MULTICASTING VIDEO ON DEMAND (VOD) SERVICE SYSTEM AND METHOD USING CHANNEL MERGING

• US 20110154415A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: KIM, Jeong Yun
• Application Number:
  US12/975,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20110154415A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/95
• 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 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Provided is a multicasting Video on Demand (VOD) service system and method using channel merging. The multicasting VOD service system using channel merging may include: a video server to transmit a stream at a speed higher than a playback rate, and to merge at least two input/output (I/O) stream channels when the at least two I/O stream channel transmit the same content; a channel processor to calculate a high transmission speed for combining two channels having different playback points in times, and to request the video server for a high speed transmission including the calculated high transmission rate; and a terminal equipment to store a stream content received at the speed higher than the playback rate, and to play the stored stream content.

Claims

1. A multicasting Video on Demand (VOD) service system using channel merging, the system comprising:

a video server to transmit a stream at a speed higher than a playback rate, and to merge at least two stream channels when the at least two stream channel transmit the same content;

a channel processor to calculate a high transmission speed for combining two channels having different playback points in times, and to request the video server for a high speed transmission including the calculated high transmission rate; and

a terminal equipment to store a stream content received at the speed higher than the playback rate, and to play the stored stream content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the video server transmits the stream to the terminal equipment at the speed higher than the playback speed of the terminal equipment according to a VOD service transfer scheme.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the channel processor verifies whether a network band and an available resource to be used by the at least two streams exists.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein when the available resource exists, the channel processor verifies whether a sufficient storage space to store the stream content to be transmitted at a high speed exists in the terminal equipment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein when a transmission point in time of a normal speed stream channel becomes to be the same as a transmission point in time of a high speed stream channel, the video server releases the high speed stream channel and maintains the normal speed stream channel.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when an available resourced does not exist, when an available network band does not exist, or when a storage space to store a stream content to be transmitted to the terminal equipment at a high speed does not exist, the video server stops the multicasting VOD service using channel merging, and starts a general VOD service providing procedure.