SI21631A - Procedure and device for high-quality signal distribution, preferablytv and/or radio signals - Google Patents

Abstract

Subject of the provided invention is the procedure and device for high-quality signal distribution, preferably TV and/or radio signals, and solves the problems regarding the processing of analogue and digital TV and radio signals, which some providers distribute with the help of existing ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), since the limited bandwidth of each channel of up to 4 Mb/s results in a lower signal quality or limited data throughput. The standard maximum data baud rate for system users, which offer TV programs via the ADSL network is 8 Mb/s and the data baud rate for each channel over 4 Mb/s would mean a decrease in the signal quality. Another technical problem, which the providers of such services are facing, arises from the properties of the ADSL network, where the available bandwidth oscillates regarding the local telephone exchange (last-mile telephone line). The patent according to the invention solves these problems by enabling the use of alternative technologies for receiving TV signals live at the highest quality level, which represents an upgrade of the existing technical level. The system according to the invention in the application case enables the reception of at least 110 TV signals without any theoretical maximum number of channels. The main feature of the invention is the digital conversion of most of the digital signals (originating from either satellite or any other transceivers, which has no effect on the essence of the invention) preferably in MPEG-2 format, into equivalent data streams for transmitting to several users (currently known as multicast streams), by which the original quality of the input signals, preferably TV signals is maintained.

Description

The field of technology

Telecommunications; data transmission; digital television.

Description of a technical problem

The processing of analogue and digital television and radio signals, which some providers distribute through existing ADSLs (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), results in poor signal quality or data flow limitation, limiting the bandwidth of each channel to 4 Mbps. The usual data rate limitation for users of systems offering TV programs over the ADSL network is 8Mb / s, and the data rate for an individual channel above 4 Mbps would mean a decrease in signal quality. Another technical problem faced by providers of such services stems from the features of the ADSL network, where the available bandwidth varies with the length of the last-mile telephone line. Users of such systems usually rarely have access to lines that allow for larger bandwidths.

The state of the art

Currently, approximately 60 television channels can be received in Slovenia with the help of active cable operators. There are operators known in the world to offer live television broadcasts over ADSL networks, with the upper limit of the data transfer rate being 4 Mbps, otherwise the signal quality will drop.

Description of the new solution

The object of the present invention is a method and apparatus for quality distribution of signals, preferably television and / or radio, and solves the technical problem presented above. For the purposes of this application, the terms signal or channel are used concurrently or as equivalents, in each case the signal is meant as a carrier of the data stream of a particular television, radio or other media channel, regardless of format (digital, analogue, etc.) or content. The invention is made with the help of elements which are self-known in the art, but their assembly, in the way presented in this patent, is a combination that gives a surprising technical effect of quality signals, for example, of TVs and radio channels, unlike the prior art.

The problem of limiting the bandwidth with respect to the length of the local telephone connection (the last-mile telephone line, which is known in the prior art for connection from the user to the network, in which case it is a telephone connection) is solved according to the invention in such a way as to provide users with the highest possible bandwidth, depending on available technology. As a consequence of this solution, it is possible to use alternative technologies for receiving live TV channels at the highest possible quality, which upgrades the present state of the art. The system of the invention, in the embodiment, allows the reception of at least 110 television channels, without the theoretical upper limit of the number of channels.

The invention according to the invention comprises a television head unit which enables reception of a signal from either a terrestrial or satellite broadcasting station in either analogue or digital form. The TV head unit comprises at least one integrated receiver / decoder (hereinafter IRD), which receives the signals and decodes the individual signal as necessary and the decoded signal and other signals, including but not limited to free (FTA or free-to-air) broadcast signals into a video hub. A video hub (hereinafter referred to as VC) comprises at least one module, which is either an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter or a demultiplexer. An A / D converter converts an analog signal to a digital signal. The signals are derived from the A / D converter in Internet protocol packets (hereinafter referred to as IP packets), preferably in MPEG-2 format. A demultiplexer is a device known in the art that extracts from a plurality of (at least two) digital signals one sought signal, according to the instructions of a control device operated by a system user. The signals are derived from the demultiplexer also in IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format. Of course, a VC can consist of multiple modules, concurrent A / D and demultiplexer. IP packets from an A / C module or demultiplexer are routed to the VC baseplate, which places the IP packets in the output stream {data stream.), In the order of their input, and provides a control mechanism that allows the individual TV communicator to extract the desired signal from the data stream that the individual end user of the system wants to receive.

In an embodiment, the IRDs comprise at least one ansynchronous serial interface (hereinafter referred to as ASI) that transmits signals from the IRD directly to the VC. From a set of signals, in the embodiment in the form of a data stream in the prior art, the well-known MPEG-2 (standard for generic encoding of moving images and associated audio signals, in accordance with the standards of the ISO / IEC 13818 series), is made available to the user via a control unit which is not the subject of this invention, selects the desired data streams {data stream). These front-end units are repackaged by the TV unit into IP packets and forwarded to the Internet Protocol Network (hereinafter referred to as IP Network).

The TV head unit is capable of distributing channels to conventional cable television systems as well as to IP networks and may further comprise receivers and modulators (known in the art), at least one modular video hub comprising at least one module for demultiplexing MPEG-2 streams. In a particular embodiment, the TV front unit may further comprise at least one statistical multiplexer and at least one bit rate compressor.

The role of a bandwidth compression device is to slightly offset the bit rate of a few channels with bandwidths higher than the maximum bandwidth in ADSL networks (8 Mbps), which allows the user to access the channels most wasteful with bandwidth. Despite this approach, unlike the conventional approach (i.e. conversion from analogue to digital form), the signal retains a sufficiently high quality of the distributed signal.

Statistical multiplexers are devices known in the art and used to combine individual signals into a single combined signal, which is then transmitted over networks), which allows for an increase in the number of channels per single input of the digital part of the TV front. The cost per input of such multiplexers is significantly lower than the cost of a conventional system for repacking digital signals from one carrier or form to another carrier or form (known in the art as the digital tum-around system). According to the invention, it is also possible to use a statistical remultiplexer comprising a demultiplexer, a device or system for selecting the set of desired channels and a multiplexer that reconnects the signals of the demultiplexed selected channels.

The essence of the invention is therefore the digital conversion of most digital signals (which may originate from satellite or other transmitters, which does not change the essence of the invention), preferably in MPEG-2 form, into equivalent data streams for transmitting to multiple recipients (known in the art as multicast streams), thus maintaining the original quality of the input signals, preferably TV signals. It should not be overlooked that such signals have a time-varying bandwidth (which is equivalent to the term bit-rate or in the prior art known bit-rate) and are therefore traditionally rejected as signals that could be successfully transmitted through IP networks. Applicant's tests have shown that for most broadcast TV channels, the proposed procedure is satisfactory and accepted as such by end users.

In the following, the essence of the invention is explained more precisely by means of the drawings, wherein the drawings form part of the patent application and are included in the patent application by reference.

1 shows an apparatus according to the invention according to the first embodiment, namely a satellite dish (1), an IRD (2), a video concentrator, hereinafter referred to as VC (3), a receiving ASI (4), a transmitting ASI (5), a network connection, preferably Ethernet, eg at a speed of lGb / s (6), IP network (7).

2 shows a device according to the invention according to another embodiment, namely, a satellite dish (1), an IRD (2), a video concentrator, hereinafter referred to as VC (3), a receiving ASI (4), a transmitting ASI (5), a network connection, preferably Ethernet, eg at a speed of lGb / s (6), IP network (7).

Figure 3 shows the device according to the invention according to the third embodiment, namely satellite dish (1), IRD (2), video concentrator, hereinafter referred to as VC (3), receiving ASI (4), transmitting ASI (5), network connection, preferably Ethernet, eg lgb / s (6), IP network (7), statistical remultiplexer (8).

In the first embodiment, the satellite receiver (1) receives the signals and sends them to the TV front unit, which in this embodiment comprises IRD (2) and VC (3). IRD decodes (either from an analog signal or an encoded digital signal) an example single channel. The signals of all channels, including the decoded channel, and all other channels (eg from free surface transmitters) are then sent to the VC (3), which first repackages the signals into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format, by the procedure described above. it is included in the data stream and sent to the IP network (7), the device being designed to transmit only those signals whose transmission (redistribution) is either free or allowed.

According to another embodiment, a TV front unit comprising a cascaded IRD (2) is shown, wherein each IRD decodes exactly one encrypted (in the state of the art known as encrypted) channel and a VC. Each subsequent IRD permits the passage of signals from all previously decoded channels and all free, non-encoded (known as FTA or free-to-air) channels and transmits to the next IRD in the chain its just decoded signal. The last IRD in the chain sends the entire decoded signal set of all the decoded channels and all other channels to the video hub (3), as in the first embodiment. Figure 2 shows two IRDs, but this should not be taken as a limitation; the number of IRDs can be arbitrary, as can the number of decoded channels. The signals of all the aforementioned channels are then sent to the IP network (7), whereby the device is designed to transmit only those signals whose transmission (redistribution) is either free or allowed.

According to a third embodiment, a TV front unit with a performed statistical remultiplexing with a statistical remultiplexer (8) is shown, comprising the process of combining signals from multiple IRDs (2) into a single multiplexed signal sent to the video concentrator, thereby reducing the cost to individual channel input. In doing so, IRDs (2) can receive signals from various physical signal receivers such as satellite or ordinary antennas. The rest of the system is implemented with VC (3) and IP network (7), as in the first and second embodiment.

The device according to the invention may further comprise a set top box TV capable of decoding (i.e., converting the signal transmitted from the digital TV) to MPEG-2 or other digital signal transmitted through the IP network by the TV front unit and connected with an IP network, the TV communicator is also able to transmit the signal in the proper quality to the TV, and has a built-in internet browser. The selected TV communicator is capable of receiving multicast (capable of receiving an IP stream of data transmitted to multiple users) IP stream of data directly from the IP network without additional instructions from the server. Through a specially formulated URL - igmp: // <multicast-ip-address: port> / the TV communicator will immediately activate the desired TV or radio signal of the desired channel coming to its IP address or port. This approach allows you to create a user interface in any of the existing languages, such as HTML or JavaScript, that loads from the web server at startup and no longer loads the server later. All user-configurable data is stored locally on the TV communicator itself, for example instructions for using TV channels from which the user can select the desired channel to be monitored.

If the user is using an additional computer to access the Internet, a switch, such as 5 ports 10/100 Mbps, must be installed between the ADSL modem and both devices (computer and TV communicator).

The network that distributes the signals from the television front of the invention is a network commonly used to access the Internet, allowing users to simultaneously use other Internet services (eg, browsing the Internet) and monitor TV channel signals . The Broadband Remote Access Server (hereinafter referred to as B-RAS, which includes ADSL) uses a known process of quality control of transmitted data (QoS or a state of the art known as Quality of Service, in translation » quality of service ") due to more difficult TV signals, for the benefit of the quality it receives the end user. A special IP logical network, with its set of (private) IP addresses, is built to transmit TV signals and is hidden behind a firewall. At least two sub-interfaces on the B-RAS are created for each user, so that there are at least two logical networks on the same actual (physical) network.

These sub-interfaces are examples of:

The PPPoE (point-to-point protocol over ethemet) sub-interface provides "classic" Internet access through a PC,

Bridge for the distribution of TV signals to a TV communicator, which is additionally protected by an ACL filter (known in the art as the Access List, which means an access list, or a list of permitted and unauthorized packages) to B-RAS, which determines the allowed traffic in this part of the network, which prevents unauthorized access to TV communicators by third parties.

The invention leaves the conventional IP network for PCs unchanged, with public IP addresses, without firewalls, in order to allow the end user to access the Internet seamlessly through the PPPoE sub-interface.

For Telekbm Slovenia

Dr. Jure Mai

Patent Agent

Claims (15)

A method for quality distribution of signals, preferably television and / or radio, comprising receiving a digital or analog signal and transmitting that signal to a receiver, preferably television and / or radio, characterized in that it comprises repackaging the signals into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format, encoding IP packets into a data stream, transmitting IP packets over a normal IP network, receiving IP packets from the user, and converting IP packets into a signal acceptable to the receiver, preferably television or radio. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises the decoding of a digital or analog signal. A method according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises sequential decoding of a digital or analog signal, with only one of the encoded digital or analog signals being decoded at each stage, and the remaining signals are kept unchanged. A method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises receiving a signal from different sources into at least two parallel coupled integral receivers / decoders, statistically remultiplexing the signals received from at least two parallel coupled integral receivers / decoders into one multiplexed signal, and repackaging this multiplexed signal with demultiplexer to IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format. A method according to any preceding claim, characterized in that it comprises repackaging the signals into IP packets first by converting them from analog to digital and then packing them into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format. Method according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises repackaging the signals into IP packets, first demultiplexing the desired digital signal and then packing them into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format. 7. A device for quality distribution of signals, preferably television and / or radio, comprising a TV front unit for receiving and converting signals, characterized in that the TV front unit further comprises at least one integral receiver / decoder for receiving analog and digital signals, and decoding at least one digital or analog signal, further comprising at least one video concentrator comprising a module for repackaging signals into IP packets and a module for classifying IP packets in a data stream emanating from a video concentrator and an interface for connecting to an IP network, wherein the TV is a front unit connected to at least one control unit by which the user of the device according to the invention selects the desired signal from at least two available signals. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the video concentrator module for repackaging the signals comprises a demultiplexer unit which, in conjunction with the control unit, extracts the desired signal from at least two digital signals and repackages them into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the video concentrator module for signal repackaging comprises an analog-to-digital converter that converts the analog signal to digital and repackages it into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format. Device according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that it comprises at least one integral receiver / decoder (2) that decodes one digital or one analog encoded signal, including receiving other signals, and then this integral receiver / decoder ( 2) sends a signal to a video hub (3), which repackages the signals into IP packets, preferably in MPEG-2 format, and encapsulates them into a data stream and sends them to an IP network (7), the device being designed to transmit only those signals whose transmission (redistribution) is either free or allowed. Device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that the IP network (7) according to which the signals from the TV front unit according to the invention are distributed is a network normally used to access the Internet so that users are enabled, to simultaneously use other Internet services and monitor TV channel signals, wherein the Broadband Remote Access Server comprises at least one interface for each user with at least two sub-interfaces, the first of the sub-interfaces comprising a PPPoE sub-interface for free access of computers to And the other of the sub-interfaces comprises a bridge for the distribution of TV signals to a TV communicator, the bridge being further protected so that it can only access a previously defined list of allowed packets on a broadband remote access server and is a bridge additionally protected in such a way that it prevents unauthorized access to the TV communicator. Apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that it comprises at least two integral receivers / decoders (2), which are connected in series such that each of the integral receivers / decoders (2) decodes exactly one and further encoded signal the decoded signal and all other signals, whether encoded or free in the next integral receiver / decoder (2), up to the last integral receiver / decoder according to this claim, which adds to its decoded signal all its encoded decoder signal and all signals decoded, still encoded and freely sent to the video hub (3). Apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that it comprises at least two integral receivers / decoders (2), each of which receives a signal from another physical signal receiver, for example a satellite or a conventional antenna, each output being integral receivers / decoders (2) connected to one of the inputs of the statistical multiplexer (8) that assembles the combined signal sent to the video concentrator (3). Apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 13, further comprising a TV communicator, which is a data stream receiving device and is connected to an IP network by a built-in Internet browser for converting from IP packets in the TV a transmitted signal, wherein is a TV communicator capable of receiving an IP stream of data sent to multiple users. Apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 14, characterized in that at the time of starting the TV communicator a user interface is loaded into it from the web server and all user configurable data is stored on the TV communicator itself, without burdening the web server to which the TV communicator is connected and further characterized in that the TV communicator comprises a switch for simultaneous access via a TV communicator of connected personal computers to the IP network.