Digital domain content processing and distribution apparatus and methods

• US 10,681,405 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2019
• Issued: 06/09/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Time Warner Cable Enterprises LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hardin, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Marandi, James R
• Application Number:
  US16/267,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20190238917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/69 Optical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/77 using carrier waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/00 Modulated-carrier systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23895 involving multiplex stream encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/254 Management at additional data server, e.g. shopping server, rights management server arrangements for maintenance or administration in data networks H04L41/00; network services using third party service providers H04L67/53
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26283 for associating distribution time parameters to content, e.g. to generate electronic program guide data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/10 Adaptations for transmission by electrical cable H04N7/12 takes precedence

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for distributing content using a spectrum generation device. In one embodiment, digital content is received via a time-multiplexed network transport (such as Gigabit Ethernet), and converted to frequency channels suitable for transmission over a content distribution (e.g., Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC)) network. In one variant, the conversion is performed using digital domain processing performed by a full spectrum generation device. Additionally, methods and apparatus for selectively adding, removing, and/or changing digital content from the full spectrum device are also disclosed. Various aspects of the present invention enable physical (infrastructure) consolidation, and software-implemented remote management of content distribution.

Claims

1. A computerized method for delivering digitally rendered content from a digital content source to at least one computerized client device associated with a content delivery network, the computerized method comprising:

accessing the digital content source to obtain a digital content element, the digital content source in communication with the content delivery network;

executing computerized logic to process the obtained digital content element;

causing a reprogrammable transformation device to;

receive the processed digital content element as part of a multicast transport stream being distributed to the reprogrammable transformation device and a plurality of other corresponding reprogrammable transformation devices within the content delivery network; and

transform the processed digital content element from a first domain to a second, different domain via digital domain processing; and

causing transmission of the transformed digital content element of the second, different domain to a plurality of users over at least one radio frequency carrier and via a switch apparatus, the switch apparatus comprising another computerized logic configured to selectively switch in or switch out the transformed digital content element from delivery based at least on a presence or absence of the at least one computerized client device being tuned to the at least one radio frequency carrier.

2. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to transform the processed digital content element comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to convert Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) data stream elements to Time Division Multiplexed (TDM) data stream elements.

3. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to transform the processed digital content element further comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to output an optical domain signal.

4. The computerized method of claim 3, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to output the optical domain signal comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to output wave-division multiplexed (WDM) optical signal.

5. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to output the WDM optical signal comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to (i) convert one or more data streams received via one or more frequency-multiplexed transports to one or more data streams comprising one or more amplitudes and (ii) modulate the converted one or more data streams onto one or more wavelength channels.

6. The computerized method of claim 5, wherein the transform of the processed digital content stream comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to output one or more spectral coefficients, the one or more spectral coefficients relating to the one or more amplitudes.

7. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to output the WDM optical signal comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to transform one or more data streams to one or more combined optical outputs.

8. The computerized method of claim 4, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to output the WDM optical signal comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to output one or more data streams comprising one or more wavelengths to one or more laser apparatus, each one of the one or more laser apparatus generating only a subset of light wavelengths.

9. The computerized method of claim 8, wherein the causing of the reprogrammable transformation device to output the WDM optical signal further comprises causing the reprogrammable transformation device to couple the one or more output data streams to one or more tunable laser apparatus, the one or more tunable laser apparatus configured to generate a wider range of light spectra than the one or more laser apparatus.

10. The computerized method of claim 1, wherein the executing of the computerized logic to process the obtained digital content element comprises executing of the computerized logic to process a variable bitrate (VBR) digital content element so as to produce a corresponding constant bitrate (CBR) digital content element;

and the computerized method further comprises;

causing encryption of at least a portion of the CBR digital content element to produce an encrypted CBR digital content element.

11. A computerized apparatus for delivering digitally rendered content from a digital content source to a plurality of computerized client devices associated with a content delivery network, the computerized apparatus comprising:

network interface apparatus in data communication with the plurality of computerized client devices;

processing apparatus; and

storage apparatus in data communication with the network interface apparatus and the processing apparatus, and comprising at least one computer program, the at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed by the processing apparatus, cause the computerized apparatus to;

receive, from one or more content sources in data communication with the content delivery network, a plurality of data packets, the plurality of data packets comprising formatting of a first domain;

cause transformation of the plurality of data packets from comprising the formatting of the first domain to comprising formatting of a second domain; and

cause transmission of the transformed plurality of data packets to the plurality of computerized client devices via a plurality of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) radio frequency (RF) channels associated with a plurality of RF carriers, the plurality of RF carriers transmitted over at least a coaxial cable distribution portion of the content delivery network;

wherein the transformation creates frequency and time diversity based at least on allocation of the transformed plurality of data packets to different ones of a plurality of time-frequency resource blocks, at least a portion of the time-frequency resource blocks associated with different ones of the plurality of RF carriers.

12. The computerized apparatus of claim 11, wherein the network interface apparatus is configured for encryption of data comprising an entirety of a payload associated with the plurality of data packets via a bulk encryption engine.

13. The computerized apparatus of claim 11, wherein the network interface apparatus is configured to utilize at least one encryption algorithm, the at least one algorithm based at least on at least one client device-specific consideration or capability.

14. The computerized apparatus of claim 11, wherein the network interface apparatus is configured to utilize at least one encryption algorithm, the at least one algorithm configured to support both legacy and non-legacy standards utilized within the content delivery network.

15. The computerized apparatus of claim 11, wherein the computerized apparatus is configured to receive both encrypted and unencrypted pluralities of data packets from respective ones of the one or more content sources, and cause said transformation of the received encrypted plurality of data packets without decryption.

16. Computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory storage medium, the non-transitory storage medium comprising at least one computer program having a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions configured to, when executed on a processing apparatus:

receive a plurality of packetized program streams from one or more content sources;

cause a programmable substrate apparatus to transform one or more of the plurality of packetized program streams from a first domain to a second domain via digital domain processing; and

cause transmission of the transformed one or more of the plurality of packetized program streams to at least one computerized client device via a plurality of Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) radio frequency (RF) channels over a managed content distribution network;

wherein at least one of;

(i) the one or more content sources, or (ii) the plurality of QAM RF channels, is defined by a software configuration file, the software configuration file maintained by an operator of the managed content distribution network.

17. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed on the processing apparatus;

select one or more of the plurality of packetized program streams to create targeted narrowcast digitally rendered content for distribution to a plurality of users of a content delivery network; and

utilize a service group for the plurality of users, the service group related to the targeted narrowcast digitally rendered content.

18. The computer readable apparatus of claim 17, wherein the transmission comprises transmission of the targeted narrowcast digitally rendered content via a direct laser output from the programmable substrate apparatus to the service group.

19. The computer readable apparatus of claim 16, wherein the digital domain processing comprises an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT).

20. The computer readable apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least some of the plurality of packetized program streams comprise at least one of an IP unicast or IP multicast.