Wireless multimedia system

• US 8,875,193 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sigma Group
• Original Assignee: Sigma Group
• Inventors: Manapragada, Sai C., Kluesing, Alvin Dale
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Pankaj
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tilahun, Alazar
• Application Number:
  US12/152,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100495A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,358 Days
• Field of Search: 725/80, 725/81, 725/133, 725/141, 725/153
• US Class Current: 725/81
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/047 Distributors with transistors or integrated circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0008 Synchronisation information channels, e.g. clock distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4112 having fewer capabilities than the client, e.g. thin client having less processing power or no tuning capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Methods and systems for a novel multi-media macro-network. A Picon media server is connected with variety of high data rate sources including high definition video and audio connections. Picon media server is configured to process the variety of data streams into lower data rate IP packets and dynamically transmit them wirelessly via plurality of channels and antennas to variety of Picon receivers which are configured to congregate the received data packets into the correct signal formats for specific displays.

Claims

1. A method for wireless media transmission, comprising actions of:

receiving multimedia signals;

directing said multimedia signals to respective media processing units according to the data types of said multimedia signals;

if said multimedia signals comprise a stream of uncompressed and encrypted multimedia data-stream, splitting a single stream of uncompressed and encrypted datastream into a plurality of substreams;

processing said multimedia signals and said substreams into data packets;

transmitting said data packets wirelessly via a plurality of physically separate low rate channels in parallel;

receiving said data packets wirelessly via said plurality of physically separate low rate channels in parallel;

reverse-processing said data packets into a data stream; and

sending said data stream to a data sink.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if said data signal is uncompressed and unencrypted datastream, said datastream is first compressed and encoded before being converted into data packets and wirelessly transmitted;

and after said data packets being wirelessly received, they are first decompressed and decoded, and are directed to a process of packet loss detection and recovery.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising actions of:

processing, scheduling, and prioritizing said data packets; and

dynamically allocating transmitting channels for said data packets for wireless transmitting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless transmitting complies with IEEE 802.11n standards.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless transmitting is implemented in accordance with the 3G Code Division Multiple Access standards.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said stream of uncompressed and encrypted multimedia data is processed in parallel by a plurality of media multiplexing converters.

7. A wireless macro-multimedia network, comprising:

at least two media connections through which high definition media content is received;

a media server which is connected to said media connections, wherein said media contents are dynamically processed into data packets and are wirelessly transmitted in parallel as a plurality of low rate bitstreams over a plurality of separate channels; and

a media receiver wherein said data packets are wirelessly received in parallel, sorted and processed into a signal format according to a configuration of a specific display.

8. The wireless macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media server includes a control module that prioritizes and schedules said data packets and dynamically allocates transmitting channels according to their statistics of their performance.

9. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media server includes a plurality of transmitting antennas and a plurality of Wi-Fi processing units.

10. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media server can communicate to a cellular phone device and enable a user to use said cellular phone device to input configuration criteria.

11. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media receiver includes a plurality of receiving antennas and a plurality of receiving channels.

12. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media receiver sends and receives data bi-directionally from a sink device.

13. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media connections includes connections for a plurality of sources including high definition video streams, high definition audio streams, analog TV signals, gaming data, internet content, IPTV signals, satellite signals and/or the combination thereof.

14. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said wireless transmitting is implemented in accordance with the 3G Code Division Multiple Access standards.

15. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said media server comprises a plurality of processors for a plurality of data types which process multimedia data in parallel.

16. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein a single uncompressed and encrypted high definition datastream is processed in parallel by a plurality of multiplexing converters and processing units.

17. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said receiver assembles a plurality of data packets into substreams and then assembles the substreams into a single uncompressed and encrypted datastream.

18. The macro-multimedia network of claim 7, wherein said receiver comprises a plurality of processing units that process data packets in parallel.

19. A method for wireless media transmission, comprising:

receiving input signals of multiple types, wherein at least one of said types is a high-bandwidth multimedia signal type which is of higher bandwidth than other ones of said types;

processing said signals of all of said types into multiple low rate digital channels, and transmitting said multiple low rate digital channels wirelessly in parallel, receiving said multiple low rate digital channels, and reassembling said multiple low rate digital channels into multiple streams which generally correspond to all of said signals; and

outputting ones of said signals accordingly

wherein said high-bandwidth multimedia signal type has a higher bandwidth than any single one of said multiple low rate digital channels, and wherein at least one other type does not.