System and Method for Seamless Switching Through Buffering

• US 20170111669A1
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Published: 04/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visible World Incorporated (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Haberman, Seth, Jansen, Alex, Niemeijer, Gerrit, Booth, Richard L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,341,696 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

A method of preparing data streams to facilitate seamless switching between such streams by a switching device to produce an output data stream without any switching artifacts. Bi-directional switching between any plurality of data streams is supported. The data streams are divided into segments, wherein the segments include synchronized starting points and end points. The data rate is increased before an end point of a segment, to create switch gaps between the segments. Increasing the data rate can include increasing a bandwidth of the plurality of data streams, for example by multiplexing, or compressing the data.

The present invention can be used, for example, with MPEG or AC-3 encoded audio and MPEG encoded video segments that are multiplexed into MPEG-2 transport streams.

Also included are specific methods for preparing MPEG video streams and multiplexing MPEG video with MPEG or AC-3 audio streams to allow a receiver to create seamless transitions between individually encoded segments,

Claims

1. A method for generating a personalized data stream from a plurality of data streams to a receiving unit, the method comprising:

receiving the plurality of data streams at a switching device comprising a buffer, the plurality of data streams comprising a plurality of segments having synchronized start points and end points;

generating switch gaps comprising substantially no data between successive end points and start points, the switch gaps being configured to provide seamless switching between the plurality of data streams; and

generating a personalized data stream by;

transmitting at least one segment of one of the plurality of data streams to the buffer,

seamlessly switching to another of the plurality of data streams during a switch gap, wherein the switch is upstream of the receiving unit, and

transmitting at least one other segment from the another of the plurality of data streams to the buffer following the at least one segment of one of the plurality of data streams.