System and method for inserting sync bytes into transport packets

• US 8,079,049 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2007
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Weber, Barry Jay, McCleary, Mark A., True, Steven Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARRY, CHRISTOPHER L
• Application Number:
  US11/823,072
• Publication Number:
  US 20090007190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,631 Days
• Field of Search: 725/71
• US Class Current: 725/71
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/90 specially adapted for satellite broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23608 Remultiplexing multiplex streams, e.g. involving modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6143 involving transmission via a satellite
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments relate to a system and method for inserting sync bytes into a video transport stream. More specifically, there is provided a method comprising determining a parsing procedure supported by a first set top box, appending a first transport packet to comply with the parsing procedure of the first set top box, and transmitting the first transport packet to the first set top box.

Claims

1. A method for processing transport packets in a gateway device, the method comprising:

maintaining a list of parsing procedures for a plurality of set top boxes, each parsing procedure identifying a sync symbol and packet length of a transport packet recognized by a particular set top box;

determining a parsing procedure supported by a first set top box from the list of parsing procedures;

appending a first transport packet to comply with the parsing procedure of the first set top box;

transmitting the first transport packet to the first set top box;

determining a parsing procedure supported by a second set top box from the list of parsing procedures;

appending a second transport packet to comply with the parsing procedure of the second set top box, wherein the parsing procedure of the second set top box is different from the parsing procedure of the first set top box; and

transmitting the second transport packet to the second set top box.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein appending the first transport packet comprises adding a sync symbol to the beginning of the first transport packet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein appending the first transport packet comprises adding one or more bytes to the beginning of the first transport packet.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein appending the first transport packet comprises adding one or more bytes to the end of the first transport packet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transport packet and the second transport packet carry a satellite service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first transport packet comprises:

repacketizing as an IP packet; and

multicasting the repacketized first transport packet to the first set top box.

7. A head-end unit configured to:

maintain a list of parsing procedures for a plurality of set top boxes, each parsing procedure identifying a sync symbol and packet length of a transport packet recognized by a particular set top box;

determine a parsing procedure supported by a first set top box from the list of parsing procedures;

append a first transport packet to comply with the parsing procedure of the first set top box;

transmit the first transport packet to the first set top box;

determine a parsing procedure supported by a second set top box from the list of parsing procedures;

append a second transport packet to comply with the parsing procedure of the second set top box, wherein the parsing procedure of the second set top box is different from the parsing procedure of the first set top box; and

transmit the second transport packet to the second set top box.

8. The head-end unit of claim 7, wherein the head-end unit is configured to add a sync symbol to the beginning of the first transport packet.

9. The head-end unit of claim 7, wherein the head-end unit is configured to add one or more bytes to the beginning of the first transport packet.

10. The head-end unit of claim 9, wherein the head-end unit is configured to add one or more bytes to the end of the first transport packet.

11. The head-end unit of claim 7, wherein the first transport packet and the second transport packet carry a same satellite service.

12. The head-end unit of claim 9, wherein the head-end unit is configured:

to repacketize the first transport packet as an IP packet; and

to multicasting the repacketized first transport packet to the first set top box.