Apparatus and method for encoding and decoding signals

• US 8,908,773 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Citta, Richard W., Canfield, Barth Alan, Virag, David Emery
• Primary Examiner(s): Ustaris, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Adrovel, William
• Application Number:
  US12/682,985
• Publication Number:
  US 20100226443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,247 Days
• Field of Search: 348/470, 348/384.1, 348/426.1, 348/43, 348/731, 348/E13.001, 375/357, 370/912
• US Class Current: 375/240.26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0028 Formatting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0065 Serial concatenated codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/007 Unequal error protection for format H04L1/0078; for codes per se H03M13/35
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0071 Use of interleaving interleaving per se H03M13/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0075 Transmission of coding parameters to receiver H04L1/0023 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• 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 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6336 directed to decoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64315 DVB-H

Abstract

New capabilities will allow conventional broadcast transmission to be available to mobile devices. The present embodiments describe an apparatus and method for encoding and decoding signals. A method includes the steps of generating data blocks, encoding a first set of data blocks using a first encoding rate, encoding a second set of data blocks using a second encoding rate, and generating a control packet, the control packet identifying the first set of data blocks and the first encoding rate, and identifying the second set of data blocks and the second encoding rate. An apparatus includes a first decoder receiving data and decoding a first subset of the data, including a control packet, at a first decoding rate and a controller controlling the operation of the first decoder based on the decoded control packet.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

encoding a first set of data blocks, the first set of data blocks representing mobile broadcast data encoded for use by a first type of receiver capable of decoding and recognizing the first set of data blocks;

determining a data length for the first set of encoded data blocks, wherein the data length is identified in either packets or blocks; and

inserting at least one data block from a second set of data blocks within the first set of encoded data blocks at a location prior to a field sync if the data length is greater than a data length threshold, the second set of data blocks representing a legacy broadcast television transmission signal encoded for use by a second type of receiver capable of decoding and recognizing the second set of data blocks and not capable of decoding and recognizing the first set of data blocks, and wherein the data length threshold and location for the inserting of the at least one data block is determined based on preventing synchronization errors in the second type of receiver while decoding the second set of data blocks during a time of receiving the first set of data blocks and wherein the first set of encoded data blocks is encoded to prevent the second type of receiver from interpreting the first set of encoded data as corrupted data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

encoding the first set of data blocks including the at least one data block using a second encoding process; and

transmitting the second encoded set of data blocks.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encoding includes byte-code encoding the first set of data blocks.

4. An apparatus comprising:

means for encoding a first set of data blocks, the first set of data blocks representing mobile broadcast data encoded for use by a first type of receiver capable of decoding and recognizing the first set of data blocks;

means for determining a data length for the first set of encoded data blocks, wherein the data length is identified in either packets or blocks; and

means for inserting at least one data block from a second set of data blocks within the first set of encoded data blocks at a location prior to a field sync if the data length is greater than a data length threshold, the second set of data blocks representing a legacy broadcast television transmission signal encoded for use by a second type of receiver capable of decoding and recognizing the second set of data blocks and not capable of decoding and recognizing the first set of data blocks, and wherein the data length threshold and location for the inserting of the at least one data block is determined based on preventing synchronization errors in the second type of receiver while decoding the second set of data blocks during a time of receiving the first set of data blocks and wherein the first set of encoded data blocks is encoded to prevent the second type of receiver from interpreting the first set of encoded data as corrupted data.

5. An apparatus comprising:

an encoder that encodes a first set of data blocks, the first set of data blocks representing mobile broadcast data encoded for use by a first type of receiver capable of decoding and recognizing the first set of data blocks;

a controller coupled to the encoder, the controller determining a data length for the first set of encoded data blocks, wherein the data length is identified in either packets or blocks; and

a multiplexer coupled to the controller, the multiplexer inserting at least one data block from a second set of data blocks within the first set of encoded data blocks at a location prior to a field sync if the data length is greater than a data length threshold, the second set of data blocks representing a legacy broadcast television transmission signal encoded for use by a second type of receiver capable of decoding and recognizing the second set of data blocks and not capable of decoding and recognizing the first set of data blocks;

wherein the data length threshold and location for the inserting of the at least one data block is determined based on preventing synchronization errors in the second type of receiver while decoding the second set of data blocks during a time of receiving the first set of data blocks and wherein the first set of encoded data blocks is encoded to prevent the second type of receiver from interpreting the first set of encoded data as corrupted data.