Data broadcast method

• US 7,890,975 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2010
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Europe Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony United Kingdom Limited (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Paskins, Adrian Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): SHELEHEDA, JAMES R
• Application Number:
  US12/714,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20100162311A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/41, 725/134, 725/54
• US Class Current: 725/41
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/433 Content storage operation, e.g. storage operation in response to a pause request, caching operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4349 by extracting from data carousels, e.g. extraction of software modules from a DVB carousel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream

Abstract

A system for providing a plurality of sets of broadcast data service transmitted as part of a broadcast signal, including a processor configured to periodically extract at least some of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service from a broadcast carousel included in the broadcast signal, a memory configured to store the extracted plurality of sets of the broadcast data service, defining a plurality of digital-audio/video-data-sets including television clips, a first controller configured to allow selection from a list of the plurality of sets of the digital-audio/video-data-sets, and a second controller responsive to a user initiated selection signal to cause the memory to output a user selected one of the plurality of digital-audio/video-data-sets selected from the list, wherein the processor converts the digital-audio/video-data of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service into real time audio/video data, and updates portions of data related to the stored extracted plurality of sets.

Claims

1. A system for providing a plurality of sets of broadcast data service transmitted as part of a broadcast signal, comprising:

a processor configured to periodically extract at least some of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service from a broadcast carousel included in the broadcast signal;

a memory configured to store the extracted plurality of sets of the broadcast data service, the broadcast data service containing digital audio/video data and defining a plurality of digital audio/video data sets, the digital audio/video data sets including television clips;

a first controller configured to allow selection from a list of the plurality of sets of the digital audio/video data sets; and

a second controller responsive to a user initiated selection signal to cause the memory to output a user selected one of the plurality of digital audio/video data sets selected from the list, the selected one of the plurality of digital audio/video data sets having digital audio/video data in non-real time, wherein

the processor converts the digital audio/video data of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service into real time audio/video data, and the processor is configured to update portions of data related to the stored extracted plurality of sets,

the broadcast data service is transmitted with broadcast digital television data as part of the broadcast signal, and

all of the broadcast digital television data is in a first data compression format, and all of the digital audio/visual data sets are in a data compression format different from the first format.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the digital audio/video data of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service is compressed and the processor decompresses the plurality of sets off-line.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the digital audio/video data of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service is compressed and the processor conducts decompression using a predefined protocol.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein the digital audio/video data of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service is compressed and the processor conducts decompression using a downloaded protocol.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor conducts off-line decryption of the broadcast data service using a key.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory is a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor memory.

7. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a digital television receiver for providing the broadcast signal to the processor.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein at least the memory is separate from the digital television receiver and linked by means of a network connection.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the digital television receiver selectively provides digital television data for display and wherein the processor extracts sets of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service irrespective of that display.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the second controller is also configured to identify corresponding extracted and stored sets of the plurality of sets and replaces sets in the memory with respective sets extracted from the broadcast signal.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein, if periodically, the broadcast signal includes all of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service, the second controller can store all of the received plurality of sets in the memory.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the second controller accesses an additional data channel to obtain and store in the memory all of the sets of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service.

13. The system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast digital television data is converted into real time audio/video data and transmitted in packets generated according to an MPEG standard.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the MPEG standard is an MPEG2 standard.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory outputs the selected one of the plurality of digital audio/video data sets selected from the list simultaneously with continued receipt of the broadcast digital television data.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein the selection signal is provided at any time during receipt of the broadcast digital television data and independently of the broadcast digital television data and the second controller is responsive at any time during receipt of the broadcast digital television data and independently of the broadcast digital television data to output said selected portion.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast data service is broadcast on a separate channel to the broadcast digital television data.

18. The system according to claim 1, wherein the broadcast data service is broadcast on a different spectrum to the broadcast digital television data.

19. The system according to claim 1, wherein the digital audio/video data of the plurality of sets of the broadcast data service is configured in the broadcast signal for reception at a rate slower than an audio/video replay rate for the selected set.

20. The system according to claim 1, wherein only portions of data, which are required to update or replace previous portions of data, are transmitted.

21. The system according to claim 1, wherein the updating of the portions of data is performed by a separate update stream.

22. A system for providing a plurality of file based sets of broadcast data service transmitted as part of a broadcast signal, comprising:

a processor configured to periodically extract the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service from a broadcast carousel included in the broadcast signal, and configured to form the extracted sets of broadcast data service into data files;

a memory configured to store the data files formed by the processor, the broadcast data service containing digital audio/video file data and defining a plurality of digital audio/video file data sets, the digital audio/video file data sets including television clips;

a first controller configured to allow selection from a list of a plurality of sets of the digital audio/video file data sets; and

a second controller responsive to a user initiated selection signal to cause the memory to output a user selected one of the plurality of digital audio/video file data sets selected from the list, the selected one of the plurality of digital audio/video file data sets having digital audio/video file data in non-real time, wherein

the broadcast data service is transmitted with broadcast digital television data as part of the broadcast signal, and

all of the broadcast digital television data is in a first data compression format, and all of the digital audio/visual data sets are in a data compression format different from the first format.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein the digital audio/video file data of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service is compressed and the processor decompresses the plurality of sets off-line.

24. The system according to claim 22, wherein digital audio/video file data of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service is compressed and the processor conducts decompression using a predefined protocol.

25. The system according to claim 22, wherein the digital audio/video file data of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service is compressed and the processor conducts decompression using a downloaded protocol.

26. The system according to claim 22, wherein the processor conducts off-line decryption of the broadcast data service using a key.

27. The system according to claim 22, wherein the memory is a magnetic hard disk drive or a semiconductor memory.

28. The system according to claim 22, further comprising a digital television receiver for providing the broadcast signal to the processor.

29. The system according to claim 28, wherein at least the memory is separate from the digital television receiver and linked by means of a network connection.

30. The system according to claim 28, wherein the digital television receiver selectively provides digital television data for display and wherein the processor extracts sets of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service irrespective of that display.

31. The system according to claim 22, wherein the second controller is also configured to identify corresponding extracted and stored sets of the plurality of sets and replaces sets in the memory with respective sets extracted from the broadcast signal.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein, if periodically, the broadcast signal includes all of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service, the second controller can store all of the received plurality of sets in the memory.

33. The system according to claim 31, wherein the second controller accesses an additional data channel to obtain and store in the memory all of the sets of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service.

34. The system according to claim 22, wherein the broadcast digital television data is converted into real time audio/video data and transmitted in packets generated according to an MPEG standard.

35. The system according to claim 34, wherein the MPEG standard is an MPEG2 standard.

36. The system according to claim 22, wherein the memory outputs the selected one of the plurality of digital audio/video file data sets selected from the list simultaneously with continued receipt of the broadcast digital television data.

37. The system according to claim 22, wherein the selection signal is provided at any time during receipt of the broadcast digital television data and independently of the broadcast digital television data and the second controller is responsive at any time during receipt of the broadcast digital television data and independently of the broadcast digital television data to output said selected portion.

38. The system according to claim 22, wherein the broadcast data service is broadcast on a separate channel to the broadcast digital television data.

39. The system according to claim 22, wherein the broadcast data service is broadcast on a different spectrum to the broadcast digital television data.

40. The system according to claim 22, wherein the digital audio/video file data of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service is configured in the broadcast signal for reception at a rate slower than an audio/video replay rate for the selected set.

41. The system according to claim 22, wherein the processor assembles the extracted plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service for real-time display.

42. The system according to claim 22, wherein the digital audio/video file data of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service is stored or transferred onto a portable storage device.

43. The system according to claim 22, wherein the digital audio/video file data of the plurality of file based sets of the broadcast data service is output in a file format corresponding to a file format of a selected device.