, a subsequent second set of commands over the communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to override attenuation processing invoked by the first set of commands, the subsequent second set of commands to cause the attenuation processing by the frequency agile band-pass filter to be bypassed during reception of the first channel, the second set of commands being sent in response to determining that the degradation of reception quality is being caused by fading in addition to the first type of channel interference.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first type of channel interference comprises co-channel interference.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the first type of channel interference comprises adjacent channel interference.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining that the first channel is experiencing degradation caused by the first type of channel interference when an overlap of two video signals in a video display corresponding to the first channel is detected.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising determining that the first channel is experiencing degradation caused by fading when pixelation in a video display corresponding to the first channel is detected.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the frequency agile band-pass filter comprises:

a tunable preselector that is tunable according to a first set of configuration commands receivable from a communication network;

a fixed bandwidth band-pass filter in communication with an output of the tunable preselector; and

a variable attenuator in communication with an output of the fixed bandwidth band-pass filter, the variable attenuator to provide variable attenuation according to a second set of configuration commands receivable via the communication network.

7. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the headend further comprises a plurality of frequency agile band-pass filters tunable independently to at least a subset of the plurality of channels.

8. A tangible machine readable storage medium device comprising machine readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

monitoring reception quality of at least some of a plurality of channels included in a media broadcast signal received at a headend, the headend including a frequency agile band-pass filter to receive the media broadcast signal for distribution to a plurality of reception sites;

sending a first set of commands over a communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to cause the frequency agile band-pass filter to tune to and attenuate a first channel included in the media broadcast signal, the first set of commands being sent in response to determining that the first channel is experiencing a degradation of reception quality determined to be caused by a first type of channel interference;

remotely commanding a switch at the headend to replace a first output signal from a first receiver providing the first channel for distribution to the plurality of reception sites with a second output signal from a second receiver processing an output of the frequency agile band-pass filter; and

sending a subsequent second set of commands over the communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to override attenuation processing invoked by the first set of commands, the subsequent second set of commands to cause the attenuation processing by the frequency agile band-pass filter to be bypassed during reception of the first channel, the second set of commands being sent in response to determining that the degradation of reception quality is being caused by fading in addition to the first type of channel interference.

9. The storage device as defined in claim 8, wherein the first type of channel interference comprises co-channel interference.

10. The storage device as defined in claim 8, wherein the first type of channel interference comprises adjacent channel interference.

11. The storage device as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the first channel is experiencing degradation caused by the first type of channel interference when an overlap of two video signals in a video display corresponding to the first channel is detected.

12. The storage device as defined in claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the first channel is experiencing degradation caused by fading when pixelation in a video display corresponding to the first channel is detected.

13. The storage device as defined in claim 8, wherein the frequency agile band-pass filter comprises:

a tunable preselector that is tunable according to a first set of configuration commands receivable from a communication network;

a fixed bandwidth band-pass filter in communication with an output of the tunable preselector; and

a variable attenuator in communication with an output of the fixed bandwidth band-pass filter, the variable attenuator to provide variable attenuation according to a second set of configuration commands receivable via the communication network.

14. The storage device as defined in claim 8, wherein the headend further comprises a plurality of frequency agile band-pass filters tunable independently to at least a subset of the plurality of channels.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a memory having machine readable instructions stored thereon; and

a processor to execute the instructions to perform operations comprising;

monitoring reception quality of at least some of a plurality of channels included in a media broadcast signal received at a headend, the headend including a frequency agile band-pass filter to receive the media broadcast signal for distribution to a plurality of reception sites;

sending a first set of commands over a communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to cause the frequency agile band-pass filter to tune to and attenuate a first channel included in the media broadcast signal, the first set of commands being sent in response to determining that the first channel is experiencing a degradation of reception quality determined to be caused by a first type of channel interference;

remotely commanding a switch at the headend to replace a first output signal from a first receiver providing the first channel for distribution to the plurality of reception sites with a second output signal from a second receiver processing an output of the frequency agile band-pass filter;

sending a subsequent second set of commands over the communication network to the frequency agile band-pass filter to override attenuation processing invoked by the first set of commands, the subsequent second set of commands to cause the attenuation processing by the frequency agile band-pass filter to be bypassed during reception of the first channel, the second set of commands being sent in response to determining that the degradation of reception quality is being caused by fading in addition to the first type of channel interference.

16. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the first type of channel interference comprises co-channel interference.

17. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the first type of channel interference comprises adjacent channel interference.

18. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the first channel is experiencing degradation caused by the first type of channel interference when an overlap of two video signals in a video display corresponding to the first channel is detected.

19. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining that the first channel is experiencing degradation caused by fading when pixelation in a video display corresponding to the first channel is detected.

20. The apparatus as defined in claim 15, wherein the frequency agile band-pass filter comprises:

a tunable preselector that is tunable according to a first set of configuration commands receivable from a communication network;

a fixed bandwidth band-pass filter in communication with an output of the tunable preselector; and

a variable attenuator in communication with an output of the fixed bandwidth band-pass filter, the variable attenuator to provide variable attenuation according to a second set of configuration commands receivable via the communication network.