Method for detecting video tiling

• US 9,130,830 B2
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Holdings LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Field, Brian E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mian, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US13/568,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20120300643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,128 Days
• Field of Search: 370/432
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5642 Multicast/broadcast/point-multipoint, e.g. VOD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0631 using root cause analysis; using analysis of correlation between notifications, alarms or events based on decision criteria, e.g. hierarchy, tree or time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/064 involving time analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0677 Localisation of faults
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/069 using logs of notifications; Post-processing of notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/067 using time frame reporting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing

Abstract

A method for detecting errors on an audio/video (A/V) data stream in a data service network includes providing multicast components operably coupled to each other via respective links for transmitting the A/V data stream to a user and for defining at least one multicast tree. The method further includes generating a state information signal indicative of a number of errors on the A/V data stream for at least one of the links and at least one of the plurality of multicast components. The method further includes determining the cumulative number of errors on the A/V data stream that are indicative of the number of errors for the at least one of the links and the at least one of the plurality of multicast components in the multicast tree in response to the state information signal.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device from an error-reporting device of a network, a message indicating that at least one error associated with a data stream has been detected at the error-reporting device receiving the data stream;

determining, by the at least one computing device, a path through which the data stream is transmitted, the path being associated with the error-reporting device based on a logical representation of a multicast tree, comprising a plurality of paths, of the network;

determining, for each link of a plurality of links of the path, a cumulative number of errors detected during each overlapping time period of a plurality of overlapping time periods having different lengths; and

outputting data representative of the respective cumulative number of errors and the corresponding overlapping time period, of the plurality of overlapping time periods, for each link of the plurality of links of the path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a cumulative number of errors detected at each receiver, of a plurality of receivers of the network, for a predetermined time period, wherein one receiver is the error-reporting device;

sorting the plurality of receivers based on the cumulative number of errors detected at each receiver; and

causing an output of an indication of an error hotspot based on the sorting.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether a link, of the plurality of links of the path, is associated with one or more error-causing events.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises an asynchronous message sent by the error-reporting device in response to the error-reporting device detecting the at least one error.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining, based on the cumulative number of errors detected during each overlapping time period for each link, a cumulative number of errors detected during each overlapping time period of the plurality of overlapping time periods for the path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one error detected at the error-reporting device is video tiling.

7. A method, comprising:

generating, for each multicast tree of a plurality of multicast trees of a network, a logical representation of a plurality of paths in the respective multicast tree;

receiving, by at least one computing device from an error-reporting device of the network, a message indicating that at least one error associated with a data stream has been detected at the error-reporting device receiving the data stream;

determining a multicast tree of the plurality of multicast trees affected by the at least one error;

determining a path of the plurality of paths of the multicast tree affected by the at least one error;

determining, for each link of a plurality of links of the path, a plurality of cumulative number of errors respectively detecting during a plurality of overlapping time periods having different lengths; and

outputting data representative of the respective cumulative number of errors and the corresponding overlapping time period, of the plurality of overlapping time periods, for each link of the plurality of links of the path.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining a cumulative number of errors detected at each receiver, of a plurality of receivers of the network, for a predetermined time period, wherein one receiver is the error-reporting device;

sorting the plurality of receivers based on the number of cumulative errors detected at each receiver; and

causing an output of an indication of an error hotspot based on the sorting.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining whether a link, from the plurality of links of the path, is associated with one or more error-causing events.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one error is caused by one or more of a damaged communication line, a loose connection, or an overloaded device.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device from a receiver of a network comprising a multicast tree, an alert indicating that at least one error associated with a data stream has been detected at the receiver receiving the data stream;

determining, by the computing device, a path through which the data stream is transmitted, the path being associated with the receiver based on a logical representation of the multicast tree comprising a plurality of paths;

determining, for each link of a plurality of links of the path, a plurality of cumulative number of errors respectively detected during a plurality of overlapping time periods having different lengths; and

outputting data representative of the respective cumulative number of errors and the corresponding overlapping time period, of the plurality of overlapping time periods, for each link of the plurality of links of the path.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a different path that is affected by the at least one error;

determining, for each link of a plurality of links of the different path, a different plurality of cumulative number of errors respectively detected during the plurality of overlapping time periods; and

outputting data representative of the different plurality of cumulative number of errors.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining, based on the plurality of cumulative number of errors respectively detected during the plurality of overlapping time periods for each link, a plurality of cumulative number of errors detected on the path.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a cumulative number of errors detected at each receiver, of a plurality of receivers of the network, for a predetermined time period;

sorting each receiver of the network based on the cumulative number of errors detected at each receiver for the predetermined time period; and

causing an output of an indication of an error hotspot based on the sorting.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the indication of the error hotspot is a color-coded listing of each receiver of the network.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether an event causing the at least one error occurred on the path; and

in response to determining that the event occurred on the path, causing an output of a location of a link, of the plurality of links of the path, that is responsible for creating the at least one error.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the event is a damaged communication line.