Video and digital multimedia aggregator content coding and formatting

• US 8,578,410 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast IP Holdings I LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Swart, William D., McCoskey, John S., Asmussen, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saltarelli, Dominic D
• Application Number:
  US12/971,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20110085080A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 725 32- 36
• US Class Current: 725/36
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2543 Billing , e.g. for subscription services payment schemes, architectures or protocols G06Q20/00; e-commerce G06Q30/00; arrangements for billing for the use of broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/21
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/81 Monomedia components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A video and digital multimedia aggregator includes a content decoder, coder (codec) and formatter. The codec formatter receives coding and formatting requests that characterize input source content and desired output target content. Data conveyed about the source and target content may include parameters such as physical and/or logical addresses, coding and compression parameters, format descriptions, content size, description of auxiliary services, and other metadata elements that may be required for coding and formatting.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving content combined with data of at least one auxiliary service, the content received being in a first format;

receiving, at a computing device, a request for the content, wherein the request includes an identification of a second format in which the content is requested and an identification of the at least one auxiliary service,

separating the data of the at least one auxiliary service from the content in the first format;

coding the content from the first format into the second format;

combining the data of the at least one auxiliary service with the content in the second format; and

outputting, responsive to the request, the content in the second format combined with the data of the at least one auxiliary service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining the data of the at least one auxiliary service and the content in the second format into a single file.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

parsing time code data from the content in the first format; and

synchronizing the data of the at least one auxiliary service with the content in the second format using the time code data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second format employs a different level of data compression from the first format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data of the at least one auxiliary service comprises one or more of:

closed captioning, descriptive video narration, alternative language audio, content rating, critical review information, device control, a future content schedule, untargeted advertising, targeted advertising, a text service, a data service, an interactive service, and content metadata.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content in the first format is received combined with data of a plurality of auxiliary services including the data of the at least one auxiliary service, the method further comprising:

separating the data of the plurality of auxiliary services from the content in the first format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is received from a user terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

polling resources capable of coding the content into the second format from the first format;

identifying one or more available resources based on the polling; and

utilizing at least one of the one or more available resources to code the content from the first format into the second format.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising combining the data of the at least one auxiliary service and the content in the second format into a single transport stream.

10. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured with software that when executed by the one or more processors causes the system to;

receive content combined with data of at least one auxiliary service, the content received being in a first format;

receive a request for the content, wherein the request includes an identification of a second format;

separate the data of the at least one auxiliary service from the content in the first format;

code the content from the first format into the second format;

combine the data of the at least one auxiliary service with the content in the second format; and

output, responsive to the request, the content in the second format combined with the data of the at least one auxiliary service.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the software, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:

combine the data of the at least one auxiliary service and the content in the second format into a single file.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the content in the first format is received combined with data of a plurality of auxiliary services including the data of the at least one auxiliary service, and wherein the software, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:

separate the data of the plurality of auxiliary services from the content in the first format.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the data of the at least one auxiliary service comprises one or more of closed captioning, descriptive video narration, alternative language audio, content rating, critical review information, device control, a future content schedule, untargeted advertising, targeted advertising, a text service, a data service, an interactive service, and content metadata.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the software, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:

poll resources capable of coding the content from the first format into the second format;

identify one or more available resources based on the polling; and

utilize at least one of the one or more available resources to code the content from the first format into the second format.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the software, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:

combine the data of the at least one auxiliary service and the content in the second format into a single transport stream.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the software, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the system to:

parse time code data from the content in the first format; and

synchronize the data of the at least one auxiliary service with the content in the second format using the time code data.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the second format is identified in the request by a set of parameters, which includes a parameter indicating a level of data compression.

18. A system comprising:

a plurality of user terminals; and

an apparatus comprising one or more processors configured with software, that when executed by the one or more processors, causes the apparatus to;

receive content combined with data of at least one auxiliary service, the content received being in a first format;

receive, from a first user terminal of the plurality of user terminals, a request for content, the request including an identification of a second format; and

responsive to the request;

separate the data of the at least one auxiliary service from the content in the first format,

code the content from the first format into the second format, and

output the content in the second format combined with the data of the at least one auxiliary service.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of user terminals comprises at least one of a set top terminal and a personal computer terminal.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a second apparatus comprising one or more second processors configured with second software, that when executed by the one or more second processors, causes the second apparatus to provide, to the apparatus, at least one of the content in the first format and a reference to the content stored in the first format at a location remote from the apparatus.