Media server interconnect architecture

Details Media server interconnect architecture Media server interconnect architecture

1997-10-20

2002-04-23

Faile, Andrew (Department: 2611)

Interactive video distribution systems

User-requested video program system

Video-on-demand

C725S096000, C725S093000, C709S219000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06378130

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a server interconnect architecture for supplying Broadband On-Demand Services (for example, Video-On-Demand (VOD), WEB browsing, etc.) in a communication network to residential or business communication services subscribers. More particularly, this invention relates to selectively interconnecting a plurality of media servers at a headend in the communication network to subscriber terminals attached to the network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The state of the art in the delivery of entertainment services and other services to subscribers is exemplified by a full service network described in copending, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/802,833, filed Feb. 19, 1997, entitled “System and Method For Providing A Full Service Television System” invented by M. L. LaJoie et al. One embodiment of the LaJoie et al full service network or cable system is shown in
FIG. 1
herein.
As illustrated in
FIG. 1
, a preferred full service network
1
comprises five primary components: a headend
2
; at least one fiber transport
3
, at least one distribution hub
4
; at least one hybrid fiber coax plant
5
; and a plurality of set-top terminals
6
. The set-top terminal
6
is a subscriber terminal in the cable network. A subscriber terminal is any device connected to a cable network that provides security, navigation and other services to a subscriber. The subscriber terminal may be a standalone set-top, or incorporated into a television, Personal Computer, DVD (Digital Video Disk) player, or other subscriber equipment.
Headend
2
provides the primary source of services and control of system
1
. Programs, services and control signals are delivered to the subscribers' set-top terminals
6
from headend
2
by transmitting signals through fiber transport
3
, distribution hub
4
, and hybrid fiber coax plant
5
.
The subscribers may also interact with the services and programming provided by headend
2
. This is accomplished by set-top terminals
6
in the subscribers' homes transmitting signals back through hybrid fiber coax
5
, distribution hub
4
, and fiber transport
3
to headend
2
. In this way, a two-way, interactive, full service network is provided.
In order to provide the services and control of system
1
, headend
2
includes a plurality of digital satellite receivers
10
, a Broadcast Cable Gateway (BCG)
11
, a plurality of analog receivers
12
, a plurality of Integrated Receiver Decoders (IRD)
13
, analog scrambling and modulation circuitry
20
, an Addressable Controller (AC)
14
, a plurality of application servers
15
, a plurality of media servers
16
, a digital switch or multiplexer
17
, and an Interactive Cable Gateway (ICG)
18
.
The programs and services generated by headend
2
are received from primary sources: Digital satellite transmissions from digital service providers, analog satellite transmissions from analog service providers, application services on application servers
15
, and media services on media servers
16
. Digital and analog services provide the more traditional forms of television broadcast services, including services such as television programs and information services. Application servers provide services, such as database services, network management services, transactional electronic commerce services, system administration console services, application specific services (such as stock ticker, sport ticker, and weather), resource management services, connection management services, subscriber care services, billing services, operation system services, and object management services. Media servers provide time-critical media assets including MPEG-2 encoded video and audio, MPEG-2 encoded still images, WEB pages, bit-mapped graphic images, PCM digital audio, application programs, and application data files. A media asset is defined as a collection of one or more of these stream or file types together with the associated meta-data that binds them together.
In order to provide this multitude of cable services to subscribers over the cable network, the signals are modulated onto a plurality of 6 MHz Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) channels in the RF Spectrum from 5 MHz through 860 MHz. More specifically, the 6 MHz FDM channels can be used to carry analog channels with Vertical Blanking Interval (VBI) signals, Forward Application Transport (FAT) channels, Forward Data Channels (FDC), and Reverse Data Channels (RDC). The frequencies of the analog channels are in the range of 50 to 500 MHz, the FAT channels are in the range of 50 to 750 MHz, and the RDCs and FDCs are in the ranges of 5 to 40 MHz and 50 to 750 MHz, respectively.
Digital services are received from satellites by digital satellite receivers
10
. The signals received by digital satellite receivers
10
arrive in a Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK) modulated, encrypted MPEG-2 transport stream format. Once the satellite signals have been received by the digital satellite receivers, Broadcast Cable Gateway (BCG)
11
converts the signals for transmission over the cable system's communication network under the control of addressable controller
14
. Broadcast Cable Gateway
11
demodulates, applies Forward Error Correction (FEC), if desired, and decrypts the satellite transmission to recover an MPEG-2 transport stream. The MPEG-2 stream is then manipulated by BCG
11
to remove unwanted programs from the stream to form an MPEG-2 payload. BCG
11
then encrypts the payload (if desired), adds FEC and modulates the payload onto a Forward Application Transport (FAT) 6 MHz FDM channel. The modulation used on the FAT channels is preferably 64 or 256 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) which enables the channels to carry digital data at rates typically in the range of 27 or 38 Mbps, respectively.
Analog programs and services are received from satellite transmissions by receivers
12
and processed by integrated receiver decoders
13
and analog scrambler and modulator
20
. Analog satellite receivers
12
typically receive the satellite transmissions from the analog service providers in a modulated and scrambled NTSC format. Integrated receiver decoders
13
demodulate and descramble the satellite signals into NTSC signals, and then analog scrambler and modulator
20
scrambles using the cable system's scrambling method, if desired, and modulates the NTSC signals onto an analog 6 MHz FDM channel. The FDM modulation frequencies and scrambling techniques used for the NTSC signals are preferably selected to maintain downward compatibility with analog set-top terminals which may be already deployed at the time of implementation of the full service network.
Application and media programs and services are provided by application and media servers
15
and
16
under the control of addressable controller
14
through digital switch or multiplexer
17
, interactive cable gateway
18
and data channel gateways
19
in distribution hubs
4
. The programs and services by servers
15
and
16
are preferably provided in MPEG-2 transport stream format. Addressable controller
14
may oversee the distribution of programs and services by servers
15
and
16
by processing requests for programs and services from the set-top terminals, instructing the servers when, how and where to deliver a requested program or service and directing the programs and services through the digital switch or multiplexer
17
to the interactive cable gateway
18
in headend
2
and the data channel gateways
19
in the distribution hubs
4
.
Digital switch, or multiplexer
17
, connects servers
15
and
16
with addressable controller
14
, interactive cable gateway
18
and data channel gateways
19
in distribution hubs
4
. Addressable controller
14
provides control signals to servers
15
and
16
, set-top terminals
6
, BCG
11
and Data Channel Gateways (DCGs)
19
. Controller
14
communicates with DCGs
19
and set-top terminals
6
via Internet Protocol (IP) datagrams through Forward (in

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