System and method of accessing digital video broadcasts within an information handling system

• US 8,595,775 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 11/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Sicher, Alan E., Dandekar, Shree, Jayaram, Subramanian, Clardy, James, Swaminathan, Sowmya
• Primary Examiner(s): MENGESHA, MULUGETA A
• Application Number:
  US13/171,111
• Publication Number:
  US 20110255006A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 725/62, 725/86, 725/100, 725/131, 725/139, 725/141
• US Class Current: 725/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method of accessing digital video broadcasts within an information handling system is disclosed. In one form, a digital video broadcast processing system can include a digital video broadcast receiver module operable to process a first digital video broadcast data received within a multiple channel digital video broadcast signal and to output the first digital video broadcast data to an interconnect bus of a computer system. The digital video broadcast processing system can also include a communication interface operable to be removeably coupled to an interconnect bus interface of the computer system. The communication interface can be operable to communicate the first digital video broadcast data, including an interconnect dependent data format, from the digital video broadcast receiver module to a digital video processing application of the computer system.

Claims

1. A digital video broadcast processing system comprising:

a digital video broadcast receiver module operable to process a first digital video broadcast data received within a multiple channel digital video broadcast signal and to output the first digital video broadcast data to an interconnect bus of a computer system;

a communication interface operable to be removeably coupled to an interconnect bus interface of the computer system, the communication interface operable to communicate the first digital video broadcast data, including a interconnect dependent data format, from the digital video broadcast receiver module to a digital video processing application of the computer system; and

a digital video broadcast processing module located within the computer system and operable to receive the first digital video broadcast data from the digital video broadcast receiver module via the interconnect bus, and to decode the first digital video broadcast data using a translation code parameter.

2. The digital video broadcast processing system of claim 1, further comprising the first digital video broadcast data formatted using a layered communication protocol.

3. The digital video broadcast processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a de-multiplexer coupled to the interconnect bus and operable to receive the formatted digital video broadcast data;

an electronic service guide (ESG) module coupled to the de-multiplexer and operable to receive de-multiplexed data including the first digital video broadcast data;

an audio and video decoding module coupled to the de-multiplexer module and operable to receive de-multiplexed data including the first digital video broadcast data; and

a media application coupled to the de-multiplexer module and operable to receive de-multiplexed data including the first digital video broadcast data.

4. The digital video broadcast processing system of claim 3, further comprising:

a channel selector operably coupled to the media application operable to output a portion of the first digital video broadcast data using the computer system;

wherein the media application is operable to receive a broadcast channel selection via the channel selector and initiate access to a second digital video broadcast data via the interconnect bus; and

wherein the digital video broadcast receiver module is operable to receive a request to access the second digital video broadcast channel selection and to output the second digital video broadcast data using the interconnect dependent data format to the interconnect bus.

5. The digital video broadcast processing system of claim 1, wherein the digital video broadcast receiver module is further operable to:

receive multiple digital video broadcast channels broadcast from a first carrier;

enable access to a first digital video broadcast channel of the multiple digital video broadcast channels;

couple the first video broadcast channel data to the interconnect bus; and

couple a second digital video broadcast channel data to the interconnect bus.

6. The digital video broadcast processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

an audio and video processing module coupled to a de-multiplexer operable to receive the first digital video data via the interconnect bus, the first digital video data configured to be output using a first screen size of a portable electronic device;

a broadcast data compensation module operable to convert the first digital video broadcast data to increase an output quality of the first digital video broadcast data; and

a video output display operable to output the converted first digital video broadcast data to a video display of the computer system including a second screen size that is greater than the first screen size of the portable electronic device.

7. The digital video broadcast processing system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first carrier access reference accessible by the digital video broadcast module, the first carrier access reference operable to be used to initiate access to a first wireless carrier transmitting a first digital video broadcast signal; and

a second carrier access reference accessible by the digital video broadcast module, the second carrier access reference operable to be used to initiate access to a second wireless carrier transmitting a second digital video broadcast signal.

8. A digital video broadcast receiver module comprising:

a digital video broadcast receiver operable to receive a digital video broadcast signal;

a digital video decoder operable to decode the digital video broadcast signal; and

a communication interface operable to be removeably coupled to an interconnect bus interface of a computer system, the communication interface operable to communicate a first digital video broadcast data including an interconnect dependent data format to a digital video processing application of the computer system;

wherein the digital video broadcast receiver module is disposed entirely within the computer system, and the digital video processing application decodes the first digital video broadcast data using a translation code parameter.

9. The digital video broadcast receiver module of claim 8, further comprising:

wherein the digital video broadcast signal includes multiple digital video broadcast channels;

a tuner operable to selectively enable access to a first digital video broadcast channel of the multiple digital video broadcast channels in response to a first digital video broadcast channel selection request received from a media application of the computer system; and

wherein the tuner is further operable to selectively enable access to a second digital video broadcast channel of the multiple digital video broadcast channels in response to a second digital video broadcast channel selection request received from the media application of the computer system.

10. The digital video broadcast receiver module of claim 8, further comprising a housing including a retractable antenna operably associated with the digital video broadcast receiver, the retractable antenna operable to be extended beyond a portion of the housing to receive the digital video broadcast signal.

11. The digital video broadcast receiver module of claim 8, wherein the digital video broadcast receiver module comprises one of a removable card or an expansion card.