U.S. patent application number 16/725567 was filed with the patent office on 2021-04-22 for systems and methods for generating concatenated transport streams from adaptive media streams.
This patent application is currently assigned to DISH Technologies L.L.C.. The applicant listed for this patent is DISH Technologies L.L.C.. Invention is credited to DON GREEN.
Application Number | 20210120279 16/725567 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005505208 |
Filed Date | 2021-04-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210120279 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
GREEN; DON |
April 22, 2021 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR GENERATING CONCATENATED TRANSPORT STREAMS
FROM ADAPTIVE MEDIA STREAMS
Abstract
Embodiments of a method executable by an adaptive stream
concatenation server to deliver a concatenated transport stream to
a video distribution system are provided, as are embodiments of
adaptive stream concatenation servers. In one embodiment, the
method includes receiving an adaptive media stream containing
television programming in an adaptive packet format at the adaptive
stream concatenation server via a digital network. The contents of
the adaptive media stream are concatenated by the adaptive stream
concatenation server to create a concatenated transport stream
containing the television programming in a streaming format
different from the adaptive packet format and compatible with the
video distribution system. The concatenated transport stream
containing the television programming is then transmitted in the
streaming format to the video distribution system.
Inventors: |
GREEN; DON; (Highlands
Ranch, CO) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DISH Technologies L.L.C. |
Englewood |
CO |
US |
|
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Assignee: |
DISH Technologies L.L.C.
Englewood
CO
|
Prior
Publication: |
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Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20200137431 A1 |
April 30, 2020 |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005505208 |
Appl. No.: |
16/725567 |
Filed: |
December 23, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
13780632 |
Feb 28, 2013 |
10547882 |
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16725567 |
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61747851 |
Dec 31, 2012 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04N 21/23805 20130101;
H04N 21/2381 20130101; H04N 21/64322 20130101; H04N 21/2365
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/2365 20060101
H04N021/2365; H04N 21/2381 20060101 H04N021/2381; H04N 21/238
20060101 H04N021/238 |
Claims
1. A method for implementing a receiver to receive an adaptive
stream, the method comprising: receiving, at the receiver, the
adaptive stream comprising a concatenated transport stream wherein
the receiver comprises a set-top-box (STB); receiving at the STB a
first adaptive media stream containing television programming
configured in an adaptive packet format from a streaming server;
concatenating content of the first adaptive media stream in a
compatible format with the STB; configuring in a concatenated
transport stream the content for receipt at the STB wherein the
content contains the television programming in a streaming format
different from the adaptive packet format; and receiving, at the
STB, the content in the concatenated transport stream containing
the television programming in the streaming format.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving a second
adaptive media stream containing television programming in an
adaptive packet format at the STB, and wherein concatenating
comprises concatenating the contents of the first and second
adaptive media streams prior to receipt at the STB to create the
concatenated transport stream containing the television
programming.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first adaptive media stream
contains at least a first television channel, wherein the second
adaptive media stream contains at least a second television
channel, and wherein the concatenated transport stream contains a
multi-channel television programming.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprises sending by the STB a
request for packets of an adaptive media stream.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the packets are requested from one
of a group consisting of a network server, the STB and an adaptive
encoder.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the television programming
comprises a plurality of television channels, wherein the receiving
comprises receiving a separate adaptive media stream for each of
the plurality of channels, and wherein the concatenating comprises
concatenating the contents of each of the separate adaptive media
streams into separate transport streams.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the concatenated transport stream
is modulated for radio frequency (RF) delivery to a cable
television headend associated with a television distribution
system.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising encrypting the
concatenated transport stream prior to sending the concatenated
transport stream to the STB.
9. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving by the STB
multiple adaptive media streams based on subscriptions to playlist
files.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring the
concatenated transport stream as a multicast Internet Protocol
("IP") stream.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving comprises routing the
multicast IP stream via a headend distributor to the STB.
12. The method of claim 10 wherein multicast IP stream is
encapsulated in accordance with a protocol selected from a group
consisting of User Datagram Protocol or Real-time Transport
Protocol.
13. A receiver apparatus configured to receive an adaptive
concatenated stream to provide television programming comprising: a
set-top box (STB) configured to interface with a digital network; a
processor contained in the STB configured to: receive an adaptive
stream comprising a concatenated transport stream, the adaptive
stream comprising a first adaptive media stream containing
television programming in an adaptive packet format via the digital
network and configured by a streaming server wherein the streaming
server is in communication with the STB; receive concatenated
content of the first adaptive media stream in a compatible format
with the STB; and receive the concatenated content in a
concatenated transport stream wherein the concatenated content
contains television programming in a streaming format different
from the adaptive packet format.
14. The receiver apparatus of claim 13 wherein the first adaptive
media stream contains at least a first television channel, and
wherein the processor is further configured to: receive a second
adaptive media stream containing at least a second television
channel in an adaptive packet format of the digital network; and
receive concatenated contents of the first and second adaptive
media streams by a concatenated transport stream containing a
multi-channel television programming for transmission to the video
distribution system.
15. The receiver apparatus of claim 13 wherein the processor is
further configured to receive packets of the adaptive media stream
from an adaptive stream concatenation server.
16. The receiver apparatus of claim 13 wherein the processor is
further configured receive a modulated transport stream for radio
frequency (RF) delivery via a cable television headend associated
with the STB.
17. The receiver apparatus of claim 13 wherein the processor is
further configured to: receive the concatenated transport stream as
a multicast Internet Protocol ("IP") stream; and in response to the
multicast IP stream routed to a headend distributor, connect with
the headend distributor to present the multicast IP stream.
18. The receiver apparatus of claim 14 wherein the STB is connected
to an streaming server configured to concatenate content and which
is implemented in a residential gateway device located within a
user's home.
19. The receiver apparatus of claim 18 wherein the residential
gateway device comprises a satellite receiver.
20. A system to receive a concatenated transport stream executable
by an adaptive stream concatenation server to at least one
television receiver, the system comprising: a plurality of adaptive
media streams each containing different television channels in an
adaptive packet format at the adaptive stream concatenation server
via a digital network; a plurality of receivers configured to
receive contents of the plurality of adaptive media streams
configured by an adaptive stream concatenation server as a
multicast Internet Protocol ("IP") stream containing a
multi-channel television programming in a streaming format
different from the adaptive packet format and compatible with the
video distribution system wherein the plurality of receivers at
least comprise set-top boxes; wherein the multicast IP stream
containing the multi-channel television programming is encrypted;
and the encrypted multicast IP stream received by each STB contains
television programming in the streaming format to the STB of a
television distribution system for distribution to the plurality of
television receivers.
Description
RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 13/780,632, filed with the United States
Patent and Trademark Office on Feb. 28, 2013 which claims priority
to provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/747,851, filed
with the USPTO on Dec. 31, 2012, the entire contents of each
application is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure generally relates to adaptive media
stream systems and, more particularly, relates to systems and
methods wherein concatenated transport streams for distribution to
a number of television receivers or other devices are generated
from adaptive media streams received over a digital network.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Many service providers continue to utilize legacy video
distribution systems to transmit television programming content to
relatively large numbers of television receivers, such as set-top
boxes located in the guest rooms of a resort or similar venue. The
television programming may be received as an aggregated transport
stream at the service provider's distributor headend. The
aggregated transport stream may be provided by a content
aggregator, which produces the transport stream by bundling a
number of component streams containing the television programming.
In instances wherein the service provider is remotely located
relative to the content aggregator, a privately-owned
point-to-point connection, such as a fiber optic circuit, may be
utilized to transmit the aggregated transport stream from the
content aggregator to the distributor headend. Leasing of such a
privately-owned point-to-point connection can be costly and
potentially cost prohibitive for smaller service providers. In
certain cases, it may be possible to bypass the privately-owned
point-to-point connection by wirelessly transmitting the transport
stream directly to the distributor headend utilizing a satellite
link. However, this may not be possible or desirable in all
instances, such as when the distributor headend is located outside
of the satellite footprint cast by the content provider or its
affiliates.
[0004] Transport stream delivery architectures of the type
described above are limited in another respect, as well; such
delivery architectures are typically incompatible with emerging
adaptive streaming technologies. During adaptive streaming, media
content may be encoded into multiple sets of small segment files
commonly referred to as "streamlets." The streamlets are encoded to
different parameters (e.g., different frame rates, bit rates,
resolutions, and the like) such that a particular terminal device
can request a lower or higher bandwidth stream depending upon the
capabilities of the terminal device and resource allocation. As
changes in network bandwidth or other factors occur, the terminal
device is able to react to such changes by requesting future
segments or streamlets encoded in accordance with varying
parameters thereby providing a readily adaptable and highly
reliable stream for viewing of the media content. The usage of such
adaptive streaming techniques is, however, generally not possible
in the case of legacy video distribution systems without upgrading
existing set-top boxes or other television receivers to enable the
installation of adaptive clients thereon, which is typically cost
prohibitive or otherwise impractical in many instances wherein a
large number of set-top boxes have already been deployed.
[0005] It is therefore desirable to provide systems and methods
enabling the delivery of a transport stream to the video
distribution system of a service provider without requiring the
transmission of data over privately-owned point-to-point
connections, such as fiber optic circuits, and without requiring
upgrades in the existing equipment utilized by the service
provider. It would further be desirable for such systems and
methods to utilize adaptive stream technologies in the generation
of such transport streams to enable the efficient resource
management of the distribution system and reliable media streaming,
while also allowing media streams to be multicast to any number of
existing television receivers. Finally, it would still further be
desirable to provide systems and method for generating concatenated
transport streams from adaptive media streams received over a
digital network wherein the concatenated transport stream can also
be transmitted to legacy television receivers or other devices
within a home environment. These and other desirable features and
characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent Detailed
Description and the appended Claims, taken in conjunction with the
accompanying Drawings and this Background section.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0006] Embodiments of a method executable by an adaptive stream
concatenation server to deliver a concatenated transport stream to
a video distribution system are provided. In one embodiment, the
method includes receiving an adaptive media stream containing
television programming in an adaptive packet format at the adaptive
stream concatenation server via a digital network. The contents of
the adaptive media stream are concatenated by the adaptive stream
concatenation server to create a concatenated transport stream
containing the television programming in a streaming format
different from the adaptive packet format and compatible with the
video distribution system. The concatenated transport stream
containing the television programming is then transmitted in the
streaming format to the video distribution system.
[0007] In a further embodiment, the method is executable by an
adaptive stream concatenation server to deliver a concatenated
transport stream to a television distribution system distributing a
multi-channel television content or programming, such as cable
television content, to a plurality of television receivers. The
method includes receiving a plurality of adaptive media streams
each containing different television channels in an adaptive packet
format at the adaptive stream concatenation server via a digital
network The contents of the plurality of adaptive media streams are
concatenated at the adaptive stream concatenation server to create
a multicast Internet Protocol ("IP") stream containing a
multi-channel television programming in a streaming format
different from the adaptive packet format and compatible with the
video distribution system. The multicast IP stream containing the
multi-channel television programming is then encrypted and
transmitted in the streaming format to a headend distributor of the
television distribution system for distribution to the plurality of
television receivers.
[0008] Embodiments of an adaptive stream concatenation server are
further provided. The adaptive stream concatenation server provides
television programming for distribution to a plurality of
television receivers. In one embodiment, the adaptive stream
concatenation system comprises an interface to a digital network
and a processor coupled to the interface. The processor is
configured to: (i) receive an adaptive media stream containing
television programming in an adaptive packet format at the adaptive
stream concatenation server via a digital network; (ii) concatenate
the contents of the adaptive media stream by the adaptive stream
concatenation server to create a concatenated transport stream
containing the television programming in a streaming format
different from the adaptive packet format and compatible with the
video distribution system; and (iii) transmit the concatenated
transport stream containing the television programming in the
streaming format to the video distribution system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES
[0009] Exemplary embodiments will hereinafter be described in
conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like
numerals denote like elements, and:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary content delivery
system, including an adaptive stream concatenation server, for
generating concatenated transport streams from at least one
adaptive media stream received over a digital network and
transmitting the concatenated transport streams to the video
distribution system of a service provider; and
[0011] FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram showing an exemplary
process that may be carried-out by the content delivery system
shown in FIG. 1 in the generation and transmission of concatenated
transport streams to a remotely-located video distribution
system.
[0012] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, the drawing
figures illustrate the general manner of system architecture and/or
operation and may omit depiction, descriptions, and details of
well-known features and techniques to avoid unnecessarily obscuring
the exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention
described in the subsequent detailed description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] The following Detailed Description of the invention is
merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the
invention or the application and uses of the invention. The
following Detailed Description is merely exemplary in nature and is
not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of
the invention. Any implementation described herein as exemplary is
not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over
other implementations. Furthermore, there is no intention to be
bound by any theory presented in the preceding Background or the
following Detailed Description.
[0014] Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and
methods enabling the delivery of encoded, segmented, and encrypted
adaptive media streams to service providers utilizing legacy video
delivery systems. Embodiments of the system may be implemented, at
least in part, as an Adaptive Stream Concatenation ("ASC") server,
which functions essentially as a global network client for a number
of legacy set-top boxes or other television receivers deployed by
the service provider. The ASC server enables content delivery over
an open Content Delivery Network ("CDN"), the Internet, or another
digital network while interfacing with existing network devices and
television receivers serviced by the service provider. More
specifically, embodiments of the ASC server described herein can be
utilized with existing or legacy cable television ("TV"), Internet
Protocol Television ("IPTV"), and similar delivery networks
currently utilized by service providers. Utilizing the systems and
methods described herein, television programming content can be
provided to local markets or venues without requiring leasing of a
privately-owned fiber optic lines or other point-to-point delivery
means to reduce data transport costs. Additionally, the television
programming content can be transmitted to the content provider
without requiring changes in hardware, such as upgrades the set-top
boxes or other television receivers deployed by the service
provider. As a result, the service provider can avail itself of the
benefits of adaptive streaming technologies even when deploying a
legacy delivery system, such as an RF Quadrature Amplitude
Modulation ("QAM") or IP network, including set-top boxes or other
terminal devices incapable of functioning as individual adaptive
clients.
[0015] FIG. 1 is a schematic of a content delivery system 10, as
illustrated in accordance with an exemplary and non-limiting
embodiment. Content delivery system 10 includes a legacy video
delivery system 12, which is operated by a service provider and
which receives an aggregated transport stream 16 from a content
aggregator 14 operated by or affiliated with a content provider. In
one embodiment, the content delivery system is a cable television
system or other television distribution system. The aggregated
transport stream 16 comprises a number of component streams, which
are received from a number of content sources 18 and combined into
the aggregated transport stream 16 by content aggregator 14. In
particular, each content source 18 may provide at least one encoded
audio and video component stream to content aggregator 14. The
component streams contain television programming and may
collectively comprise a number of cable television channels of the
type conventionally-viewed utilizing a set-top box or similar
television receiver connected to a display.
[0016] After receiving the various component streams from content
sources 18, content aggregator 14 combines the component streams
with other streaming data, such as packet identification data, into
the final aggregated transport stream 16 utilizing a transport
stream multiplexer. MPEG-2 transport stream format or any other
standardized format may be employed. Legacy video delivery system
12 then distributes the aggregated transport stream 16 to a number
of television receivers 20. Television receivers 20 can assume the
form of any terminal device suitable for receiving media content
and providing appropriate output video signals for viewing the
media content on a suitable display. The video output signals
provided by television receivers 20 may be formatted in accordance
with conventionally-known standards, such as S-video,
High-Definition Multimedia Interface ("HDMI"), Sony/Philips Display
Interface Format ("SPDIF"), Digital Visual Interface ("DVI"), or
IEEE 1394 standards. In one embodiment, television receivers 20 are
set-top boxes, which may be distributed throughout the guest rooms
of a resort or similar venue. In the illustrated example, content
delivery system 10 includes three content sources 18(a)-(c) and
three television receivers 20(a)-(c); however, it will be
appreciated that system 10 may include any number of content
sources 18 and television receivers 20 in a given
implementation.
[0017] With continued reference to FIG. 1, content aggregator 14
may transmit the aggregated transport stream 16 over a
point-to-point connection, such as a privately-owned fiber optic
circuit. As explained in the foregoing section entitled
"BACKGROUND," such a privately-owned point-to-point connection must
typically be leased, which can be undesirably costly and
potentially cost prohibitive. In certain cases, it may be possible
to bypass the privately-owned connection by wirelessly transmitting
the transport stream to the distributor headend of video
distribution system 12 utilizing a satellite link. However, this
may not be always be possible or desirable in all instances, such
as when the service provider is a remotely-located resort and the
distributor headend is located outside of the content provider's
satellite footprint. It may also be possible to avoid the usage of
a privately-owned connection by replacing existing legacy
television receivers 20 with more advanced receivers capable of
directly receiving streaming media content, such as multicast
stream transmitted utilizing conventional Internet Protocols.
However, this again may be undesirably costly or otherwise
impractical in many instances. Therefore, to enable delivery of
content without utilizing a point-to-point connection, content
delivery system 10 further includes an Adaptive Stream
Concatenation ("ASC") server 22 able to communicate with content
sources 18 over a digital network 23 and/or a network server 24,
which may store content provided by sources 18 in accordance with
adaptive media streaming practices, as described more fully
below.
[0018] The media content provided by content sources 18 may be
delivered to one or more adaptive encoders 26. For example, content
sources 18(a)-(c) may each communicate with a different adaptive
encoder 26(a)-(c), which each generates a different adaptive stream
consisting of the multiple sets of small encoded segment files or
"streamlets." Each encoder 26 may be, for example, a digital
computer system programmed to create multiple streams each
representative of one or more particular media programs. In many
cases, the streamlets are encoded such that segments of different
streams can be interchanged to provide seamless playback even as
network conditions or other resources change. Alternatively,
content sources 18(a)-(c) may communicate with a single adaptive
encoder 26(d), which generates a single coded adaptive stream
consisting of multiple component streams. Any currently-known or
later-developed packetized format can be utilized including MPEG,
QUICKTIME, WINDOWS MEDIA, and/or other formats suitable for
transmission over network 23. Several examples of adaptive
streaming systems and techniques are described in US Patent
Publication No. 2008/0195743, filed Feb. 9, 2007, and entitled
"APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR MULTI-BITRATE CONTENT
STREAMING," the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0019] Digital network 23 can be any network over which one or more
adaptive streams can be received including, but not limited to, an
open CDN, the Internet, or any other digital network based upon
TCP/IP or other conventional protocols. Network 23 as illustrated
in FIG. 1, then, is intended to broadly encompass any digital
communications network(s), systems, or architectures for
transmitting data between the various components of system 10.
Digital network 23 includes at least one network server 24, which
may store media content provided by encoders 26 encoded to
different parameters. During the below-described process,
bi-directional communication may occur between ASC server 22 and
network server 24 such that adaptive encoders 26 continually
provide network server 24 with content containing the same
video/audio segments, but encoded to different parameters; network
server 24 saves such a library of content; and ASC server 22
requests packetized data encoded to particular parameters from
network server 24, as indicated in FIG. 1 by double headed arrows
28. Alternatively, ASC server 22 may transmit requests for low,
high, or intermediate bandwidth directly to encoders 26 through
network 24, as indicated in FIG. 1 by double headed arrows 29. As
further indicated in FIG. 1, any number of additional network
clients 36 may also be able to communicate with adaptive encoders
26(a)-(d) and/or with network server 24 through digital network 23
to receive adaptively streamed digital media content.
[0020] Encoders 26 thus each provide multiple multicast streams of
at least one television program or event having different encoding
parameters, such as a varying bit rate, frame rate, resolution, or
the like. For example, each program may be simultaneously multicast
as a high bandwidth stream, a low bandwidth stream and/or any
number of intermediate bandwidth streams. Client media players,
such as network client 36, can thus simply select the program
stream having the best set of parameters for current playback
conditions. For example, if significant lag in programming playback
should occur, the media player can switch to a lower bandwidth
stream, such as a stream having lower bit rate, frame rate,
resolution and/or other parameters). Conversely, when conditions
are support a higher bandwidth stream, then the player can
adaptively switch to a different stream that contained the same
programming encoded with different parameters. As noted above, ASC
server 22 may communicate with network server 24, adaptive encoders
26(a)-(c) and/or encoder 26(d) by sending requests to vary encoding
parameters (e.g., bit rates, frame rates, resolutions, etc.)
depending upon the current resources of server 22, video
distribution system 12, and/or television receivers 20.
[0021] ASC server 22 can be implemented utilizing any combination
of hardware, software, firmware, and the like capable of executing
the operations described herein. As shown in FIG. 1, ASC server 22
will typically include at least one controller 30 operatively
coupled to a number of volatile and/or non-volatile memory elements
(identified collectively as "memory 32" in FIG. 2) and any number
of input and output terminals 34, including an interface to digital
network 23. Controller 30 can include any suitable number of
individual microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal
processors, programmed arrays, and other standard components known
in the art. Controller 30 may include or cooperate with any number
of software or firmware programs designed to carry out the various
methods, process tasks, calculations, and control/display functions
described herein. In many embodiments, controller 30 will execute
an operating system during operation of ASC server 22 to assist the
various programs executing on server 22 to access the hardware
features thereof. Memory 32 will typically include a central
processing unit register, a number of temporary storage areas, and
a number of permanent storage areas. Memory 32 can also include one
or more mass storage devices, such as magnetic hard disk drives,
optical hard disk drives, flash memory drives, and the like.
[0022] Embodiments of ASC server 22 can be utilized with current
major adaptive platforms, such as Move Networks.RTM., Apple
Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP") Life Streaming.RTM. ("HLS"),
Microsoft Smooth Streaming.RTM., and Adobe Flash.RTM., as well as
future adaptive platforms. In preferred embodiments, subscriptions
are obtained for ASC server 22 to gain access to the playlist files
for multiple, simultaneously-received media streams and,
specifically, the HTTP-delivered streamlets making-up the adaptive
streams for each channel. ASC server 22 then decrypts,
concatenates, and encapsulates the transport stream in the
below-described manner to provide a concatenated transport stream,
which is then transmitted to legacy video distribution system 12,
as indicated in FIG. 1 by arrow 38. The transport stream may
comprise a cable TV signal made-up of a number of TV channels, each
received in an adaptive packetized form over digital network 23.
Transmission of the transport stream may be performed utilizing any
suitable wireless connection, hard line or cable, or combination
thereof. Video distribution system 12 then decrypts the media
stream and distributes the digital media content to television
receivers 20(a)-(c) in essentially the same manner as when
receiving aggregated transport stream 16 over a point-to-point
connection. The digital media content may assume the form of, for
example, RF signals transmitted through coaxial cable or pulsed
signals transmitted through fiber-optic cables. In this manner,
legacy video distribution system 12 provides media content (e.g.,
cable TV programming) to television receivers 20(a)-(c) without
changes in equipment or system architecture of video distribution
system 12 and receivers 20, and while benefiting from improvements
in reliability and resource management provided by adaptive
streaming.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a message flow diagram showing an exemplary
process 39 that may be carried-out by the content delivery system
shown in FIG. 1 in the generation and transmission of a
concatenated transport stream. To initiate process 39, at least one
content source 18 broadcasts media content as a number of
components streams, including an audio stream and a video stream,
to at least one adaptive encoder 26 (FUNCTION 40). The adaptive
encoder or encoders then encode the media content (FUNCTION 42)
and, if desired, encrypts the content (FUNCTION 44) before
forwarding the encrypted content to network server 24 (FUNCTION
46). ASC server 22 then transmits requests to network server 24 for
the encoded content, as encoded to a particular set of parameters
(FUNCTION 52). The requests may utilize conventional hypertext
transport protocol (HTTP) constructs, which are readily routable on
network 23 and which can be served by conventional CDN or other
web-type server, such as network server 24 shown in FIG. 1. In
response to this request, network server 24 delivers the encoded
content, specifically the television programming, in an adaptive
packet format of the type described above (FUNCTION 54).
[0024] Upon receipt of the adaptively-streamed digital media
content, ASC server 22 decrypts and processes the content
(FUNCTIONS 56 and 58, respectively). As ASC server 22 processes the
content, ASC server 22 may continually update its requests
pertaining to the parameters to which the received content is
encoded to provide the above-described adaptive functionality, as
indicated in FIG. 2 by arrow 59. ASC server 22 further aggregates
the streams (FUNCTION 60); and then creates a transitory stream
(FUNCTION 62). More specifically, after decrypting the streamlets
for each channel, if necessary, ASC server 22 decrypts then
concatenates the channel-specific, decrypted streamlets into a
concatenated transport stream formatted as, for example, a MPEG2
transport stream. ASC server 22 may then encapsulate the transport
stream as, for example, a multicast IP stream in accordance with a
predetermined standardized protocol, such as a User Datagram
Protocol ("UPD") or Real-time Transport Protocol ("RTP") schemes.
ASC server 22 next encapsulates the television programming,
encrypts the encapsulated programming (if desired), and then
distributes the programming to legacy video distribution system 12
(FUNCTION 66). If radiofrequency ("RF") delivery is employed in an
embodiment wherein video distribution system 12 is a cable
television system or other television distribution system, ASC
server 22 may also modulate the programming prior to transmission
to the cable television headend associated with the television
distribution system.
[0025] After receiving the transport stream from ASC server 22
(FUNCTION 66), distribution system 12 decrypts the concatenated
transport stream (FUNCTION 68) and then provides the decrypted
stream to television receivers 20 (FUNCTION 70), which permit end
users to view the media content utilizing televisions or other
displays connected to receivers 20 in the typical manner (FUNCTION
72). As noted above, the concatenated transport stream preferably
contains multi-channel television programming or content, and
distribution system 12 can be any system suitable for distributing
such content to a plurality of television receivers or other
devices. For example, the multi-channel television programming
contained within the concatenated transport stream can be
distributed to the television receivers or the like by cable
television systems that commonly deliver programming via
hybrid/co-axial fiber cable networks, as well as by IPTV systems
that commonly deliver programming content via fiber and/or twisted
pair copper cable networks. It should be generally appreciated,
then, that ASC server 22 can serve any system or network capable of
distributing multi-channel television programming or content
including cable television systems, IPTV systems, satellite
systems, and wireless delivery networks, whether currently known or
later developed. Furthermore, while the media streams can be
encrypted when transmitted from adaptive encoders 26 to network
server 24 and/or from network server 24 to adaptive stream
concatenation server 22, as described above, this need not always
be the case; however, such encryption may desirable to prevent
unauthorized access to the television programming, especially when
the television programming contains premium content, such as
premium cable television networks (e.g., HBO.RTM.) and/or
pay-per-view movies and the like typically viewable as individual
fee-based private telecasts.
[0026] The foregoing has thus provided systems and methods enabling
the delivery of a transport stream to a service provider utilizing
a legacy video distribution system without requiring the usage of
privately-owned point-to-point connections, such as fiber optic
circuits, and without requiring changes in the existing equipment
of the service provider. The system is preferably implemented, at
least in part, as an adaptive stream concatenation server, which
can be utilized in conjunction with adaptive streaming delivery
architectures used with existing or legacy cable TV and IPTV system
delivery networks deployed by service providers. In the
above-described exemplary embodiments, the adaptive stream
concatenation server is configured to utilize adaptive stream
technologies in the generation of such transport streams to
reliably and conveniently manage available resources of the
distribution system, while providing multicast media streams to any
number of existing television receivers. In this manner, the
service provider can take advantage of the benefits of adaptive
streaming technologies even when deploying a legacy delivery
system, such as an RF QAM or an IP network, including terminal
devices that generally cannot be loaded with an adaptive
client.
[0027] In one embodiment, the above-described adaptive stream
concatenation server is subscribed to the playlist files for
multiple streams simultaneously to gain access to the
HTTP-delivered "streamlets" that make up the adaptive streams for
each channel. For each television channel, the server decrypts the
streamlet segments and concatenate them as, for example, an MPEG2
Transport Stream. Stated differently, the adaptive stream
concatenation server may concatenate the contents of each of the
separate adaptive media streams into separate transport streams.
The adaptive stream concatenation server then encapsulates the MPEG
Transport streams into multicast IP streams, such as UDP or RTP
multicast IP streams, which are easily routed to the service
provider's existing headend solution. The encapsulated programming
is then encrypted, modulated in cases of RF delivery, and
distributed to the existing service provider's customer base
thereby providing the reliable distribution of television
programming distribution without change in equipment or
distribution system architecture of the service provider. The
adaptive stream concatenation server thus enables adaptive delivery
of television programming to client devices (e.g., the television
receivers) of a service provider in a cost effective manner by
leverage the ability to stream media content over the Internet or
other digital network.
[0028] In the above-described exemplary embodiments, the ASC server
was primarily described as concatenating the contents of a number
of adaptive media streams to produce a concatenated transport
stream provided to a distribution network as part of a larger
streaming service; however, in further embodiments, ASC server may
instead concatenate the contents of a number of adaptive streams to
produce a transport concatenated stream, which is then distributed
to one or more components in a user's or subscriber's home
environment. In this case, the ASC server may be implemented in
hardware, software, and/or firmware installed on a residential
gateway device, such as a satellite receiver, deployed in a
subscriber's home and serviced by a service provider. Such a
residential gateway device may already serve as the demarcation
point between the service provider's network and the subscriber's
in-home network to provide such functions as television tuning
services and distribution of those services throughout the home,
video storage enabling whole-home access to Digital Video
Recordings set-up by the subscriber, accessing a high speed data
network provided by the service provider, routing traffic to the
subscriber's devices, providing voice service demarcation for the
home, and so on. In such embodiments, the service provider may now
also transmit a number of adaptive streams through their
distribution network to the home residential gateway device
functioning as the ASC server. As the server receives these adapted
media streams containing television programming in an adaptive
packet format, the ASC server concatenates the adaptive streams
received to produce a concatenated transport stream containing a
multi-channel television content or programming, such as a cable
television signal, in the previously-described manner. The ASC
server then provides the concatenated transport stream of a video
distribution system of some type, which may assume the form of, for
example, a wireless signal distribution system (e.g., a wireless
router included in the subscriber's in-home or local area network)
or a hard line distribution system (e.g., co-axial cable router).
The video distribution system then provides the transport stream
containing the multi-channel television programming to one or more
devices within the user's home that might not otherwise be capable
of receiving adaptive streams, such as one or more legacy
television sets or receivers located in one or more rooms of the
subscriber's home.
[0029] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented
in the foregoing Detailed Description, it should be appreciated
that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be
appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments
are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope,
applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way.
Rather, the foregoing Detailed Description will provide those
skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an
exemplary embodiment of the invention. It being understood that
various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of
elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing
from the scope of the invention as set-forth in the appended
claims.
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