Methods, information providing system, and reception apparatus for distribution of at least one content version

• US 9,038,095 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fay, Luke, Zustak, Frederick J., Shintani, Peter, Candelore, Brant
• Primary Examiner(s): Harold, Jefferey
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDERS, JUSTIN B
• Application Number:
  US13/934,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20150012933A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 725/27
• US Class Current: 725/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23605 Creation or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES]
• 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 21/4343 Extraction or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES]
• 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 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP

Abstract

An information providing system, reception apparatus, and methods thereof are provided for providing content data. The method for providing content includes generating the content data. A digital television pre-broadcast signal, including the content data, is generated. At least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal is extracted. The at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal is packaged into one or more Internet Protocol (IP) data packets. A digital television broadcast signal, including the remainder of the digital television pre-broadcast signal, is generated. The one or more IP data packets is provided via a communication network. The digital television broadcast signal is provided on a predetermined radio frequency (RF) channel.

Claims

1. A method of an information providing system for providing content to a reception apparatus, the method comprising:

generating content data;

generating a digital television pre-broadcast signal, including the content data;

extracting, by circuitry of the information providing system, at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal;

packaging, by the circuitry, the at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal into one or more Internet Protocol (IP) data packets;

generating, by the circuitry, a digital television broadcast signal, including the remainder of the digital television pre-broadcast signal;

providing the one or more IP data packets via a communication network; and

providing the digital television broadcast signal on a predetermined radio frequency (RF) channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the digital television pre-broadcast signal comprises:

generating a transport stream, including the content data; and

applying forward error correction to the generated transport stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the digital television broadcast signal comprises:

modulating the remaining portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal; and

up converting the modulated remaining portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal for transmission on the predetermined RF channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of packaging comprises:

forming bytes based on symbols representing the at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal; and

packing the bytes into the one or more IP data packets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital television broadcast signal is one of an 8-level vestigial sideband (8-VSB) or orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based signal.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 1.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein

the steps of providing the one or more IP data packets and providing the digital television broadcast signal are performed concurrently.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein

the step of extracting is performed in the physical layer.

7. An information providing system, comprising:

circuitry configured to

generate content data,

generate a digital television pre-broadcast signal, including the content data;

extract at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal;

package the at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal into one or more Internet Protocol (IP) data packets;

generate a digital television broadcast signal, including the remainder of the digital television pre-broadcast signal;

provide the one or more IP data packets via a communication network; and

provide the digital television broadcast signal on a predetermined radio frequency (RF) channel.

8. The information providing system of claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

generate a transport stream, including the content data, and

apply forward error correction to the generated transport stream to generate the digital television pre-broadcast signal.

9. The information providing system of claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

modulate the remaining portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal, and

up convert the modulated remaining portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal for transmission on the predetermined RF channel.

10. The information providing system of claim 7, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

form bytes based on symbols representing the at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal, and

pack the bytes into the one or more IP data packets to package the at least one portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal.

11. The information providing system of claim 7, wherein the digital television broadcast signal is one of an 8-level vestigial sideband (8-VSB) or orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based signal.

12. A method of a reception apparatus for receiving content data, the method comprising:

receiving one or more IP data packets via a communication network, the one or more IP data packets containing a portion of a digital television pre-broadcast signal;

receiving a digital television broadcast signal on a predetermined radio frequency (RF) channel, the digital television broadcast signal including the remainder of the digital television pre-broadcast signal;

reconstructing, by circuitry of the reception apparatus, the digital television pre-broadcast signal based on the received digital television broadcast signal and the received one or more IP data packets;

extracting, by the circuitry, the content data from the reconstructed digital television pre-broadcast signal; and

storing or outputting, by the circuitry the extracted content data.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of reconstructing comprises:

demodulating the digital television broadcast signal; and

combining the demodulated digital television broadcast signal and the portion of the digital television pre-broadcast signal represented by the one or more IP data packets.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the digital television broadcast signal is one of an 8-level vestigial sideband (8-VSB) or orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based signal.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embedded therein instructions, which when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 12.

16. A reception apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to

receive one or more IP data packets via a communication network, the one or more IP data packets containing a portion of a digital television pre-broadcast signal,

receive a digital television broadcast signal on a predetermined radio frequency (RF) channel, the digital television broadcast signal including the remainder of the digital television pre-broadcast signal,

reconstruct the digital television pre-broadcast signal based on the received digital television broadcast signal and the received one or more IP data packets,

extract the content data from the reconstructed digital television pre-broadcast signal, and

store or output the extracted content data.

17. The reception apparatus of claim 16, wherein the circuitry is further configured to

demodulate the digital television broadcast signal, and

combine the demodulated digital television broadcast signal and the portion of the television pre-broadcast signal represented by the one or more IP data packets.

18. The reception apparatus of claim 16, wherein the digital television broadcast signal is one of an 8-level vestigial sideband (8-VSB) or orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM)-based signal.