The Directv Group, Inc.

The Grass Valley Group, Inc.

Hughes Electronics Corporation

Eigden Video

James A Michener

Hanno Basse

Leon J Stanger

Raynold M Kahn

Robert H Plummer

Michael R Munsell

Joseph Santoru

Peter M Klauss

Daniel M Miner

Heather Truong

Kevin Culwell

Sassan Pejhan

An P Vuong

Richard Kent Newman

Leon J Stranger

Uy X Nguyen

Trevor Yang

Mitchell B Wasden

Chao-Kung Yang

Vladislav Kolegayev

Maria G Popoli

George Foster

Nancy Fee

Sharon Dilorenzo

Michael Castorino

Michael J Bernadett

Irene Martin

David Wallace

Embodiments facilitating mixed service use of bonded satellite transponders in communication systems are provided. An apparatus comprises a first multiplexer configured to receive first content from first channels of a first type of channel, a second multiplexer configured to receive second content from second channels of a second type of channel, and a transport stream processor (TSP). The TSP can be configured to output the received first content and the second content to modulators respectively associated with different channels for transmission of the first type of channel and the second type of channel, wherein the different channels are transmitted to a bonded satellite transponders, which transmits to a receiver. In some embodiments, the apparatus can comprise a multiplexer aggregator coupled between the TSP and the first multiplexer and the second multiplexer. The first content can be high bit-rate information and the second content can be lower bit-rate information.

Facilitating mixed service use of bonded satellite transponders

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 communication system includes a content repository storing a content file and a video transport processing system receiving the content file and dividing the content file into a plurality of content file portions, forming a leading data portion, determining a cyclic redundancy check value, forming a trailing data portion with the cyclic redundancy check value therein, forming a content data stream from the leading data portion, the plurality of content file portions and trailing data portion. The system also includes a system communicating the content data stream to a user device.

Method and system for forming a formatted content stream and using a cyclic redundancy check

A communication system includes a content repositorystoring a content file and a video transport processing systemin communication with the content repository. The video transport processing systemreceives a plurality of conditional access information, stores a relative time of arrival of each of the plurality of conditional access information and encrypts the content file using the plurality of conditional access information and the relative time of arrival to form an encrypted content file.

Method and system for forming a content stream with conditional access information and a content file

Content delivery systems and methods to operate the same are disclosed. A disclosed example content delivery system comprises: a receiver station; a content server to transfer a file to a receiver via a point-to-point communication signal; and a transmission source that includes a computer readable medium to store the file containing pre-packetized content data and a controller to send the file containing the pre-packetized content data to a broadcast transmitter and to the content server.

Content delivery systems and methods to operate the same

Essential data elements, particularly entitlement control messages (ECMs), are inserted in a manner that reduces the overhead bit rate without effecting overall tuning time at the customer receiver or security in satellite, cable or other programming networks. ECMs are inserted into the transport stream by detecting random access points (RAPS) in the encoded programming and inserting the ECM packets in a window just ahead of the RAP.

Just in time delivery of entitlement control messages (ECMs) and other essential data elements for television programming

A method and apparatus for synchronizing audio and video portions of a media program signal is disclosed. In a transmitting embodiment, the method comprises the steps of identifying a video event according to an video event discriminant in the video signal, and inserting a timing signal into the audio signal, and the apparatus comprises a video analysis module for identifying a video event according to an video event discriminant in the video signal, a timing signal generator for generating a timing signal, and a mixer for inserting the timing signal into the audio signal.

Audio video timing measurement and synchronization

Just in time delivery of entitlement control message (ECMs) and other essential data elements for television programming

Methods and apparatus for broadcasting high quality audio 'studio direct' with the same digital information employed in the studio by the video producer with AC-3 digital audio signals for broadcast to integrated receiver decoders (IRD). Control over individual data bits such as copyright bits is maintained by determining the bit status, comparing it to a preferred status, changing the status if it does not comply with the preferred status, and reevaluating cyclical redundancy check value in each data packet to avoid disruption in the data transmission. The system includes an uplink device which automatically checks, logs and reports errors in Dolby Digital AC-3 signals by a monitor which employs a processor, a digital audio card and an SMPTE timecode reader. The monitor employs a state machine that finds AC-3 packets, locks into the packets and detects discontinuities or loss of signal. A sound card having an input for receiving house reference AES clock pulses enables the AES clock of the playback signal to be locked to the frequency of a production house master as a time code reader or an editor's contact closure match video and audio signals playback.

Error monitoring of a Dolby Digital AC-3 bit stream

A system and method for adding auxiliary data Dto an output data stream from a statistical multiplexer is disclosed. An auxiliary multiplexer accepts a statistically multiplexed data stream, and substitutes auxiliary data packets for null data packets. The auxiliary multiplexer controls the number of null packets in the statistically multiplexed data stream by controlling the target bandwidth Bof the statistical multiplexer, or by modifying the statistical multiplexer equation to make the auxiliary data stream a participant in the negotiation process of allocating throughput among the data sources.

Exploitation of null packets in packetized digital television systems

Methods of testing receiver video fidelity are disclosed. One example method includes producing a video test signal; coupling the video test signal into an input of the receiver, wherein the video test signal is configured to cause a decoder to output a step function signal upon processing the video test signal; coupling the step function signal to a display rate converter; and measuring signal characteristics of signals provided at a receiver output.

Methods and apparatus to test receivers

A system and method for merging of multiple encoded audio and video streams into a single program in the transport stream enables playback of any audio stream with any video stream. This is accomplished by first locking the frequency of audio and video input streams for a plurality of different programs to a source clock, independently encoding each program with its own PCR and PTS into a program stream, multiplexing the program streams into a transport stream, and then synchronizing the PCR and PTS of the program streams to a declared master PCR.

Merging of multiple encoded audio-video streams into one program with source clock frequency locked and encoder clock synchronized

Audio level control is provided for compressed audio. Scale factors for the compressed audio are extracted from an MPEG audio data stream, the extracted scale factors are altered without decompressing the compressed audio, and the MPEG audio data stream is updated with the altered scale factors. All of the scale factors in the MPEG audio data stream are altered based on a parameter identifying how the gain levels in the MPEG data stream are to be altered.

Growing community of inventors

Grass Valley, CA, United States of America

James A Michener