摘要:
The present invention is directed to a videophone system implemented over a cable television network. The instant invention provides a videophone comprising a camera for capturing images associated with a videophone signal, a videophone unit and a set top terminal or cable modem connecting the videophone to a cable television network. Videophone signals created at the call origination site are encoded and transported to a predetermined destination over an existing cable television network. The system uses IP addresses as phone number on the network. Additionally, transport of videophone signals between different cable systems is accomplished via a high-speed long distance data network, such as, for example, a satellite network, that provides communication between the headends of the different cable television systems. The set top terminal may be a conventional subscriber terminal, a cable modem or a subscriber terminal configured to operate as a cable modem. The set top terminal provides the interface between the videophone and the cable television system. More than one videophone may be connected to a single set top terminal. Display of videophone data may be achieved using any conventional display device, including a television set or a personal computer monitor. Accordingly, the videophone system described herein takes advantage of increased bandwidth and lower cost realized by using existing cable television infrastructure and technology.
摘要:
Quality of service management in a switched digital video environment. The devices in a user's home can be given quality of service priority statuses by a system operator. In the event of oversubscription, the quality of service management allows the user to determine which services will have priority over others if more bandwidth is requested than available.
摘要:
Atomic channel change in a switched digital video (SDV) system. A set-top box (STB) sends join and leave message commands to a SDV device when requesting a channel change. If one of the IGMP message commands does not reach the SDV device, oversubscription can occur. A combined join and leave message ensures that a join command is performed only when a leave command is also performed. If the single message does not reach the SDV device, the STB resends the command.
摘要:
Channel changes between services with differing bandwidth in a switched digital video system. A services map published by the headend and distributed to all of the edge devices, allows a bandwidth requirement to be correlated with each request from a device in the home. The bandwidth requirement is passed upstream along with the request for service and is subject to a system resource management validation.
摘要:
Partial pre-encryption with network-based packet sorting. A video-on-demand (VOD) delivery system for delivering encrypted transport streams to incumbent and overlay set-top boxes utilizes a packet picker/duplicator for sorting selected packets from non-selected packets, duplicating the selected packets, and encrypting one of the pair of duplicated selected packets according to an incumbent encryption scheme. A VOD file server stores the transport stream from the packet picker/duplicator. A network sorter sorts the unencrypted selected packet from the non-selected packets and the encrypted selected packet. The network sorter also sorts the encrypted selected packet from the non-selected packets and encrypts the unencrypted selected packets and the non-selected packets according to an overlay encryption scheme and then sends the transport stream to an overlay set-top box. The network sorter is also responsible for combining the non-selected packets and the incumbent encrypted packets and to send the transport stream to an incumbent set-top box.