Method and apparatus for distributing media

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9781184-B2
Application number	US-201414264901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2014
Priority date	Feb 27, 2009
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a media distribution device having a support structure adapted for removably receiving a server module, a plurality of encoders, and an Internet Protocol (IP) router module; and a bus adapted for placing the server module, the plurality of video encoders, and the IP router module in communication with each other, where the server module is adapted to receive media content, where the plurality of video encoders is adapted to generate a plurality of encoded media contents from the media content and the video encoders generate the encoded media contents in temporal proximity to each other, where the IP router module is adapted to distribute the plurality of encoded media contents over an IP network. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. 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 media content at a video server of a mobile distribution device;
identifying a communication device for presenting the media content and a media content format compatible with the communication device;
configuring a video encoder of the mobile distribution device based on the media content format;
directing the video encoder to generate first encoded media content and second encoded media content based on the media content and the media content format, wherein the first encoded media content comprises first error correction data and the second encoded media content comprises second error correction data, wherein the second encoded media content is generated via video scaling of the media content;
directing a network router of the mobile distribution device to distribute the first encoded media content over a network to a plurality of recipient devices;
directing a monitoring module of the mobile distribution device to monitor feedback data from a network device associated with the first encoded media content that is distributed via the network router; and
directing the network router to select the second encoded media content responsive to the feedback data that is monitored,
wherein the video server, the video encoder, the network router and the monitoring module comprise modules removably connectable with a chassis and interconnected according to an interconnect matrix,
wherein the first encoded media content is distributed to first and second recipient devices of the plurality of recipient devices via a first link and a second link, respectively, and
wherein responsive to the feedback data indicating a likelihood of loss of the second link, the network router distributes the first encoded media content via the first link and the second encoded media content via the second link, thereby maintaining the second link.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the media content is captured in near proximity to the mobile distribution device.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first encoded media content comprises a first video format and the second encoded media content comprises a second video format.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 3 , wherein a first video format comprises a first resolution of the media content and a first set of error correction data and wherein the second video format comprises a second resolution of the media content and a second set of error correction data.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise storing the media content that is received at a server module of the mobile distribution device.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the network device is located at a video head end office.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the feedback data comprises video quality.

8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the feedback data comprises information associated with faults associated with the first encoded media content that is distributed via the network router.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the feedback data comprises information associated with corrections associated with the first encoded media content that is distributed via the network router.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the first encoded media content is distributed by the network router to a central office for broadcast to a plurality of set-top boxes.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise directing the network router to adjust a characteristic of a video transport stream for distributing the second encoded media content.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise directing the video encoder to adjust a resolution of one of the first encoded media content or the second encoded media content responsive to the feedback data that is monitored.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein transmission of the first encoded media content at a communication link between the network and the communication device of a subscriber is monitored via the network device.

14. A router device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising:
receiving first encoded media content from a video encoder of a mobile distribution device, wherein the first encoded media content is generated according to media content that is received at a video server of the mobile distribution device;
distributing the first encoded media content over a network to a plurality of recipient devices;
receiving an instruction to switch to second encoded media content generated according to the media content responsive to feedback data associated with the distributing of the first encoded media content, wherein the second encoded media content is generated via video scaling of the media content, and wherein the feedback data is monitored by a monitoring module of the mobile distribution device; and
distributing the second encoded media content over the network, wherein the first and second encoded media content is encoded based on capabilities of a communication device to display the media content and a media content format compatible with the communication device, wherein the video server, the video encoder, the router device and the monitoring module comprise modules removably connectable with a chassis and interconnected according to an interconnect matrix, and wherein the first encoded media content is distributed to first and second recipient devices of the plurality of recipient devices via a first link and a second link respectively; and
responsive to the feedback data indicating a likelihood of loss of the second link, distributing the first encoded media content via the first link and the second encoded media content via the second link, thereby maintaining the second link.

15. The router device of claim 14 , wherein the first encoded media content comprises a first video format and the second encoded media content comprises a second video format.

16. The router device of claim 15 , wherein a first video format comprises a first resolution of the media content and a first set of error correction data and wherein the second video format comprises a second resolution of the media content and a second set of error correction data.

17. The router device of claim 14 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving an instruction to adjust a characteristic of a video transport stream responsive to the feedback data that is monitored; and
distributing the second encoded media content over the network according to the characteristic that is adjusted.

18. A method, comprising:
identifying, by a processing system including a processor, capabilities of a terminal device for displaying media content and a media content format compatible with the terminal device, the processing system comprising a mobile distribut

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp
• At & T Mobility Ii Llc

Inventors

• Johnston Robert
• Kennedy Larry
• Kingsmill Kirk

Classifications

• H04L65/60 Primary

  Network streaming of media packets · CPC title

• H04N21/6125

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

• H04N7/17318 Primary

  Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests · CPC title

• H04N21/234309

  by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo (conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01) · CPC title

• H04N21/23439

  for generating different versions · CPC title