Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090136081 | Method And System For Utilizing GPS Information To Secure Digital Media - A device such as a set-top-box, digital TV, DVD player, multi-media player, cellular telephone or digital cinema player that may handle data such as multimedia data and/or audio/video signals, may determine its location. The device may determine its location based on GPS information and may send its location to an external entity, for example, a service provider. The device may generate a watermark comprising its determined location and may embed or insert the watermark within the data. In addition, the generated watermark may comprise one or more of a unique identifier for the device, a source of the data, for example, a service provider, a date and a time. The watermark may be secured via processing, for example, the watermark may be encrypted prior to being embedded. The data may be compressed when embedding the watermark. The watermark embedding process may be handled via a secure embedded processor and/or secure code. | 05-28-2009 |
20090190656 | Television Functionality on a Chip - A television on a chip (TVOC) system that provides a cost effective approach for providing television functionality on a single integrated circuit chip is disclosed. A TVOC includes the functionality necessary to receive and display television signals in a variety of input and output formats. A TVOC can be used in set-top boxes for cable and satellite television, or directly within a television. All functionality provided can be provided on a single integrated circuit. TVOC includes a data transport module, an IF demodulator, a digital audio engine, an analog audio engine, a digital video engine, and an analog video engine. The TVOC also includes three sets of interfaces including output interfaces, control interfaces and ancillary interfaces. Further features and embodiments provide enhanced functionality and increased efficiencies. | 07-30-2009 |
20100034295 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PSI HANDLING TO IMPROVE CHANNEL CHANGE TIME - Aspects of a method and system for PSI handling to improve channel change time. A MPEG-2 transport bitstream (TS) received using a MPEG-2 decoding system may comprise program specific information used for a desired program reception. In instances where signal acquisition or a channel change occurs, the received MPEG-2 TS may be gated or buffered for processing at least a portion of the PSI. The portion of the PSI in the received MPEG-2 TS may be detected and extracted from the buffered MPEG-2 TS during the PSI processing. After the PSI processing, the buffered MPEG-2 TS may be split into video, and/or audio, and/or data components based on the extracted PSI and may be decoded, accordingly. In instances where signal acquisition or a channel change does not occur, the TS buffering may be bypassed. | 02-11-2010 |
20100251307 | Systems and Methods for Processing Program Content and Information in a Video Broadcast - Embodiments of the present invention significantly decrease the processing requirements as well as the cost of digital television receivers. In an embodiment, processing requirements of both hardware and software components in digital television receivers are lowered by generating the channel map without regard to channel map information present in a Virtual Channel Table (VCT). In another embodiment, significant recurring portions of an ATSC signal can be neglected with no processing power, cost, and time spent thereon. In another embodiment, processing typically used to process channel map information contained in the VCT portion of the ATSC signal is freed and may instead be used to process other information, thereby enabling further enhancements and features in digital television services. | 09-30-2010 |
20100309913 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR HANDLING IPTV MULTICAST TRAFFIC IN A HOME NETWORK - A home network (HN) server is configured to terminate IP-based multicast packets received from, for example, an external IPTV service distribution network and record in storage of the HN server. The HN server transmits the terminated multicast packets to a plurality of HN clients based on corresponding link quality between each of the HN clients and the HN server. A transmission mode and local IP protocols are determined based on corresponding link quality for each of the HN clients. The recorded multicast packets are reformatted based on the determined local IP protocols and transmitted in the determined transmission mode to corresponding HN clients. The HN server acquires expected recorded multicast packets when not available in its storage from peer HN servers and reformats the acquired expected recorded multicast packets based on the determined local IP protocols for transmission. Packet transmission are suspended or resumed according to a client service pause. | 12-09-2010 |
20110030017 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SHARING RESOURCES FOR SETUP BOXES (STB) IN A HOME NETWORK - A STB resource sharing (RS) group of a home network comprises a plurality of STBs. In the STB RS group, a STB communicates with one or more other STBs to mutually share available device resources comprising hardware and software resources, and/or capabilities. The STB functions as an elected master (EM) or a STB RS client in the STB RS group. As an EM, the STB receives advertisements from other STBs to determine available resources. The determined available resources are announced to other STBs in the STB RS group. The STB manages the use of the determined available resources according to resource sharing requests received from other STBs. As a STB RS client, the STB advertises inherent resources to an EM of the STB RS group. The STB receives announcements from the EM for available resources in the STB RS group. The STB shares its available resources, accordingly. | 02-03-2011 |
20110096234 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLEXED TRANSPORT INTERFACE BETWEEN DEMODULATORS (DEMODS) AND SET-TOP BOX (STB) SYSTEM-ON-CHIPS (SOCS) - A multiplexed transport interface (MTSIF) may be utilized during communication between a demodulation module and a video processing system-on-chip (SoC). The MTSIF may enable concurrent demodulation of a plurality of input modulated video streams, via a plurality of demodulator chips within the demodulation module, by multiplexing data generated by the demodulator chips via the MTSIF during communication between the demodulator module and the video processing SoC. The MTSIF may also be utilized for communicating control signals, which may be used in controlling and/or managing operations of the demodulation module, the video processing SoC, and/or the MTSIF. Communication via the MTSIF may be synchronized. Packets communicated via the MTSIF may be timestamped. Timestamp counters may be used in the demodulation module and the video processing SoC to generate and/or track timestamps in communicated packets. The timestamp counter may be synchronized, using control signals communicated via the MTSIF. | 04-28-2011 |
20110096845 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING DECOUPLED STREAMS FOR CLOCK RECOVERY AND DECODING - A receiver may be operable to determine a clock reference (CR) such as a MPEG program clock reference (PCR) associated with a first program CR packet identifier (PID), recover a locked oscillator and a system time clock (STC) from the clock reference associated with the first program CR packet identifier (PID) and process content associated with a second program utilizing the recovered locked oscillator and the system time clock. The receiver may be operable to insert the content associated with the second program on the content associated with the first program CR PID. The receiver may be operable to receive the content associated with the second program from a source that is local to the receiver such as a hard disk or a flash drive or from a source that is remote with respect to the receiver. | 04-28-2011 |
20110280434 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WATERMAKR INSERTIN USING VIDEO START CODES - A receiver may be operable to receive a default version for each portion of each of video frames, and an alternative version and corresponding watermark control information for one or more portions of one or more of the video frames, in a compressed video stream. The receiver may be operable to determine one or more of the default versions and/or one or more of the alternative versions for decoding based on the corresponding watermark control information and/or specific information locally associated with the receiver. The receiver may be operable to select the determined one or more of the default versions and/or the determined one or more of the default versions for decoding of the received compressed video stream by modifying one or more start codes. Each of the one or more start codes comprises a start code suffix. | 11-17-2011 |
20120147974 | Television Functionality on a Chip - A television on a chip (TVOC) system that provides a cost effective approach for providing television functionality on a single integrated circuit chip is disclosed. A TVOC includes the functionality necessary to receive and display television signals in a variety of input and output formats. A TVOC can be used in set-top boxes for cable and satellite television, or directly within a television. All functionality provided can be provided on a single integrated circuit. TVOC includes a data transport module, an IF demodulator, a digital audio engine, an analog audio engine, a digital video engine, and an analog video engine. The TVOC also includes three sets of interfaces including output interfaces, control interfaces and ancillary interfaces. Further features and embodiments provide enhanced functionality and increased efficiencies. | 06-14-2012 |
20120216038 | UNIFIED VIDEO DELIVERY SYSTEM FOR SUPPORTING IP VIDEO STEAMING SERVICE - A home gateway may be used to handle at least a portion of processing of content obtained for consumption by client devices serviced via the home gateway. The home gateway may receive a single copy of content having a first format, and may convert the received content to one or more other formats suitable for presentation by at least one of the client devices based on knowledge of the client devices. The home gateway may maintain secure and/or protected access of the content handled via the home gateway. During protected access the home gateway may partition the content into a plurality of encrypted segments that are forwarded separately to the client devices. The client devices may utilize a corresponding plurality of encryption keys for decrypting the encrypted segments. The encryption keys may be obtained from an external key server. The home gateway may also generate the encryption keys. | 08-23-2012 |
20130011005 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UTILIZING GPS INFORMATION TO SECURE DIGITAL MEDIA - A device such as a set-top-box, digital TV, DVD player, multi-media player, cellular telephone or digital cinema player that may handle data such as multimedia data and/or audio/video signals, may determine its location. The device may determine its location based on GPS information and send it to an external entity, for example, a service provider. The device may generate a watermark comprising its determined location and may embed or insert the watermark within the data. Also, the generated watermark may comprise one or more of a unique identifier for the device, a source of the data, for example, a service provider, a date and a time. The watermark may be secured via processing, for example, the watermark may be encrypted prior to being embedded. The data may be compressed when embedding the watermark. The watermark embedding process may be handled via a secure embedded processor and/or secure code. | 01-10-2013 |
20130033642 | DATA TRANSMISSION ACROSS INDEPENDENT STREAMS - Various systems and methods are provided for transmission of related data components across independent streams. In one embodiment, among others, a transmitting device may separate transmission data into related data components and transmit each related data component in an associated transport stream. Each related data component includes a synchronization tag associated with synchronization of the related data component within the transmission data. In another embodiment, a receiving device may receive related data components transmitted in separate transport streams and decode the related data components based at least in part upon a synchronization tag included in each related data component. In another embodiment, among others, a method for includes receiving data components transmitted on a plurality of transport streams, separating related data components from unrelated data components in the transport streams based at least in part upon a synchronization tag of each related data component; and decoding the related data components. | 02-07-2013 |
20130064306 | Variable Link Rate Streaming For Audio And Video Content From Home Media Server - An encoder arrangement is provided for streaming media. A variable rate encoder is configured and arranged to receive an input data stream and output an encoded data stream. A buffer is arranged to receive the encoded data stream and output a buffered data stream. A control means monitors depth of the buffer and controls the encoding rate of the variable rate encoder so that encoding is carried out at a rate appropriate to an available link rate, thereby providing smooth transition of data stream quality as link conditions change. | 03-14-2013 |
20130097633 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SHARING RESOURCES FOR SETUP BOXES (STB) IN A HOME NETWORK - A STB resource sharing (RS) group of a home network comprises a plurality of STBs. In the STB RS group, a STB communicates with one or more other STBs to mutually share available device resources comprising hardware and software resources, and/or capabilities. The STB functions as an elected master (EM) or a STB RS client in the STB RS group. As an EM, the STB receives advertisements from other STBs to determine available resources. The determined available resources are announced to other STBs in the STB RS group. The STB manages the use of the determined available resources according to resource sharing requests received from other STBs. As a STB RS client, the STB advertises inherent resources to an EM of the STB RS group. The STB receives announcements from the EM for available resources in the STB RS group. The STB shares its available resources, accordingly. | 04-18-2013 |
20130235882 | CHANNEL BONDING FOR LAYERED CONTENT - Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, the communication architectures distribute video programming across the communication channels in the bonded channel group based on the dependency of the video data. | 09-12-2013 |
20130235884 | MIXED SERIAL AND PARALLEL STREAM CHANNEL BONDING ARCHITECTURE - Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, channel bonding may be used to bond channels with mixed serial and parallel streams. | 09-12-2013 |
20130235887 | CHANNEL BONDING SYNCHRONIZATION - Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, the communication architectures distribute data streams to bonded channels that are clocked independently. A system is provided for synchronizing the bonded channels. | 09-12-2013 |
20130239150 | CHANNEL BONDING WITH MULTIPLE NETWORK TYPES - Different data communication architectures deliver a wide variety of content, including audio and video content, to consumers. The architectures employ channel bonding to deliver more bandwidth than any single communication channel can carry. In some implementations, different network types may be channel bonded to function as a single logical channel. | 09-12-2013 |
20130312053 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLEXED TRANSPORT INTERFACE BETWEEN DEMODULATORS (DEMODS) AND SET-TOP BOX (STB) SYSTEM-ON-CHIPS (SOCS) - A multiplexed transport interface (MTSIF) may be utilized during communication between a demodulation module and a video processing system-on-chip (SoC). The MTSIF may enable concurrent demodulation of a plurality of input modulated video streams, via a plurality of demodulator chips within the demodulation module, by multiplexing data generated by the demodulator chips via the MTSIF during communication between the demodulator module and the video processing SoC. The MTSIF may also be utilized for communicating control signals, which may be used in controlling and/or managing operations of the demodulation module, the video processing SoC, and/or the MTSIF. Communication via the MTSIF may be synchronized. Packets communicated via the MTSIF may be timestamped. Timestamp counters may be used in the demodulation module and the video processing SoC to generate and/or track timestamps in communicated packets. The timestamp counter may be synchronized, using control signals communicated via the MTSIF. | 11-21-2013 |