Remote re-multiplexing with packet inclusion

• US 9,226,008 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beheydt, Samie, Vanhaecke, Joachim M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhao, Wei
• Application Number:
  US13/969,897
• Publication Number:
  US 20130329752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/67 Common-wave systems, i.e. using separate transmitters operating on substantially the same frequency
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/106 using time related information in packets, e.g. by adding timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers

Abstract

In one system embodiment, a master re-multiplexer may be configured to receive an indexed transport stream, re-multiplex the indexed transport stream by performing a set of re-multiplexing operations, generate a helper transport stream, the helper transport stream comprising a description of the set of operations, wherein the set of operations comprises both program clock reference (PCR) re-stamping and inserting packets, and providing the helper transport stream over a communications network to plural remote re-multiplexers capable of identically re-multiplexing the indexed transport stream based on the helper transport stream.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a helper transport stream at a first and second re-multiplexers, the helper transport stream re-multiplexing a first indexed transport stream at the first and second re-multiplexers based on information received in the helper transport stream, wherein re-multiplexing comprises both inserting packets and program clock reference (PCR) re-stamping;

identically re-multiplexing the first indexed transport stream based on the helper transport stream and a description of the re-multiplexing;

generating by one of the first and second re-multiplexers a second transport stream, and

generating by another of the first and second re-multiplexers a third transport stream, respectively, the second transport stream identical to the third transport stream and different than the indexed transport stream.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein re-multiplexing comprises selecting packets of the first indexed transport stream for inclusion in the second transport stream and the third transport stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the first indexed transport stream comprises receiving an indexed multi program transport stream.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein re-multiplexing further comprises inserting packets, wherein inserting packets comprises inserting null packets, PSI packets, SI packets, PSIP packets, other packets, or a combination of two or more of the null packets, the PSI packets, the SI packets, the PSIP packets, and the other packets.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein re-multiplexing comprises separating the helper transport stream from the first indexed transport stream.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving at the first and second re-multiplexers one or more additional indexed transport streams, wherein re-multiplexing comprises separating the helper transport stream from the one or more additional indexed transport streams.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the helper transport stream comprises receiving the information in a fourth transport stream separate from the first indexed transport stream.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises a set of operations associated with a previous re-multiplexing operation.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein re-multiplexing comprises applying a set of operations to the first indexed transport stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein re-multiplexing and generating comprises clocking with a common clock source the first indexed transport stream, the second transport stream, and the third transport streams.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving at a master re-multiplexer an indexed transport stream;

re-multiplexing the indexed transport stream, wherein the re-multiplexing comprises both program clock reference (PCR) re-stamping and inserting packets;

generating a helper transport stream, the helper transport stream comprising a description of the re-multiplexing; and

providing the helper transport stream over a communications network to plural remote re-multiplexers configured to;

identically re-multiplex the indexed transport stream based on the helper transport stream and the description;

generate by one of the remote re-multiplexers a second transport stream, and

generate by another of the remote re-multiplexers a third transport stream, respectively, the second transport stream identical to the third transport stream and different than the indexed transport stream.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising providing the indexed transport stream over the communications network to the plural remote re-multiplexers contemporaneously with the provision of the helper transport stream.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving one or more additional indexed transport streams, and further comprising generating an additional helper transport stream for each new re-multiplexed transport stream.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein an index value for each packet of the indexed transport stream comprises a unique address for a defined time window or packet count for the each packet separate from a PID value.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein re-multiplexing and generating is based on a clock reference common to the master re-multiplexer and the plural remote re-multiplexers.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein providing comprises providing the helper transport stream in a multiplex with the indexed transport stream.

17. A system, comprising:

a master re-multiplexer configured to;

receive an indexed transport stream,

re-multiplex the indexed transport stream by performing a set of re-multiplexing operations,

generate a helper transport stream, the helper transport stream comprising a description of the set of re-multiplexing operations, wherein the set of re-multiplexing operations comprises both program clock reference (PCR) re-stamping and inserting packets, and

provide the helper transport stream over a communications network to plural remote re-multiplexers located at separate locations configured to;

identically re-multiplex the indexed transport stream based on the helper transport stream and the description,

generate by one of the remote re-multiplexers a second transport stream, and

generate by another of the remote re-multiplexers a third transport stream, respectively, the second transport stream identical to the third transport stream and different than the indexed transport stream.