Method and system for testing an integrated receiver decoder with signals from outside the local market area

• US 8,756,636 B1
• Filed: 07/20/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIRECTV, LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: The DIRECTV Group, Inc. (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wasden, Mitchell B., Arya, Vishal, St. Laurent, Darren M., Tellez, Charles S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US12/840,029
• Time in Patent Office: 1,428 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 725/63
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/12 Arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring a plurality of local channel signals that includes a monitoring system for receiving the plurality of local channel signals and for converting channel signals into RF signals. The system also includes a combiner for combining the RF signals with national signals to form a combined signal and an integrated receiver decoder and a router communicating at least one of the combined signals to an input of the integrated receiver decoder. A display associated with the integrated receiver decoder displays at least one of one of the RF signals.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of local channel signals for a first designated marketing area;

uplinking the plurality of local channel signals to a satellite;

downlinking the plurality of local channel signals from the satellite to form downlink signals using a first downlink frequency in the first designated marketing area;

communicating the plurality of local channel signals through a terrestrial network to a monitoring facility outside the first designated market area;

converting the plurality of local channel signals into RF signals corresponding to the downlink signal and the first downlink frequency at the monitoring facility;

receiving satellite signals at the monitoring facility through an outdoor unit;

filtering local channels from the satellite signals to form filtered signals;

combining the filtered signals and the RF signals to form combined signals;

communicating the combined signals to an input of an integrated receiver decoder within the monitoring facility; and

displaying one of the combined signals at a display associated with the integrated receiver decoder.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein receiving a plurality of local channel signals comprises receiving the plurality of channel signals from a local collection facility.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein uplinking the plurality of signals comprises uplinking the plurality of signals to the satellite from a remote uplink facility.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the satellite signals comprise a national broadcast signal.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving a program guide signals at the integrated receiver decoder.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving an authorization signal at the integrated receiver decoder.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving a software update signal at the integrated receiver decoder.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving a program guide signals at the integrated receiver decoder from the satellite.

9. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving an authorization signal at the integrated receiver decoder from the satellite.

10. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising receiving program guide signals at the integrated receiver decoder from the satellite through an outdoor unit at the monitoring facility.

11. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein prior to receiving the program guide signals filtering the signals from the outdoor unit.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of local channel signals at a local collection facility;

receiving a second plurality of local channel signals at a second local collection facility;

communicating at least one of the first plurality of local channel signals and the second plurality of local channel signals to a remote uplink facility through a terrestrial network;

communicating one of the first plurality of local channel signals and the second plurality of local channel signals from the remote facility to a monitoring facility to form selected local channel signals;

converting the selected local channel signals into RF signals at the monitoring facility;

receiving satellite signals at the monitoring facility through an outdoor unit;

filtering local channels from the satellite signals to form filtered signals;

combining the filtered signals and the RF signals to form combined signals;

communicating at least one the combined signals to an input of an integrated receiver decoder within the monitoring facility; and

displaying at least one of the combined signals at a display associated with the integrated receiver decoder.

13. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein receiving a first plurality of local channel signals at a first local collection facility comprises receiving a first plurality of local channel signals at the first local collection facility located in a first designated marketing area and wherein receiving a second plurality of local channel signals at a second local collection facility comprises receiving a second plurality of local channel signals at the second local collection facility located in a second designated marketing area different than the first local collection facility.

14. A method as recited in claim 13 wherein communicating at least one of the first plurality of local channel signals and the second plurality of local channels from the remote facility to a monitoring facility to form selected channel signals comprises communicating at least one of the first plurality of local channel signals and the second plurality of local channel signals from the remote facility to the monitoring facility located outside the first designated marketing area and the second designated marketing area.

15. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein communicating the first plurality of local channel signals and the second plurality of local channel signals to a remote uplink facility through a terrestrial network comprises communicating the first plurality of local channel signals and the second plurality of local channel signals to the remote uplink facility through an internet protocol terrestrial network.

16. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein the satellite signal comprises a national broadcast signal.

17. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein converting the selected channel signals into RF signals comprises modulating the selected channel signals into RF signals.

18. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein converting the selected channel signals into RF signals comprises upconverting the selected channel signals into RF signals.

19. A method as recited in claim 18 further comprising after upconverting, polarizing the channel signals.

20. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein converting the selected channel signals into RF signals comprises polarizing the selected channel signals into RF signals.

21. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein converting the selected channel signals into RF signals comprises upconverting, modulating and polarizing the selected channel signals into RF signals.

22. A method as recited in claim 21 further comprising downlinking the channel signals having a first format and wherein upconverting, modulating and polarizing the selected channel signals into RF signals comprises upconverting, modulating and polarizing the selected channel signals into RF signals to correspond to the first format.

23. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising receiving program guide signals at the integrated receiver decoder.

24. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising receiving an authorization signal at the integrated receiver decoder.

25. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising receiving a software update signal at the integrated receiver decoder.

26. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising receiving a program guide signals at the integrated receiver decoder from a satellite.

27. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising receiving an authorization signal at the integrated receiver decoder from a satellite.

28. A method as recited in claim 12 further comprising receiving a program guide signals at the integrated receiver decoder from a satellite through an outdoor unit at the monitoring facility.

29. A method as recited in claim 28 wherein prior to receiving the program guide signals filtering the signals from the outdoor unit.

30. A system comprising:

a monitoring system for receiving a plurality of local channel signals and for converting channel signals into RF signals, said monitoring system receiving satellite signals through an outdoor unit and filtering the local channel signals from the satellite signals to form national feeds;

a combiner combining the RF signals with the national signals to form combined signals within the monitoring system;

an integrated receiver decoder;

a router communicating at least one of the combined signals to an input of the integrated receiver decoder within the monitoring system; and

a display associated with the integrated receiver decoder displaying one of the RF signals.

31. A system as recited in claim 30 further comprising a first local collection facility receiving the plurality of local channels;

and

a remote uplink facility receiving the plurality of local channel signals and uplinking the plurality of local channel signals to a satellite to form downlink signals having a first format and terrestrially communicating the plurality of signals to the monitoring system.

32. A system as recited in claim 31 wherein the first local collection facility is disposed in a first designated marketing area and the monitoring facility is disposed in a second designated marketing area different that the first designated marketing area.

33. A system as recited in claim 32 wherein the monitoring system converts the plurality of local channel signals into RF signals having the first format.

34. A system as recited in claim 32 wherein the monitoring system converts the plurality of channel signals into RF signals using a modulator.

35. A system as recited in claim 32 wherein the monitoring system converts the plurality of channel signals into RF signals using a modulator and a polarizer.

36. A system as recited in claim 32 wherein the monitoring system converts the plurality of channel signals into RF signals using a modulator, an upconverter, and a polarizer.

37. A system as recited in claim 31 further comprising a second local collection facility receiving a second plurality of channel signals and communicating the second plurality of local channel signals to the remote uplink facility, wherein the second plurality of local channel signals is communicated to the monitoring system by the remote uplink facility.