Transmission and distribution of digital television signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10827229-B2
Application number	US-201816222786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2018
Priority date	Jan 30, 2004
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A system for the end-to-end delivery of digital television signals. In a preferred embodiment a digital television signal is: received from production equipment, typically in HD format at approximately 1.4 gigabits per second (Gbps); the received signal is transmitted to a venue point-of-presence; converted for transmission via a 270 Mbps local loop; transmitted to a fiber network point of presence/video service edge; packetized into TCP/IP packets in a video gateway; and routed to one or more destination addresses via the fiber network; received at one or more video service edge destinations; converted to a digital television format, typically SDI; and either transmitted via a second 270 Mbps local loop for delivery to a customer site and subsequent conversion to a 1.4 Gbps HD signal, or converted directly to a 1.4 Gbs HD signal at the receiving video service edge.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a mezzanine level system comprising:
an encoder operable to compress a high-definition (HD) video signal at a first data rate to a data stream at a second data rate, said second data rate being lower than said first data rate; and
a communications device operable to transmit the data stream onto a local loop;

a video service edge site comprising:
a switch for receiving said data stream;
a video gateway in communication with said switch thereby operable to receive said data stream, wherein said video gateway is operable to convert said data stream into packets and output said packets through a gateway network connection; and
a label edge router in communication with said gateway network connection thereby operable to receive said packets therefrom and retransmit said packets via a Multiprotocol Level Switch (MPLS) network.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the mezzanine level system comprises:
a first converter operable to convert the data stream to an optical signal; and
a fiber optic link communicatively connecting said first converter to a second converter, wherein the second converter is operable to receive the optical signal from the first converter via the fiber optic link and reconvert the optical signal to the data stream, and wherein the second converter is communicatively connected to the local loop and operable to transmit the reconverted data stream thereon for communication to the switch at the video service edge site.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said packets are TCP/IP packets.

4. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said MPLS network is a fiber network.

5. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said local loop is a 270 Mbps loop.

6. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the data stream is in Serial Digital Interference (SDI) format.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the data stream is in Asynchronous Serial Interface (ASI) format.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 , wherein said first data rate is at least 1.4 Gpbs.

9. The system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
a second video service edge site comprising:
a second label edge router, said second label edge router operable to receive said packets from said MPLS network and output said packets through a router output; and
a second video gateway in communication with said router output thereby operable to receive said packets therefrom, wherein said second video gateway is operable to convert said packets to restore said data stream and output said data stream through a gateway digital output.

10. The system as recited in claim 9 , further comprising:
a decoder in communication with said gateway digital output thereby operable to receive said data stream therefrom, said decoder operable to decompress said data stream to restore the HD video signal at said first data rate.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 , wherein said decoder is located at a customer site and said decoder is in communication with said gateway digital output through a local loop.

12. The system as recited in claim 9 , wherein said second video gateway is located at a customer site and said second video gateway is in communication with said router output through an Ethernet switch loop or Ethernet local loop.

13. A system for the end-to-end digital transmission of a video signal comprising:
a mezzanine level system comprising:
an encoder for compressing a high-definition signal at a first data rate to a data stream at a second data rate; and
a first converter for converting said data stream to an optical signal;

a fiber optic link connecting a second converter for converting said optical signal back to said data stream;
a video service edge comprising:
a switch for receiving said data stream, said switch connected to said second converter through a local loop;
a video gateway in communication with said switch for receiving said data stream, wherein said data stream is configured by said video gateway into packets output through a gateway network connection; and
a label edge router in communication with said gateway network connection to receive said packets and retransmit said packets via a Multiprotocol Level Switch (MPLS) network.

14. The system as recited in claim 13 , wherein said packets are TCP/IP packets.

15. The system as recited in claim 13 , wherein said MPLS network is a fiber network.

16. The system as recited in claim 13 , further comprising:
a second video service edge comprising:
a second label edge router, said second label edge router receiving said packets from said MPLS network and outputs said packets through a router output; and
a second video gateway in communication with said router output to receive said packets, wherein said second video gateway converts said packets to restore said data stream through a gateway digital output.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:
a decoder for decompressing said data stream into an uncompressed HD signal at said first data rate, said decoder in communication with said gateway digital output for receiving said data stream.

18. The system as recited in claim 17 , wherein said decoder is located at a customer site and said decoder is in communication with said gateway digital output through a local loop.

19. The system as recited in claim 16 , wherein said second video gateway is located at a customer site and said second video gateway is in communication with said router output through an Ethernet switch loop or Ethernet local loop.

Assignees

• Level 3 Communications Llc

Inventors

• Beaudoin Scott
• Jones Scott
• Brillhart Scott
• Brown Michael
• Korte Ryan

Classifications

• H04N21/2381

  Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network {(transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601)} · CPC title

• H04N21/2343

  involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements {(video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762)} · CPC title

• H04N21/6405

  Multicasting {(data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18)} · CPC title

• H04N21/64322 Primary

  IP · CPC title

• H04N21/64707

  for transferring content from a first network to a second network, e.g. between IP and wireless · CPC title