System and method of managing video content streams

• US 20060268917A1
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Nadarajah, Dinesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/432
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26616 for merging a unicast channel into a multicast channel, e.g. in a VOD application, when a client served by unicast channel catches up a multicast channel to save bandwidth data multicast over packet-switching network H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A system and method for managing video content streams are disclosed. The method includes receiving a plurality of multicast video streams at a server and buffering each video stream within a memory at the server. The method also includes generating a multicast video output at the server and a unicast video output at the server.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of multicast video streams at a server;

buffering each of the plurality of multicast video streams within a memory at the server;

generating at least one multicast video output at the server; and

generating at least one unicast video output at the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising

communicating the at least one multicast video output from the server to a plurality of set top boxes.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

communicating the at least one unicast video output from the server to a single set top box.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the single set top box is one of the plurality of the set top boxes.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a channel request at the server from a set top box; and

generating a unicast video output from a buffered multicast video stream associated with the requested channel.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

communicating the unicast video output to the set top box.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

joining the set top box to a multicast group associated with the requested channel.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

communicating a multicast video output associated with the multicast group to the set top box.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the multicast video output is generated from the buffered multicast video stream.

10. A method comprising:

sending a channel change request corresponding to a selected channel to a first server;

receiving a unicast video output from the first server, the unicast video output corresponding to the selected channel; and

receiving a multicast video output corresponding to the new channel from the first server after receiving the unicast video output.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the channel change request is sent in response to a channel selection at a set top box.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the unicast video output and the multicast video output are both based on a buffered multicast video stream.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting that the first server has failed;

communicating a request for a multicast video stream to a second server; and

receiving the multicast video output from the second server.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

detecting that the first server has returned to service; and

receiving the multicast video output from the first server.

15. A server comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible by the processor;

a computer program embedded within the computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to buffer a plurality of multicast video streams within a plurality of buffers;

instructions to generate at least one multicast video output from at least one of the plurality multicast video streams within the plurality of buffers; and

instructions to generate at least one unicast video output from the at least one of the plurality of multicast video streams.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to receive a channel change request from a set top box.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to generate a unicast video output from a buffered multicast video stream within the server that corresponds to a requested channel.

18. The server of claim 17 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to join the set-top box to a multicast group at the server, wherein the multicast group corresponds to the requested channel.

19. The server of claim 18 wherein the computer program further comprises instructions to transmit a multicast video output associated with the multicast group to the set top box.

20. A set top box, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable medium accessible to the processor;

a computer program embedded within the computer readable storage medium, the computer program comprising;

instructions to receive a channel change request;

instructions to transmit an output to a first server, wherein the output includes the channel change request;

instructions to receive a unicast video output associated with a requested channel while the first server joins the set top box to a multicast group associated with the requested channel; and

instructions to receive a multicast video output from the first server after the first server joins the set top box to the multicast group.

21. The set top box of claim 20, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to sense when the first server is out of service;

instructions to request a multicast video stream from a second server in response to the first server being out of service.

22. The set top box of claim 21, wherein the computer program further comprises:

instructions to sense when the first server has returned to service;

instructions to receive the multicast video output from the first server in response to the first server being returned to service.