System and method for content transmission network selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10225594-B2
Application number	US-201615297533-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2016
Priority date	Dec 20, 2001
Publication date	Mar 5, 2019
Grant date	Mar 5, 2019

Abstract

A content transmission selection system is disclosed. The content transmission selection system receives requests from viewers for specific video content items. Using characteristics of the designated content item, the content transmission selection system determines whether to transmit the content item over a broadcast network or a broadband network.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving, by a processing system comprising a processor, a request for viewing video content at a media processor;
determining, by the processing system, that the media processor is communicatively coupled to the processing system via a first network and to a second network distinct from the first network;
identifying, by the processing system, a geographic location of the media processor;
determining, by the processing system, a content size for the video content;
determining, based on user-generated input, a first number of requests from different viewers requesting the video content over the first network and a second number of requests from different viewers requesting the video content over the second network;
selecting, by the processing system, a transmit network from one of the first network or the second network resulting in a selected transmit network according to the geographic location of the media processor, content size for the video content, geographic boundaries of at least one of the first network and the second network, transport costs on the first network and the second network, the first number of requests, and the second number of requests;
sending, by the processing system, a notification to the media processor, the notification including transmission characteristics of the video content, wherein the media processor utilizes the transmission characteristics to identify the selected transmit network and to determine an isolation procedure for the video content on the selected transmit network; and
delivering, by the processing system, the video content to the media processor over the selected transmit network.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining, by the processing system, a first available bandwidth for the first network and a second available bandwidth for the second network, wherein the selecting of the transmit network further comprises selecting, by the processing system, the transmit network as one of the first network or the second network resulting in the selected transmit network according to one of the first available bandwidth and the second available bandwidth.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising formatting, by the processing system, the video content according to the selected transmit network.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the transmission characteristics comprise an indication of the formatting of the video content.

5. The method of claim 3 , further comprising encrypting, by the processing system, the video content according to the formatting of the video content.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the transmission characteristics comprise an indication of the encrypting of the video content.

7. A device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a request for viewing video content at a media processor;
determining whether the media processor is communicatively coupled to a first network and to a second network distinct from the first network;
determining, by the processing system, a content size for the video content;
determining, based on user-generated input, a first number of requests from different viewers requesting the video content over the first network and a second number of requests from different viewers requesting the video content over the second network;
selecting a transmit network from one of the first network or the second network resulting in a selected transmit network according to the content size for the video content, geographic boundaries of at least one of the first network and the second network, transport costs on the first network and the second network, the first number of requests, and the second number of requests;
sending a notification to the media processor, the notification including transmission characteristics of the video content, wherein the media processor utilizes the transmission characteristics to identify the selected transmit network and to determine an isolation procedure for the video content on the selected transmit network; and
delivering the video content to the media processor over the selected transmit network.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprising determining a geographic location of the media processor and wherein the selecting of the transmit network further comprises selecting the transmit network as one of the first network or the second network resulting in the selected transmit network according to the geographic location of the media processor.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise determining a first available bandwidth for the first network and a second available bandwidth for the second network, wherein the selecting of the transmit network further comprises selecting the transmit network as one of the first network or the second network resulting in the selected transmit network according to one of the first available bandwidth and the second available bandwidth.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the operations further comprise formatting the video content according to the selected transmit network.

11. The device of claim 10 , wherein the transmission characteristics comprise an indication of the formatting of the video content.

12. The device of claim 10 , wherein the operations further comprise encrypting the video content according to the formatting of the video content.

13. The device of claim 12 , wherein the transmission characteristics comprise an indication of the encrypting of the video content.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving a request for viewing video content at a media processor;
determining that the media processor is communicatively coupled to a first network and to a second network distinct from the first network;
identifying a first available bandwidth for the first network and a second available bandwidth for the second network;
determining, by the processing system, a content size for the video content;
determining, based on user-generated input, a first number of requests from different viewers requesting the video content over the first network and a second number of requests from different viewers requesting the video content over the second network;
selecting a transmit network from one of the first network or the second network resulting in a selected transmit network according to the first available bandwidth for the first network and the second available bandwidth for the second network, content size for the video content, geographic boundaries of at least one of the first network and the second network, transport costs on the first network and the second network, the first number of requests, and the second number of requests;
sending, by the processing system, a notification to the media processor, the notification including transmission characteristics of the video content, wherein the media processor utilizes the transmission characteristics to identify the selected transmit network and to determine an isolation procedure for the video content on the selected transmit network; and
delivering the video content to the media processor over the selected transmit network.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise formatt

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Gray James H
• Koch Robert A

Classifications

• H04N21/6125

  involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82) · CPC title

• H04N21/266

  Channel or content management, e.g. generation and management of keys and entitlement messages in a conditional access system, merging a VOD unicast channel into a multicast channel · CPC title

• H04N21/26216 Primary

  involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth (admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61) · CPC title

• H04N21/4622

  Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859) · CPC title

• H04N21/2347

  involving video stream encryption · CPC title