Telecommunications – Wireless distribution system
Utility Patent
1998-03-06
2001-01-02
Faile, Andrew I. (Department: 2711)
Telecommunications
Wireless distribution system
C348S086000, C348S086000, C455S012100, C455S001000
Utility Patent
active
06169877
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates generally to distribution techniques of HDTV images (High definition TV) via satellites, and more particularly it relates to a network allowing to transmit or distribute a motion picture directly to cinema halls, to record and to reproduce it on a large screen, and moreover to distribute live pictures to cinema halls with a remote monitoring suited to a centralised management of cinema halls.
BACKGROUND ART
EP-A-0 506 435 relates to a method of trasmitting subscriber information to subscription television signal distributors and methods for converting a television signal decoder to accept digital television signal. It has particular application to so-called “conditional access” multichannel television systems, where the viewer may have a conditional access to several channels. The technique described, which in any case provides a protection from unauthorized subscribers and pirates through scrambling and descrambling the encoded signals, doesn't refer to a specific application in the motion picture distribution network and it does not face the problems about reducing the cost due to the number of copies in circulation, about increasing life of copy and the quality of the projected images or preventing any kind of illegal reproduction.
The presently used film distribution system provides for the production of a limited number of copies which are reserved for said distribution which initially takes place only in cinema halls of the most important cities and only later in cinema halls of towns.
The copies which have been produced have a limited life and the image quality deteriorates in a direct functional relationship according to the number of film-shows performed with this copy, at the expense—in some cases—of the quality of successive film-shows.
Moreover, the conventional motion picture distribution system has the serious drawback that it is easily exposed to an illegal reproduction (piracy).
In order to increase the interest of the public for the cinema and to reduce the management cost of cinema halls, some time ago the concept of a multiroom has been developed, according to which the cinema halls usually containing some hundreds of persons have been divided up into rooms having a capacity of ten spectators or some multiple thereof, so that it is possible to show various movies at the same time.
According to this concept the art of entertainment has developed multiservice centers: cinema halls are combined with commercial centers so as to offer a variety of services which becomes more and more diversified.
The need to centralise simultaneous management of a plurality of cinema halls is becoming urgent, and it satisfies the prerequisite of allowing a better use of human resources and a more rapid coordination of the cinema halls which can be used for cultural programmes in video-conferences, advertising for a new product, tele-education, and so on.
In order to satisfy the above necessities, the technology related to digital signal coding and transmitting can nowadays make available on the market, motion pictures production and processing systems, having a high resolution, and if said systems are combined with telecommunication systems via satellites, they provide a valid means for the implementation of a high definition TV (HDTV) image distribution services with high quality and for professional application. In particular, the application concerning tele cinema transmission will be considered, according to which the celluloid film and the projection machines are replaced by modern apparatus obtained from computer technologies, suited to store in their memory a movie which may last for hours and which is adequately coded, or to reproduce images on large screens.
According to the state of the art, experiments have been carried out on the image distribution technique to cinema halls, both in Europe and in the USA, using satellites or cables.
In particular, it is known that in the USA a HDTV motion picture distribution network has been realized, wherein the digital transmission is performed by means of optical fibres, in ten experimental locations. On the other hand, live picture distribution via satellites employing dedicated analogue techniques is being tested in France for cinema halls of towns.
Both these image distribution techniques cannot solve in an exhaustive manner all the above mentioned problems of the conventional method of film distribution, by providing an adequate motion picture distribution network via satellite.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a HDTV motion picture distribution network which automates the apparatus for receiving and reproducing the motion pictures, through the transmission of remote controls for remote monitoring of the correct operation of the terminals.
A last object of the invention is to provide a HDTV motion picture distribution network which uses standard components so that said components are easily found to thereby facilitate their maintenance and have operating frequencies in conformity with the standards of international rules, so that their applications will have a large diffusion and a low cost.
The above and other purposes which will be apparent from the description are attained by a high definition TV motion picture distribution network via satellite, comprising:
I) a service center for the management and commercial/administrative planning of film distribution in the various cinema-halls;
II) a network control center which performs the following operations:
transmitting filed movies assigned by the service center, to the addressees or users, according to the planning of the service center;
enabling of the receiver terminals of the users by means of the network software, which checks the situation of the terminal; wherein the control center puts into effect all the access and diagnostic functions via cable lines;
check of the quality of the transmission via satellites by monitoring both the transmission terminal and the receiver terminals;
promoting the maintenance of the receiver terminals in the event of malfunctions;
determining the modalities how the data are to be transmitted again to those receiver terminals which showed to have anomalies in recording and in the quality of the received signal;
coordination of transportable units for the transmission of the live picture shooting, enabling the user terminals to receive the signal;
III) a plurality of receiver terminals, each of them comprising:
a receiver for receiving TV signals from a satellite, a demodulator, a digital recording apparatus, a decoder and an apparatus for the projection of the movie on a large screen according to different high definition standards, wherein these constituent blocks or components are interfaced with a control unit performing the telemetering and detection functions on the blocks comprised in the receiver terminal; wherein the control unit stores and processes again the information related to the operation of the terminal, said control unit being directly linked by dedicated communication protocols and via cable telephone lines to the network control center;
IV) transportable units for the shooting and transmission of live pictures, which units are directly linked to a satellite during transmission and monitored by the control center of the network.
Further advantage achievable by further embodyments of the invention is to provide a HDTV motion picture distribution network, employing a single digitized copy of the movie to be transmitted, so as to reduce noticeably the cost due to the number of copies, and to increase the life of the copy, which also turns to the advantage of the quality of the projected images and prevents any kind of illegal reproduction.
A further advantage of the invention is to provide a HDTV motion picture distribution network, allowing to show live pictures on motion picture screens, using this service network.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4099121 (1978-07-01), Fang
patent: 5291554 (1994-03-01), Morales
patent: 5303294 (1994-04-01), Kimoto et
Faile Andrew I.
Telecom Italia S.P.A.
Tran Hai V.
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
High density TV motion picture distribution network does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with High density TV motion picture distribution network, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and High density TV motion picture distribution network will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2453498