NETWORK PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT APPARATUS, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20090024736A1
• Filed: 12/19/2007
• Published: 01/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Langille, Gary R., Kennedy, John T.
• Granted Patent: US 8,644,162 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/426 Receiver side
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5019 Ensuring fulfilment of SLA
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5025 by proactively reacting to service quality change, e.g. by reconfiguration after service quality degradation or upgrade
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1026 at the edge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Various embodiments of network performance assessment apparatus, systems and processes collect performance information pertaining to a current capacity utilization of a network, identify an occurrence of a capacity constraint on a portion of the network that is communicating the program to at least one presentation device, select one of a plurality of paths coupling the receiving device and the presentation device, and modify the program to a format compatible with the selected path.

Claims

1. An apparatus operable to communicate programs over networks, comprising:

a receiver operable to receive a user selection of a program;

a router operable to select among a plurality paths communicatively coupling the apparatus to a presentation device;

a network formatter operable to format the selected program into information compatible with a communication format used by each of the plurality of paths, and operable to transmit the formatted program to the router; and

a network performance assessor operable to assess performance of the network, operable to determine an occurrence of a capacity constraint on the network, operable to cause the router to select one of the plurality of paths to the presentation device, and operable to cause the network formatter to modify the program to the format of the selected path.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein in response to the occurrence of the capacity constraint, the network performance assessor is operable to cause the receiver to communicate to the presentation device selectable options identifying the plurality of paths to the presentation device, wherein upon selection of an option by the user, the router is operable to select the path corresponding to the selected option.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected path comprises:

a wireless transmitter operable to communicate the program to the presentation device, the program formatted by the program formatter for wireless communication.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected path comprises:

a cable interface operable to communicate the program to the presentation device, the program formatted by the program formatter for communication over the cable.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the selected path comprises:

a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connector interface operable to communicate the program to the presentation device, the program formatted by the program formatter for communication over the HDMI connector interface.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a module configured to communicate one or more control signals to the presentation device, wherein the control signals instruct the presentation device as to which of the plurality of paths to the presentation device the program is the selected path and which input port on the presentation device connected to the selected path to make as the active input port.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control signals are dynamically provided to the presentation device.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the control signals instruct the presentation device as to the format of the program being provided on the selected path.

9. A method for communication of at least one program over a network, comprising:

collecting performance information pertaining to a current capacity utilization of the network;

identifying an occurrence of a capacity constraint on a portion of the network that is communicating a program from a receiving device to a presentation device;

selecting one of a plurality of paths coupling the receiving device and the presentation device; and

modifying the program to a format compatible with the selected path.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

ceasing communication of the program over the portion of the network with the capacity constraint; and

communicating the program over the selected path, the selected path not part of the network.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

ceasing communication of the program over the portion of the network with the capacity constraint; and

communicating the program over a different portion of the network.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

reducing an amount of video information communicated over the selected path.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

changing a frame rate of video information communicated over the selected path.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

changing a format of the program between a high definition (HD) format and a standard definition format.

15. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

changing the program in a high definition (HD) format to a program in a standard definition format, wherein the HD format program and the standard definition format program correspond to the same program content.

16. The method of claim 9 wherein changing the program between a first format and a second format comprises:

changing the program between an MPEG-4 format and an MPEG-2 format.

17. The method of claim 9 wherein modifying the program comprises:

communicating to the presentation device a plurality of user selectable options, each user selectable option corresponding to one of the plurality of paths;

receiving a user selection of one of the plurality of paths; and

modifying the program in accordance with the selected path.

18. The method of claim 9 wherein determining the occurrence of the capacity constraint on the portion of the network comprises:

determining a total capacity utilization on the network, the total capacity utilization corresponding to a sum of all capacity utilizations by a plurality of endpoint devices, wherein one of the endpoint devices is the presentation device;

comparing the total capacity utilization with the predefined capacity of the network so that the capacity constraint is determined in response to the total capacity utilization equaling the predefined capacity of the network; and

communicating the program over the selected path, the selected path not part of the network.

19. The method of claim 9, comprising:

receiving the program via a satellite system communicatively coupled to the receiving device.

20. The method of claim 9 comprising:

communicating at least one command to the presentation device, in response to the selecting one of a plurality of paths coupling the receiving device and the presentation device, wherein the command instructs the presentation device to activate an input port connected to the selected path.

21. The method of claim 20, whereupon receipt of the command, the presentation device seamlessly switches between a previously active selected path and a currently active selected path, wherein the currently active selective path is identified in the at least one command.

22. A system operable to communicate at least one program over networked systems, comprising:

a network performance assessor operable to collect performance information pertaining to a current capacity utilization of a network;

a processor unit operable to execute logic to identify occurrence of a capacity constraint on a portion of the network that is communicating the program to a presentation device;

a router communicatively coupled to the processor unit and operable to select one of a plurality of paths that communicatively couple a receiving device to the presentation device in response to instructions from the processor unit; and

program formatter operable to modify a characteristic of the program to compatible with a communication format used by the selected path.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the selected path comprises:

a wireless transmitter operable to communicate the program to the presentation device, the program formatted by the program formatter for wireless communication.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the selected path comprises:

a cable operable to communicate the program to the presentation device, the program formatted by the program formatter for communication over the cable.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the selected path comprises:

a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) cable operable to communicate the program to the presentation device, the program formatted by the program formatter for communication over the HDMI cable.