Method and apparatus for delivering media content and backup media content using multiple networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016157209-A1
Application number	US-201414556383-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 1, 2014
Priority date	Dec 1, 2014
Publication date	Jun 2, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, providing a content stream to a media processor over a first network where the content stream comprises first media content, evaluating a quality of the first media content according to a quality threshold, and responsive to a determination that the quality of the first media content does not satisfy the quality threshold, providing to a cellular device second media content over a multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of a cellular network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A media processor comprising:
a processor circuit; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor circuit, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving, over a first network, a content stream comprising first media content;
evaluating a quality of the first media content according to a quality threshold;
transmitting a content request responsive to a first determination that the quality of the first media content does not satisfy the quality threshold;
responsive to the content request, receiving, via a cellular device, second media content over a multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of a cellular network, wherein the second media content is a same content as the first media content;
presenting, via a display, the second media content; and
responsive to a second determination that the quality of the first media content satisfies the quality threshold, ceasing the presenting of the second media content and presenting, via the display, the first media content.

2 . The media processor of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the content stream is via a broadcast of the content stream over the first network, wherein the cellular device is integrated with the media processor, wherein the transmitting of the content request is via the cellular device over the cellular network to a cellular content source that has access to the second media content, and wherein the transmitting of the content request is not over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network.

3 . The media processor of claim 2 , wherein the cellular content source accesses the second media content from a broadcast content source that supplies the first media content over the first network.

4 . The media processor of claim 1 , wherein the first media content comprises video content having a first format, and wherein the second media content comprises the video content having a second format.

5 . The media processor of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise: transmitting a cease message that causes the receiving of the second media content over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel to cease, and wherein the evaluating of the quality of the first media content is based on a signal-to-noise ratio analysis.

6 . The media processor of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise evaluating a second quality of the second media content according to the quality threshold, wherein the presenting of the second media content is responsive to a third determination that a quality of the second media content satisfies the quality threshold.

7 . The media processor of claim 1 , wherein the receiving of the content stream is via a unicast or multicast of the content stream over the first network, and wherein the evaluating of the quality of the first media content according to the quality threshold is based on user input.

8 . The media processor of claim 1 , wherein the cellular device is integrated with a mobile communication device, and wherein the receiving of the second media content is from the mobile communication device that receives the second media content from a cellular content source over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network.

9 . A method comprising:
providing, by a system including a processor, a content stream to a media processor over a first network, wherein the content stream comprises first media content; evaluating, by the system, a quality of the first media content according to a quality threshold; responsive to a determination that the quality of the first media content does not satisfy the quality threshold, providing, by the system to a cellular device, second media content over a multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of a cellular network, wherein the second media content is a same content as the first media content, wherein the cellular device is in communication with the media processor, and wherein the providing of the second media content causes the media processor to replace a first presentation of the first media content with a second presentation of the second media content.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the providing of the second media content over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network comprises:
transmitting a content transmission request to a network device of the cellular network that causes the network device to transmit the second media content over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the content transmission request includes a geographic location of the media processor.

12 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the evaluating of the quality of the first media content is based on a quality message received by the system from the media processor according to an evaluation of the first media content performed by the media processor.

13 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the cellular device is integrated with a mobile communication device, and wherein the providing of the second media content is to the mobile communication device over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network which causes the mobile communication device to transmit the second media content to the media processor.

14 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the providing of the content stream to the media processor over the first network is via a broadcast, and wherein the cellular device is integrated with the media processor.

15 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising transmitting, by the system, a cease message that causes ceasing of the providing of the second media content over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network.

16 . The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
monitoring a number of content requests in a geographic location, wherein the providing of the second media content over the multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network is responsive to a determination that the number of content requests satisfies a request threshold for the geographic location.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the transmitting of the cease message is responsive to a determination that the quality of the first media content is higher than a quality of the second media content.

18 . A machine-readable storage device, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
providing a content stream to a media processor over a first network, wherein the content stream comprises first media content; monitoring maintenance events associated with the first network; responsive to a determination that a maintenance event affects the providing of the content stream to the media processor, transmitting a content transmission request to a network device of a cellular network that causes the network device to transmit second media content over a multicast-broadcast single-frequency network channel of the cellular network to the media processor via a cellular device, wherein the second media content is a same content as the first media content, wherein the cellular device is in communication with the media processor, and wherein the transmitting of the content transmission request causes the media processor to replace a first presentation of the first media content wit

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Baldwin Christopher

Classifications

• H04W72/542

  using measured or perceived quality · CPC title

• H04W72/30 Primary

  Resource management for broadcast services · CPC title

• H04W72/085

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W72/005 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L1/08

  by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system {(H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence)} · CPC title