Satellite signal distribution

• US 9,253,542 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Strong, Stephen, Tuck, Frederick R., Landreth, Daniel Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPARD, JUSTIN E
• Application Number:
  US14/039,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20140033259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• 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: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4343 Extraction or processing of packetized elementary streams [PES]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/436 Interfacing a local distribution network, e.g. communicating with another STB or one or more peripheral devices inside the home
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43622 Interfacing an external recording device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4363 Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4381 Recovering the multiplex stream from a specific network, e.g. recovering MPEG packets from ATM cells transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6193 involving transmission via a satellite arrangements for data linking, networking or transporting, or for controlling an end to end session in a satellite broadcast system H04B7/18526
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/20 Adaptations for transmission via a GHz frequency band, e.g. via satellite

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for receiving satellite television signals. A centralized system component may be provided in association with the satellite antenna. The centralized system component includes at least one or more tuners and one or more demodulators. The centralized component may provide output through a network adaptor that provides output through a single output, which is a coaxial cable in one embodiment. The centralized component may send output in the form of packetized data directed to one or more set-top boxes by way of a network transaction. The set-top box or boxes may be operable to receive the network transaction and to process the data, as appropriate, for display on a TV/monitor.

Claims

1. A television distribution system, comprising:

a tuner and demodulation section, comprising a plurality of tuners and a plurality of demodulators, the tuner and demodulation section configured to;

receive a transponder signal via a tuner of the plurality of tuners, wherein the transponder signal comprises a plurality of individual transport streams, each individual transport stream of the plurality of individual transport streams comprising a television channel;

remove, by a demodulator of the plurality of demodulators, a carrier signal from the transponder signal; and

transmit, to a plurality of client devices across a network, packetized data comprising the transponder signal, wherein the carrier signal has been removed from the transponder signal and the network comprises a coaxial cable network;

a first client device comprising a demultiplexer, the first client device configured to;

receive, via the network, the packetized data comprising the transponder signal;

using the demultiplexer, separate out an individual transport stream of the plurality of individual transport streams from the transponder signal, wherein the first client device is separate and remote from the tuner and demodulation section and both the client device and the tuner and demodulation section are installed at a same house as the first client device;

output the individual transport stream for display, wherein

the first client device is part of the plurality of client devices;

receive, via the network, a timer from a second client device; and

record and store video content based on the received timer to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

the second client device configured to;

transmit, via the network, a timer to the first client device;

receive, via the network, the stored video content and

output for presentation the stored video content.

2. The television distribution system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises:

one or more splitters such that a single output of the tuner and demodulation section has a signal pathway to each client device of the plurality of client devices.

3. The television distribution system of claim 1, wherein the first client device is further configured to:

share the stored video content with other client devices of the plurality of client devices by packetizing and transmitting the stored video content via the network.

4. The television distribution system of claim 1, the system further comprising:

the second client device being further configured to;

transmit, via the coaxial cable network, a command to retrieve the stored video content from the first client device.

5. The television distribution system of claim 4, wherein the second client device is configured to receive the stored video content, via a signal pathway created using one or more splitters, from the first client device.

6. The television distribution system of claim 1, wherein the second client device is further configured to:

output for presentation a listing of a plurality of stored video content, wherein

the plurality of stored video content are distributed for storage across the plurality of client devices.

7. The television distribution system of claim 1, wherein the first client device is further configured to:

packetize and transmit, via the coaxial cable network and the Internet, the stored video content to a remote computerized device.

8. A method for television signal distribution, the method comprising:

receiving, by a tuner and demodulation section, a transponder signal, wherein the transponder signal comprises a plurality of individual transport streams, each individual transport stream of the plurality of individual transport streams comprising a television channel;

removing, by the tuner and demodulation section, a carrier signal from the transponder signal; and

transmitting, to a plurality of client devices across a network, packetized data comprising the transponder signal, wherein the carrier signal has been removed from the transponder signal and the network comprises a coaxial cable network;

receiving, by a first client device of the plurality of client devices via the network, the packetized data comprising the transponder signal;

using a demultiplexer, separating out an individual transport stream of the plurality of individual transport streams from the transponder signal by the first client device, wherein the first client device is separate and remote from the tuner and demodulation section and both the client device and the tuner and demodulation section are installed at a same house as the first client device;

outputting, by the first client device, the individual transport stream for display, wherein the first client device is part of the plurality of client devices,

recording, by the first client device, video content to a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

outputting, by a second client device of the plurality of client devices, a listing of a plurality of instances of stored video content distributed for storage across multiple client devices of the plurality of client devices.

9. The method for television signal distribution of claim 8, wherein the coaxial network comprises:

one or more splitters such that a single output of the tuner and demodulation section has a signal pathway to each client device of the plurality of client devices.

10. The method for television signal distribution of claim 8, the method further comprising:

sharing, by the first client device, the stored video content with other client devices of the plurality of client devices by packetizing and transmitting the stored video content via the coaxial cable network.

11. The method for television signal distribution of claim 10, the method further comprising:

transmitting, from a second client device via the coaxial cable network, a command to retrieve the stored video content from the first client device;

receiving, by the second client device via the coaxial cable network, the stored video content; and

outputting by the second client device, for presentation the stored video content.

12. The method for television signal distribution of claim 11, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the second client device via the coaxial cable network, a timer to the first client device; and

receiving, by the first client device via the coaxial cable network, the timer from the second client device; and

recording, by the first client device, video content based on the received timer.

13. The method for television signal distribution of claim 11, wherein the second client device is configured to receive the stored video content, via a signal pathway created using one or more splitters, from the first client device.

14. The method for television signal distribution of claim 10, the method further comprising:

transmitting, by the first client device, via the coaxial cable network and the Internet, the stored video content to a remote computerized device.

15. A system, comprising:

a tuner and demodulation section, comprising;

a plurality of tuners operative to receive a plurality of transponder streams, wherein each tuner is operable to;

select and output a first transponder signal; and

select and output a second transponder signal in response to a channel change command of a packetized request received via a network adapter from a client device of a plurality of client devices, wherein;

the channel change command is indicative of an individual transport stream that is part of the second transponder signal; and

each transponder signal comprises multiple individual transport streams and each individual transport stream comprises a television channel;

a plurality of demodulators, each demodulator having an input connected with an output of one of the plurality of tuners, and each demodulator configured to remove a carrier signal from a received transponder signal; and

the network adapter operable to;

receive the packetized request from the client device via the coaxial cable network;

provide the channel change command to a first tuner, wherein the first tuner is selected based on the channel change command received via the coaxial cable network; and

packetize the second transponder signal; and

transmit the packets comprising the second transponder signal via a coaxial network through a single output of the network adapter, wherein the apparatus comprising the plurality tuners, the plurality of demodulators, and the network adapter are installed remotely from the client device at a same household; and

the plurality of client devices, wherein the client device of the plurality of client devices is configured to;

receive timers from other client devices of the plurality of client devices;

record and store video content based on the received timers; and

transmit, via the coaxial cable network, instances of the stored video content in response to requests received from other client devices of the plurality of client devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the single output line includes a coaxial cable that forms a portion of the coaxial cable network.