General Instrument Corporation

Anthony M Radice

Clyde N Robbins

Thomas L Du Breuil

Peter A Kindinger

David C Goodwin

Mark A Kolber

Richard Westerfer

A method for selectively and multiply routing a media stream input to a media appliance is provided. The method includes receiving the media stream. Further, the method includes distributing the media stream onto a plurality of individual media paths within the media appliance. Furthermore, the method includes routing the media stream on at least a first one of the media paths to a first media processor within the media appliance, while simultaneously routing the media stream on at least one other of the media paths to at least one additional media processor within the media appliance.

Method and system for selectively and multiply routing media stream to a media appliance

A composite video multiplexing arrangement for allowing a plurality of low bit rate video signals to be multiplexed into a single coded signal to be transmitted to an associated receiver. For use with arrangements such a security system, each video &ldquo;source&rdquo; (such as a camera) includes a coder module for forming a digital representation of the video, including both &ldquo;source&rdquo; and &ldquo;line&rdquo; information. Each coder module includes a FIFO buffer for holding this data until multiplexed onto the single output signal. An associated decoder is capable of extracting the &ldquo;source&rdquo; and &ldquo;line&rdquo; information and regenerating each separate video signal.

Composite video multiplexing scheme

Interface apparatus is provided for enabling a digital video recorder to function as a universal data recorder. A random input data stream provided at a first data rate is converted to a format that emulates a video signal. The converted input data is input, at a video signal data rate, to a digital video recorder for storage. The stored converted data is played back from the video recorder at the video signal data rate. The retrieved data is then converted back to the original format of the input data stream at the first data rate.

Recording random data having a first data rate on a digital video

The scrambling security of a sync suppressed television signal is enhanced by eliminating the fixed time relationship between the normal color burst component and synchronization information in successive lines of the television signal. Transmission of a first plurality of television lines is delayed to achieve a cumulative delay corresponding at least to the duration of a color burst component of the television signal. The transmission of a second plurality of television lines is subsequently accelerated to reduce the cumulative delay. By repeating the delaying and accelerating steps, the location of the color burst component is varied within the television signal over time. Derivation of a substitute horizontal synchronization pulse from the color burst component is thereby prevented.

Method and apparatus for enhancing the security of a scrambled

Multiple asynchronous signals are transmitted and received through a digital link. Each of a plurality of information signals is digitized at a digitizing rate derived from a component of the signal. For example, the color subcarrier of a television signal can be used to establish the digitizing rate for video and audio signal portions. Each digitized signal is packetized for communication at a transmission rate greater than and asynchronous with its digitizing rate. A variable time interval results between successive transmitted packets for each signal. The time interval between each successive packet for each signal is filled with a variable number of pad bits to provide a continuous data stream. The data streams for all of the signals are multiplexed to provide a combined data stream for transmission. Each packet for each of the signals contains a fixed number of data bits digitized over a fixed time interval related to the digitizing rate for the signal. The transmitted combined data stream is received, and the receipt of successive packets is monitored for each signal to determine the fixed time interval for that signal. The digitizing rate for each signal is computed from its fixed time interval. The received data packets for each signal are then converted to an analog form at the signal's digitizing rate to reconstruct the original information signals.

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Riverside, NJ, United States of America

Anthony M Radice