Broadlogic Network Technologies Inc.

Broadcom Corporation

Bin-Fan Liu

Weimin Zhang

Yu Kou

Vladimir Radionov

Roger Stenerson

Methods, apparatuses, and systems are presented for switching between channels of encoded media data involving receiving encoded media data including reference frames and dependent frames for a plurality of channels, wherein each dependent frame refers to at least one reference frame. Frames associated with a first channel from the plurality of channels are decoded to generate a decoded signal for the first channel. While decoding frames associated with the first channel, data corresponding to at least one reference frame associated with a second channel from the plurality of channels are stored. In response to a control signal for switching from the first to the second channel, at least one dependent frame associated with the second channel is decoded by utilizing the stored data corresponding to the at least one reference frame associated with the second channel, to generate a decoded signal for the second channel.

Method and system for providing faster channel switching in a digital broadcast system

A system for providing multi-channel multi-mode QAM equalization and carrier recovery is provided. According to one exemplary embodiment, the system includes an equalization circuit and a carrier recovery circuit operating in a concurrent manner to provide equalization and carrier recovery. The equalization circuit and the carrier recovery circuit each have two operating modes, namely, an acquisition mode and a tracking mode. The carrier recovery circuit evaluates a phase detection error calculated based on signals obtained from the equalization circuit. Based on the evaluation of the phase detection error, the equalization circuit and the carrier recovery circuit are respectively directed to switch operating mode, if appropriate.

Method and system for providing multi-channel multimode QAM equalization and carrier recovery

An improved multi-channel demodulator is provided. The improved demodulator includes an automatic gain control, a data buffer and a demodulation engine. Data from various RF channels are processed by the automatic gain control in order to keep the data at their respective constant levels. Output from the automatic gain control is passed to the data buffer for storage. Corresponding data from a selected channel is then processed by the demodulation engine. The improved demodulator is able to operate in any one of three operating modes, namely, a data processing mode, a channel switching mode and a waiting mode. In the data processing mode, the demodulation engine processes the channel data that is currently loaded into the demodulation engine. In the channel switching mode, the demodulation engine stores the current channel data into the data buffer and retrieves and loads channel data from another channel for processing. In addition, status and history information relating to the current channel data is stored into a channel status memory and status and history information relating to the next channel to be processed is retrieved from the channel status memory. In one exemplary aspect, in order to reduce the channel switching time, status and history information relating to the next channel to be processed is preloaded during the previous data processing mode. In the waiting mode, the demodulation engine awaits further processing instructions to decide whether to enter into either the data processing mode or the channel switching mode.

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Livermore, CA, United States of America

Bin-Fan Liu