The Directv Group, Inc.

Daniel M Miner

Mitchell B Wasden

Darren M St Laurent

David T Boltz

Douglas E Ribordy

Vishal Arya

Kevin Culwell

Carl D Ostrom

Hoang D Pham

Jeanet C Mika

James A Michener

Leon J Stanger

Heather Truong

Uy X Nguyen

Hanno Basse

Michael R Munsell

Vaibhav Singh

Sunil A Jethwani

An P Vuong

Roberto Nery Da Fonseca

Matthew Pinto

A content distribution method including receiving in-band signals from respective content providers, where the in-band signals include video content. The method further includes: receiving at a placement opportunities information module first messages associated respectively with the content providers, where the first messages are advertisement messages and/or program messages and have respective formats; and mapping the first messages to second messages, where the second messages have a same format, and where the same format is different than the respective formats and is standardized for point of presence devices. The method further includes: combining the second messages with the video content to generate combined signals; forwarding the combined signals to an insertion module of a headend; generating output signals at the insertion module based on the combined signals; and for each of the output signals, transmitting a non-streaming signal or a streaming signal from the headend to the point of presence devices.

Systems and methods for providing advertisements to point of presence devices including mapping different types of advertisement messages of respective content providers

An audio loudness data collection module collects and stores audio data. The data can be stored for a first time period. A monitoring system can access and store the audio data collected and stored by the loudness data collection module according to a second time period. The stored audio data can be processed and displayed to a user in a number of ways. The data can also be used to provide loudness data control. For example, a loudness data control module can perform an audio AGC function to control audio loudness.

System and method to monitor audio loudness and provide audio automatic gain control

A system and method for operating the same includes a receiving circuit module having a housing having an input for a first signal, a first encoder disposed within the housing encoding the first signal to form a first encoded signal and a second encoder disposed within the housing encoding the first signal to form a second encoded signal having a different format than the first signal. A first multiplexer receives the first encoded signal. A second multiplexer different than the first multiplexer receives the second encoded signal.

Method and system for operating a communication system encoded into multiple independently communicated encoding formats

A receiving circuit module and method for operating the same includes a housing receiving a first signal, a first encoder disposed within the housing encoding the first signal to form a first encoded signal and a second encoder disposed within the housing encoding the first signal to form a second encoded signal having a different format than the first signal.

Method and system for operating a receiving circuit module to encode a channel signal into multiple encoding formats

A system and method for operating the same includes an IP network, a remote facility and a local collection facility in communication with the local collection facility through the IP network. The local collection facility receives local channel signals at a local collection facility and encodes the local channel signals into respective IP signals. The local collection facility includes a router routing the respective IP signals through an IP network to a remote facility.

Method and system for communicating between a local collection facility and a remote facility

A system, apparatus, and method provide the ability to process media content streams. A primary and backup multiplexer are each configured to receive and multiplex multiple video streams to output IP multicast streams with unique unicast addresses. A primary and backup uniform transport processing system (UTPS) join the IP multicast streams and output each stream using a unique multicast group. Multiple virtual local area networks (VLANs) separate the joins of the primary UTPS from the joins of the backup UTPS. Primary and backup modulators join the IP multicast streams output from the primary or backup UTPS and convert the joined stream to radio frequency for uplink to a broadcast distribution network.

Redundant universal transport processing system

A garbled closed captioning detector analyzes closed captioning data at predetermined intervals to determine whether a metric derived from the closed-captioning data exceeds a threshold. If the metric exceeds the predetermined threshold, the closed captioning data is presumed to be garbled. For example, the metric may be the percentage of words in the closed captioning data having a desired word length observed in a particular interval compared to all words in the closed captioning data observed in the interval. If the percentage of words having a desired word length exceeds a predetermined threshold, the closed captioning data is presumed to be garbled.

System and method to detect garbled closed captioning

A receiving circuit module for receiving different types of channel signals includes a housing having a first input, a second input and an input-output port disposed therein and a controller receiving a control signal. The controller switches between the first input and second output and generates an output signal corresponding to the first input or the second input in response to the control signal.

Method and system for operating a receiving circuit for multiple types of input channel signals

A system and method suitable for collecting local television signals includes a local collection facility having a plurality of primary receiver circuit modules with a first receiver circuit module and a back-up receiver module. The local collection facility includes the first receiver circuit module receiving and demodulating the first channel signal and forming a first IP signal. The first receiver has a first multicast group. The back-up receiver circuit module receives and demodulates the first channel signal and forming a second signal. The back-up receiver has a second multicast group. A remote facility is spaced apart from the local collection facility and communicates with the local collection facility through an IP backhaul. A primary decoder within the remote facility is communication with the IP backhaul and forms a decoded signal from the first IP signal. The primary decoder belongs to the first multi-cast group. A primary encoder within the remote facility communicates with the primary decoder and forms a first encoded signal from the decoded signal. A multiplexer multiplexes the first encoded signal into a multiplexed signal. A monitoring system includes commanding the primary decoder to join the second multicast group and discontinue the first multicast group. The primary decoder forms the decoded signal from the second IP signal.

Method and system for monitoring and controlling a back-up receiver in local collection facility from a remote facility using an IP network

A system and method for collecting signals includes an IP network, a remote facility and a local collection facility in communication with the local collection facility through the IP network. The local collection facility receives channel signals, encoding the channel signals into respective IP signals, communicating the respective IP signals through an IP network to the remote facility. The remote facility controls an antenna switch at the local collection facility to communicate a first channel signal of the channel signals to a monitoring receiver circuit module. The local collection facility generates a monitoring signal at the monitoring receiver circuit module and communicates the monitoring signal through to a remote facility through the IP network.

Method and system for monitoring and encoding signals in a local facility and communicating the signals between a local collection facility and a remote facility using an IP network

A method and system of collecting local television signals includes a local collection facility a plurality of primary receiver circuit modules comprising a first receiver circuit module. The first receiver circuit module receives and demodulates the first channel signal and forms an IP signal. A remote facility is spaced apart from the local collection facility and communicates with the local collection facility through an IP backhaul. A primary decoder within the remote facility is in communication with the IP backhaul and forms a decoded signal from the IP signal. A primary encoder within the remote facility in communication with the primary decoder forms a first encoded signal from the decoded signal. A multiplexer in the remote facility multiplexes the first encoded signal into a multiplexed signal. The multiplexed signal may provide an output signal used for uplinking or other type of distribution.

Method and system for monitoring and controlling a local collection facility from a remote facility through an IP network

A system and method suitable for processing television signals includes a remote facility and a local collection facility in communication with the remote facility. The local facility has a plurality of receivers receiving a plurality of channel signals and a plurality of encoders generating a plurality of encoded signals from the plurality of channel signals. The local collection facility includes a primary multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals to form a first multiplexed signal and communicates the first multiplexed signal to the remote facility. A monitoring system at a remote facility commanding switching to a back-up multiplexer at the local collection facility. The back-up multiplexer multiplexing the plurality of encoded signals to form a second multiplexed signal and communicating the second multiplexed signal to the remote facility. The remote facility generating an output signal in response to the second multiplexed signal.

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Redondo Beach, CA, United States of America

Daniel M Miner