WO2024115984A1

WO2024115984A1 - Method and system for monitoring multimedia streaming channels

Info

Publication number: WO2024115984A1
Application number: PCT/IB2023/060519
Authority: WO
Inventors: Joby SEBASTIAN; Sanket KUSHWAH; Kunal Singh; Asheesh Kumar CHOUHAN; Harit Nagpal
Original assignee: Tata Play Limited
Priority date: 2022-11-28
Filing date: 2023-10-18
Publication date: 2024-06-06
Also published as: CO2024006973A2

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a method and system for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels. The method includes receiving, by a processor, a notification and one or more parameters, related to an impacted channel. A carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the one or more parameters are identified by the system. Further, a router is switched to receive the carrier signal from the satellite. A satellite meter and a signal analyzer are tuned based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router. The satellite meter measures at least Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal. The signal analyzer displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal. The satellite meter and the signal analyzer are tuned for monitoring the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MONITORING MULTIMEDIA STREAMING CHANNELS

TECHNICAL FIELD

[001] The present disclosure generally relates to signal monitoring and more particularly, to a method and system for monitoring multimedia streaming channels.

BACKGROUND

[002] The rapid advancement of technology has increased the demand for digital services provided by communication satellites. Accordingly, communication satellites have been used for streaming multimedia content such as, news, sports, concerts and the like as events unfold in real-time from a venue. Such signals from satellites are impacted due to various reasons disrupting services and degrading viewing quality of multimedia streaming channels provided to a viewer. In one example, the satellite signals are predominantly affected by other radio frequency (RF) signals. Some other examples of events affecting the satellite signals include, but not limited to, intruding carriers, transponder saturation, atmospheric events and weather conditions such as, rain, isolation, sun outage and other degradation causes. For instance, streaming content service providers providing a High-Definition Television (HDTV) sport channel may be impacted due to an interfering signal. As such, quickly identifying the impacted multimedia streaming channel and resolving the issue is critical for broadcasters and satellite for providing a seamless view to the viewers of the multimedia streaming channel.

[003] Conventionally, when an impacted multimedia streaming channel is identified, an operator/technician travels to the earth/ground station and manually monitors signal parameters of a plurality of satellites. More specifically, the operator/technician uses various equipment such as, signal meters, spectrum analyzers and the like for identifying satellite associated with the impacted multimedia streaming channel. After identifying the satellite, the operator/technician may monitor the downlinks from the satellite to resolve the issue. For example, weather condition may have impacted a particular downlink of a satellite and as such, signal levels of the particular downlink may have to be increased. Such manual intervention by operators/technicians for monitoring impacted channels is cumbersome and time consuming. Moreover, delays in identifying the impacted channel may cause subscribers/viewers of the impacted channel to drop out, thereby impacting the broadcasters and service providers. [004] In view of the above discussion, there is a need for real-time monitoring of satellite signals to ensure prompt detection of impacted channel and providing timely solutions without any service degradations.

SUMMARY

[005] In an embodiment, a method for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels is disclosed. The method includes receiving, by a system, a notification and one or more parameters, related to an impacted channel of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels. The method includes identifying, by the system, a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the one or more parameters. The method includes switching, by the system, a router to receive the carrier signal from the satellite. The method includes tuning, by the system, a satellite meter based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router. The satellite meter measures at least Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal. The method includes tuning, by the system, a signal analyzer based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router. The signal analyzer displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal. The satellite meter and the signal analyzer are tuned for monitoring the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel.

[006] In another embodiment, a system for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels is disclosed. The system includes a memory configured to store instructions and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory and thereby cause the system to receive a notification and one or more parameters, related to an impacted channel of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels. The system is caused to identify a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the one or more parameters. The system is caused to switch a router to receive the carrier signal from the satellite. The system is caused to tune a satellite meter based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router. The satellite meter measures Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal. The system is caused to tune a signal analyzer based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router. The signal analyzer displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal. The satellite meter and the signal analyzer are tuned for monitoring the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel. [007] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[008] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of device and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

[009] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified representation of a environment depicting broadcasting, in which at least some example embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented;

[010] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram representation of various components for monitoring multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[Oil] FIG. 3 illustrates the system for monitoring multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[012] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method for monitoring multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[013] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a general-purpose computer for monitoring multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[014] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[015] In the present document, the word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration”. Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

[016] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.

[017] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a device or system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises ... a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the device or system or apparatus.

[018] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

[019] The term ‘multimedia streaming channel’ as used herein refers to any media content, live or recorded, continuously transmitted to a viewer device via a satellite. In general, the multimedia streaming channel refers to delivery of media content using space satellites. The multimedia streaming channel may correspond to an on demand media content or live streamed media content. For example, multimedia streaming channel may include movies, TV shows, YouTube videos, livestreamed content, and the like.

[020] The term ‘monitoring’ as used herein refers to continuous surveillance of a plurality of multimedia streaming channels for identifying an impacted channel. The multimedia streaming channels may be impacted due to various reasons such as, interference from other RF signals, intruding carriers, transponder saturation, atmospheric events, and weather conditions such as, rain, isolation, sun outage and other degradation causes. Accordingly, tracking of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels to identify an impacted channel and systematically gather and analyze information related to the impacted channel is referred to as monitoring. In one example, a multimedia streaming channel providing on demand video content, for example, movie, may be impacted due to weather condition and process of identifying this multimedia streaming channel (i.e., the impacted channel) automatically and collating signal characteristics and/or RF quality data for analyzing is referred to as monitoring. Such monitoring of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 1-4.

[021] FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified representation of an environment 100 depicting broadcasting, in which at least some example embodiments of the disclosure can be implemented. The environment 100 depicts a viewer 102 controlling an electronic device 104 for viewing/accessing multimedia streaming channels. The electronic device 104 is depicted to be a television (TV) set for illustration purposes. It is noted that the viewer 102 may use one or more electronic devices, such as a television (TV), a laptop, a smartphone, a desktop or a personal computer to view the multimedia streaming channels. The electronic device 104 is configured to display a plurality of multimedia streaming channels in form of high-definition (HD) video and/or standard-definition (SD) video to the viewer 102. In an example, a set-top box (not shown in FIG. 1) is configured to decode signals received from terrestrial sources (such as cable TV infrastructure) or extra-terrestrial sources (such as satellites) and transmit the decoded signals to the electronic device 104. The media signal decoded by the set-top box is presented to the viewer 102 by the electronic device 104 in the form of a multimedia streaming channel.

[022] The plurality of multimedia streaming channels is provided by one or more broadcasting servers, for example, broadcasting server 106, which is configured to receive media content, such as the SD video or the HD video, from various sources such as, broadcasters, content providers and/or by cable system operators and provides them as multimedia streaming channels to electronic devices such as, electronic device 104. Some nonlimiting examples of the media content provided by the multimedia streaming channels may include content such as news content, sports related content, entertainment content, and the like. It shall be noted that a single broadcasting server 106 is shown for exemplary purposes and the environment 100 may include a plurality of broadcasting servers.

[023] The plurality of broadcasting servers may transmit respective multimedia streaming channels to a corresponding satellite, for example, satellite 112a or satellite 112b via a broadcasting station (for example, broadcasting station 110 associated with broadcasting server 106). The broadcasting station 110 includes a transmitter pointed towards a specific satellite, for example, the satellite 112a, and the multimedia streaming channels (i.e., uplinked signals) are transmitted within a specific frequency range, so as to be received by one of the transponders of the satellite 112a tuned to that specific frequency range. In one example, the broadcasting server 106 transmits 5 multimedia streaming channels to satellite 112a via the broadcasting station 110 at frequency ranges of 6.5 GHz to 7 GHz. Similarly, different broadcasting servers may utilize the same broadcasting station 110 or a different broadcasting station to transmit their multimedia streaming channels to the viewer via different satellites. It shall be noted that although only two satellites have been depicted in FIG. 1, the geosynchronous orbit may house a plurality of satellites capable of broadcasting the plurality of multimedia streaming channels to different parts/regions in the environment 100.

[024] The satellites 112a, 112b receive the broadcast signal including the plurality of multimedia streaming channels from the broadcast station 110 and rebroadcast the broadcast signal to earth stations located at different geographic locations, for example, a receiving station 114. In general, the transponders of the satellite, for example, the satellite 112a retransmit the broadcast signal back to a receiving station 114 at a different frequency range, for example, 12-13 GHz band (i.e., Ku band), to avoid interference with the RF uplink signal. The receiving station 114 receives the broadcast signal (i.e., the plurality of multimedia streaming channels) and provides them to the viewer 102 via terrestrial sources such as, cable transmission infrastructure or extra-terrestrial sources (such as satellites). For example, the viewer 102 may request livestreaming of a cricket match and as such, the live feed from cricket venue may be relayed by the broadcast server 106 via the satellite 112a to the viewer 102. [025] In an example scenario, the multimedia streaming channel providing the live feed of cricket match on the electronic device 104 may be impacted. More specifically, the multimedia streaming channel received by the receiving station 114 may face disruptions due to RF signal interference from adjacent satellite 112b. As such, quickly identifying the impacted multimedia streaming channel and resolving the issue is critical for broadcasters and satellites for providing a seamless view to the viewer 102 of the multimedia streaming channel.

[026] Various embodiments of the present disclosure disclose a system 150 for monitoring the plurality of multimedia streaming channels. More specifically, the system 150 is an active monitoring system which tracks RF downlink performance of various carriers received from different satellites for quickly troubleshooting the impacted channel. In other words, the system 150 is configured to automatically perform certain tasks on identifying an impacted channel. As such, the system 150 collates information related to the impacted channel for analysis, for example, the streaming multimedia channel (i.e., RF signal) which is impacted is automatically routed via a RF router and various devices such as, spectrum analyzer, satellite meter, are tuned automatically to receive the RF signal. Monitoring multimedia streaming channels using various components is explained next with reference to FIG. 2.

[027] FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram representation 200 of various components for monitoring multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The representation 200 depicts the system 150 configured to monitor the plurality of multimedia streaming channels received from a plurality of satellites via a plurality of receiving stations 202a, 202b, ..., 202n. Each multimedia streaming channel of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels may be received on an RF downlink from a satellite, for example, 10 multimedia streaming channels are received from a satellite A via the receiving station 202a. More specifically, each satellite may stream more than one multimedia streaming channel at a different frequency range which may be received by at least one receiving station of the plurality of receiving stations 202a, 202b, ..., 202n.

[028] In an embodiment, the plurality of multimedia streaming channels is tracked by an alarm unit 204 to identify an event. The event may correspond to a disruption in service provided by the multimedia streaming channel or poor quality of the multimedia streaming channel. In general, the event identified by the alarm unit 204 indicates an impacted channel. As already explained, a multimedia streaming channel may be impacted due to various reasons. In an embodiment, the system 150 may identify the event corresponding to the impacted channel using application layer protocols such as but not limited to a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). The SNMP trap is an alert message (i.e., notification) sent from the alarm unit 204 to the system 150. In general, the alarm unit 204 identifies such an event and triggers a notification to the system 150. In addition, the alarm unit 204 sends one or more parameters related to an impacted channel to the system 150.

[029] The system 150 is configured to process the notification and the one or more parameters to perform one or more operations which are described in detail with reference to FIG. 3. In general, the system 150 is configured to identify a carrier signal associated with the impacted channel. As such, the carrier signal from a corresponding satellite as received by the receiving station, for example, receiving station 202a needs to be analyzed. Accordingly, the system 150 is configured to tune various components for analyzing the carrier signal from the satellite received by the receiving station. In an embodiment, a signal analyzer 208 is used for displaying one or more signal characteristics and a satellite meter 210 is used for measuring one or more RF quality data associated with the carrier signal. Accordingly, the system 150 is configured to control switching of a router 206 for receiving appropriate carrier signal associated with the impacted channel from the satellite.

[030] In general, the router 206 has provisions for cross-connections between a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports which are not shown in Figures. For example, the router 206 has an input module including multiple input ports (for example, port I_Pi, port I_P2, ..., port I_pn) that are configured to receive RF input signals from different satellites, for example, port I_P2 receives RF input signal from satellite 112a and port I_P3 receives RF input signal from satellite 112b. Similarly, the router 206 has an output module which includes a plurality of output ports (for example, port O_Pi, port O_P2, . . . , port O_pn) that may be utilized in different ways. As such, the connection between an input port and an output port of the router 206 may be performed based on information received from the system 150. For example, when the router 206 receives the one or more parameters from the system 150 related to an impacted channel, the router 206 couples an input port (e.g., port I_Ps) to an output port such as, O_Pi, to which the spectrum analyzer 208 and the satellite meter 210 are coupled for receiving the carrier signal. In an embodiment, frequency range of the input and output ports of the router 206 is between 950 to 2150 Mhz.

[031] In an embodiment, a splitter 207 may be coupled to an output port of the router 206 for splitting and sharing the RF signals between the signal analyzer 208 and the satellite meter 210. For example, the splitter 207 is coupled to the output port O_Pi through which the carrier signal related to the impacted channel is received from the satellite and provided to the signal analyzer 208 and the satellite meter 210. It shall be noted that the RF carrier signals from the satellites 112a, 112b, ... , 112n that are routed via the router 208 and the splitter 207 to the signal analyzer 208 and the satellite meter 210 are depicted using dotted lines.

[032] As such, the carrier signal from a corresponding satellite is received by the signal analyzer 208 and the satellite meter 210 for analysis and troubleshooting. Further, it shall be noted that in some embodiments, the components such as, the router 206, the signal analyzer 208, the satellite meter 210 may be located within the ground station/earth station includes the plurality of receiving stations. Alternatively, in some embodiments, one or more components may be distributed across geographic locations and as such, the system 150 may control operations of the components by appropriate communication protocols which are known in the art. It shall be noted that in some embodiments, the system 150 may be coupled to more or fewer components than those depicted in FIG. 2 for facilitating analysis of the impacted channel. The processing of the notification and the one or more parameters by the system 150 for monitoring the plurality of multimedia streaming channels is explained next with reference to FIG. 3

[033] FIG. 3 illustrates the system of FIG. 2 for monitoring multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the system 150 may be a remote server, control system or a standalone processor communicably coupled to the router 206 for controlling operations of the router 206. More specifically, the router controller or the control system is capable of controlling the router 206 to switch between a plurality of satellites and/or the receiving stations (i.e., earth stations).

[034] The system 150 is depicted to include a processor 302, a memory 304, an Input/Output module 306, and a communication interface 308. It shall be noted that, in some embodiments, the system 150 may include more or fewer components than those depicted herein. The various components of the system 150 may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware or any combinations thereof. Further, the various components of the system 150 may be operably coupled with each other. More specifically, various components of the system 150 may be capable of communicating with each other using communication channel media (such as buses, interconnects, etc.). It is also noted that one or more components of the system 150 may be implemented in a single server or a plurality of servers, which are remotely placed from each other.

[035] In one embodiment, the processor 302 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single core processors. For example, the processor 302 may be embodied as one or more of various processing devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like. The processor 302 includes an analysis module 310, and an operation control module 312 which are explained in detail later.

[036] In one embodiment, the memory 304 is capable of storing machine executable instructions, referred to herein as instructions 305. In an embodiment, the processor 302 is embodied as an executor of software instructions. As such, the processor 302 is capable of executing the instructions 305 stored in the memory 304 to perform one or more operations described herein. The memory 304 can be any type of storage accessible to the processor 302 to perform respective functionalities, as will be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 - 4. For example, the memory 304 may include one or more volatile or non-volatile memories, or a combination thereof. For example, the memory 304 may be embodied as semiconductor memories, such as flash memory, mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM), EPROM (erasable PROM), RAM (random access memory), etc. and the like.

[037] In an embodiment, the processor 302 is configured to execute the instructions 305 for: (1) mapping one or more parameters related to an impacted channel to a database, (2) identifying a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the mapping, (3) switching a router (for example, the router 206) to receive the carrier signal from the satellite, (4) predicting water demand profile for a day, (5) tuning a satellite meter (for example, the satellite meter 210) based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal, and (6) tuning a signal analyzer (for example, the signal analyzer 208) based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router. After tuning the satellite meter 210 and the signal analyzer 208, the processor 302 is also configured to collate information related to the impacted channel from the satellite meter 210 and the signal analyzer 208. [038] In an embodiment, the I/O module 306 may include mechanisms configured to receive inputs from and provide outputs to peripheral devices such as, devices tracking impacted channel related data (for example, signal characteristics and/or signal quality) and/or an operator of the system 150. The term ‘operator of the system 150’ as used herein may refer to one or more individuals, whether directly or indirectly, associated with managing one or more receiving stations. To enable reception of inputs and provide outputs to the system 150, the I/O module 306 may include at least one input interface and/or at least one output interface. Examples of the input interface may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a keypad, a touch screen, soft keys, a microphone, and the like. Examples of the output interface may include, but are not limited to, a display such as a light emitting diode display, a thin-film transistor (TFT) display, a liquid crystal display, an active-matrix organic lightemitting diode (AMOLED) display, a microphone, a speaker, a ringer, and the like.

[039] In an embodiment, the communication interface 308 may include mechanisms configured to communicate with other entities in the environment 100. In other words, the communication interface 308 is configured to receive a notification about an impacted channel from the alarm unit 204. In general, the notification is an alert message indicating a disruption of service of at least one multimedia streaming channel. In addition, the communication interface 308 also receives one or more parameters related to the impacted channel from the alarm unit 204. The one or more parameters related to the impacted channel are a channel name, a feed number, a L-Band frequency, a symbol rate, channel power, and a signal level. More specifically, the notification acts as a trigger for the system 150 to initiate a set of actions that enable quick resolution/troubleshooting of the impacted channel. As such, the one or more parameters are forwarded to the processor 302 which performs one or more operations described herein to re solve/trouble shoot the impacted channel quickly.

[040] The system 150 is depicted to be in operative communication with a database 320. In one embodiment, the database 320 is configured to store information related to a plurality of carrier signals. More specifically, parameters related to each carrier signal such as, satellite name, modulation parameters, compression technique, a channel name, a feed number, a L- Band frequency, a symbol rate, channel power, a signal level (i.e., amplitude of signal, RF power of the signal), etc. For example, kids channel A compressed using MPEG-2 is modulated using 8PSK may be transmitted by satellite Intelsat at 14.0 GHz with a symbol rate of 27.500 MSps and signal level of 90-95%. In one example, if there are 100 carrier signals broadcasting/rebroadcasting the plurality of multimedia streaming channels, one or more parameters related to each carrier signal is prestored in the database 320. In an embodiment, the one or more parameters may be preset and prestored by the operator of the system 150. Moreover, the operator of the system 150 may edit/modify a parameter of the one or more parameters stored in the database 320 based on the reconfiguration of receiving stations/satellites. In one example, a multimedia streaming channel A may have been streamed at a frequency range of 5.9 - 6. 1 GHz by a satellite and channel A would be upgraded to a HD content and as such, audio characteristics, video characteristics, transmission bandwidth BW change. As such, the operator of the system 150 may modify the information stored in the database 320 to reflect this change.

[041] Further, the database 320 includes historical information of RF quality data and signal characteristics of different carrier signals associated with impacted channels collated overtime. More specifically, when a multimedia streaming channel is impacted, carrier signal related information such as, RF quality data, one or more signal characteristics, are collated from the satellite meter 210 and signal analyzer 208, respectively and stored in the database 320 along with a corresponding timestamp.

[042] The database 320 may include multiple storage units such as hard disks and/or solid- state disks in a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) configuration. In some embodiments, the database 320 may include a storage area network (SAN) and/or a network attached storage (NAS) system. In one embodiment, the database 320 may correspond to a distributed storage system, wherein individual databases are configured to store custom information, such as monitoring policies, list of satellites, list of receiving stations, and associated data etc.

[043] In some embodiments, the database 320 is integrated within the system 150. For example, the system 150 may include one or more hard disk drives as the database 320. In other embodiments, the database 320 is external to the system 150 and may be accessed by the system 150 using a storage interface (not shown in FIG. 3). The storage interface is any component capable of providing the processor 302 with access to the database 320. The storage interface may include, for example, an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) adapter, a Serial ATA (SATA) adapter, a Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter, a RAID controller, a SAN adapter, a network adapter, and/or any component providing the processor 302 with access to the database 320. [044] As already explained, the communication interface 208 is configured to receive a notification related to an impacted channel. More specifically, the notification is an alert message indicating an impacted channel among the plurality of multimedia streaming channels monitored by the system 150. For example, channel X may impacted due to transponder saturation of satellite S 1 and as such, a notification indicating the impacted channel is received from the alarm unit 204. In addition, the system 150 also receives one or more parameters related to the impacted channel (i.e., channel X). For example, the one or more parameters associated with the channel X (i.e., impacted channel) may correspond to frequency of 11.7 - 12.2 GHz with a symbol rate of 10.00 MSps, channel power of 30% and signal level of 20%. The modules of the processor 302 in conjunction with the instructions in the memory 304 are configured to process the one or more parameters based on the notification for monitoring the multimedia streaming channel that is impacted. The processor 302 is configured to forward the one or more parameters to the analysis module 310.

[045] In an embodiment, the analysis module 310 in conjunction with the instructions 305 in the memory 304 is configured to identify a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the one or more parameters. More specifically, the analysis module 310 maps the one or more parameters related to the impacted channel to the database 320 for identifying a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel. As the database 320 is a repository of carrier signal related data, mapping the one or more parameters to the database 320 enables identification of the carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel. The analysis module 310 shares information related to the satellite with the operation control module 312.

[046] The operation control module 312 in conjunction with the instructions 305 in the memory 304 is configured to automatically execute a sequence of tasks for facilitating analysis of the impacted channel. More specifically, the operation control module 312 on receiving information of the satellite associated with the impacted channel automatically routes the carrier signal (i.e., RF signal) associated with the impacted channel and tunes various devices, for example, the spectrum analyzer 208 and the satellite meter 210 for collating information related to the carrier signal. In general, the system 150 tunes the various devices automatically to receive visual and numerical data related to the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel. In an embodiment, the visual and numerical data may be stored in the database 320 along with a timestamp for further analysis. [047] In an embodiment, the operation control module 312 is configured to switch a router to receive the carrier signal from the satellite. More specifically, the operation control module 312 shares frequency band information of the carrier signal to the router 206 and as such, the router 206 is configured to communicably couple with the satellite related to the carrier signal for receiving the carrier signal. In an embodiment, the router 206 is an L-band router with a module capacity of 128 inputs x 128 outputs which supports specific RF needs for each satellite feed. As such, the router 206 is configured to switch between 128 satellites associated with different downlinks to route the carrier signal (i.e., RF signal) from the satellite associated with the impacted channel for analysis.

[048] In an embodiment, the operation control module 312 is configured to tune the satellite meter 210 based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router 206. For example, if the impacted channel is associated with a carrier signal transmitted at 12.55 Mhz, then the satellite meter 210 is tuned to the particular frequency i.e., 12.55 MHz to lock with the carrier signal. When the carrier signal is locked with the satellite meter 210, the satellite meter 210 measures RF quality data associated with the carrier signal. The satellite meter 210 measures at least Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal. The RF quality data of the carrier signal measured by the satellite meter 210 includes, but not limited to, a Modulation Error Ratio (MER), a Bit Error Rate (BER) measurement of the carrier signal before the error correction (CBER), a link-margin, and a constellation, and the like. It shall be noted that the RF quality data measured by the satellite meter 210 are numerical data and may be represented in various forms such as, textual form, pictorial form (e.g., tabular form, graphical form, etc.) or any combination thereof to represent variations in RF quality data. For example, a tabular column comparing the RF quality data of the carrier signal before impact and after impact may be displayed for the operator of the system 150.

[049] In an embodiment, the operation control module 312 is configured to tune the signal analyzer 208 based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router 206. More specifically, the signal analyzer 208 provides a visual representation of the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel. The signal analyzer 208 displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal. Some examples of the signal characteristics displayed by the signal analyzer 208 include, but not limited to, a dominant frequency, power, distortion, harmonics, bandwidth of the carrier signal, and the like. Such representation of information related to the impacted channel that is automatically collated on receiving the notification It shall be noted that although only two devices i.e., satellite meter 210 and signal analyzer 208 have been explained herein for collating information related to the impacted channel, the system 150 may be coupled with other devices capable of measuring other signal related data such as, timing information, modulation related data, and the like.

[050] The collation of information related to the impacted channel, for example, RF quality data and the one or more signal characteristics of the carrier signal, ensures timely troubleshooting of the impacted channel thereby avoiding disruption of services for extended times and drop out of viewers due to the disruption. A method depicting monitoring of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels by the system 150 is explained next with reference to FIG. 4

[051] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 400 for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 depicted in the flow diagram may be executed by, for example, the system 150 shown and explained with reference to FIGS. 2-3. Operations of the flow diagram, and combinations of operation in the flow diagram, may be implemented by, for example, hardware, firmware, a processor, circuitry and/or a different device associated with the execution of software that includes one or more computer program instructions. The operations of the method 400 are described herein with help of the system 150. It is noted that the operations of the method 400 can be described and/or practiced by using one or more processors of a system/device other than the system 150. The method 400 starts at operation 402.

[052] At operation 402 of the method 400, a notification and one or more parameters, related to an impacted channel of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels is received by a system such as, the system 150 shown and explained with reference to FIGS. 2 -3. As already explained, the system 150 may be embodied within a control system capable of controlling the operations of a plurality of satellites (for example, satellites 202a, 202b, ..., 202n) and/or the receiving stations (i.e., earth stations). In another embodiment, the system 150 may be a remote server communicably coupled to the control system for controlling operations of the plurality of receiving stations for monitoring the plurality of multimedia streaming channels.

[053] At operation 404 of the method 400, a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel is identified based on the one or more parameters. More specifically, the one or more parameters related to the impacted channel are mapped to the database 320 for identifying a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel. The database 320 is a repository of carrier signal related data and as such mapping of the one or more parameters to the database 320 enables identification of the carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel.

[054] At operation 406 of the method 400, a router 206 is switched to receive the carrier signal from the satellite. In general, one or more parameters related to the impacted channel is provided to the router 206 which automatically connects with the satellite associated with the impacted channel. For example, frequency band information of the carrier signal is provided to the router 206 and as such, the router 206 is configured to communicably couple with the satellite related to the carrier signal for routing the carrier signal to one or more devices for analysis.

[055] At operation 408 of the method 400, a satellite meter 210 is tuned based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router 206. The satellite meter 210 measures at least Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal. The RF quality data of the carrier signal measured by the satellite meter 210 includes, but not limited to, a Modulation Error Ratio (MER), a Bit Error Rate (BER) measurement of the carrier signal before the error correction (CBER), a link-margin, and a constellation, and the like.

[056] At operation 410 of the method 400, a signal analyzer 208 is tuned based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router 206. The signal analyzer 208 displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal. In other words, the signal analyzer 208 provides a visual representation of the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel. Some examples of the signal characteristics displayed by the signal analyzer 208 include, but not limited to, a dominant frequency, power, distortion, harmonics, bandwidth of the carrier signal, and the like. In an embodiment, the satellite meter 210 and the signal analyzer 208 are tuned for monitoring the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel. The collation of information related to the impacted channel, for example, RF quality data and the one or more signal characteristics of the carrier signal, ensures timely troubleshooting of the impacted channel. More specifically, the collated information is provided to the operator of the system 150 who ensures timely actions are taken to resolve the impacted channel. [057] The sequence of operations of the method 400 need not be necessarily executed in the same order as they are presented. Further, one or more operations may be grouped together and performed in form of a single step, or one operation may have several sub-steps that may be performed in parallel or in sequential manner.

[058] The disclosed method with reference to FIG. 4, or one or more operations of the flow diagram 400 may be implemented using software including computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory computer-readable media, such as one or more optical media discs, volatile memory components (e.g., DRAM or SRAM), or non-volatile memory or storage components (e.g., hard drives or solid-state non-volatile memory components, such as Flash memory components) and executed on a computer (e.g., any suitable computer, such as a laptop computer, net book, Web book, tablet computing device, smart phone, or other mobile computing device). Such software may be executed, for example, on a single local computer

[059] FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of a general -purpose computer for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The computer system 500 may comprise a central processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 502. The processor 502 may comprise at least one data processor. The processor 502 may include specialized processing units such as integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc. The computer system 500 may be analogous to the system 150 (shown in FIG. 3).

[060] The processor 502 may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices (not shown) via I/O interface 501. The I/O interface 501 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE- 1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Radio Frequency (RF) antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 8O2.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.

[061] Using the I/O interface 501, the computer system 500 may communicate with one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device 510 may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone, touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device, transceiver, video device/source, etc. The output device 511 may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, Plasma display panel (PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or the like), audio speaker, etc.

[062] In some embodiments, the computer system 500 is connected to the remote devices 512 through a communication network 509. The remote devices 512 may be peripheral devices tracking a plurality of multimedia streaming channels streamed to viewers across a geographic location. The processor 502 may be disposed in communication with the communication network 509 via a network interface 503. The network interface 503 may communicate with the communication network 509. The network interface 503 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/intemet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc. The communication network 509 may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. Using the network interface 503 and the communication network 509, the computer system 500 may communicate with the remote devices 512. The network interface 503 may employ connection protocols include, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/intemet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802. 1 la/b/g/n/x, etc.

[063] The communication network 509 includes, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, an e-commerce network, a peer to peer (P2P) network, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi, 3GPP and such. The first network and the second network may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/intemet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the first network and the second network may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc. [064] In some embodiments, the processor 502 may be disposed in communication with a memory 505 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in FIG. 5) via a storage interface 504. The storage interface 504 may connect to memory 505 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE- 1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

[065] The memory 505 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user interface 506, an operating system 507, web server 508, etc. In some embodiments, computer system 500 may store user/application data, such as, the data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle ® or Sybase®.

[066] The operating system 507 may facilitate resource management and operation of the computer system 500. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSH® OS X, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (e.g., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION™ (BSD), FREEBSD™, NETBSD™, OPENBSD™, etc ), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONS™ (e g., RED HAT™, UBUNTU™, KUBUNTU™, etc ), IBM™ OS/2, MICROSOFT™ WINDOWS™ (XP™, VISTA™/7/8, 10 etc ), APPLE® IOS™, GOOGLE® ANDROID™, BLACKBERRY® OS, or the like.

[067] In some embodiments, the computer system 500 may implement a web browser 508 stored program component. The web browser 508 may be a hypertext viewing application, for example MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER™, GOOGLE® CHROME™, MOZILLA® FIREFOX™, APPLE® SAFARI™, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browsers 508 may utilize facilities such as AJAX™, DHTML™, ADOBER FLASH™, JAVASCRIPT™, JAVA™, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the computer system 500 may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP™, ACTIVEX™, ANSI™ C++/C#, MICROSOFT®, NET™, CGI SCRIPTS™, JAVA™, JAVASCRIPT™, PERL™, PHP™, PYTHON™, WEBOBJECTS™, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT® exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the computer system 500 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE® MAIL™, MICROSOFT® ENTOURAGE™, MICROSOFT® OUTLOOK™, MOZILLA® THUNDERBIRD™, etc.

[068] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer-readable medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD (Compact Disc) ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

[069] Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide numerous advantages. Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels. The system 150 is configured to continually monitor the downlinks between a plurality of satellites and ground station/earth station from a central hub thereby improving the operational efficiency. Moreover, centrally monitoring the plurality of multimedia streaming channels ensures the satellite providers/service providers react promptly and effectively to impacted channels (i.e., anomalous events) thereby ensuring timely assistance to resolve the impacted channel, such as, controlling access to the satellite, analysing interference and performance of carrier signal associated with the satellite. Further, storing of the information related to the impacted channel ensures deeper analysis and also which may aid in identifying patterns in historical data for predicting future RF issues in the carrier signal. In addition, multiple earth stations receiving carrier signals from multiple satellites may be comprehensively monitored using the system 150 thereby ensuring scaling of monitoring operations. Moreover, the impacted channel may be resolved quickly providing improved services obviating viewer drop outs due to longer times in resolving impacted channel.

[070] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and are generally intended as “open” terms (e.g., the term “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the term “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term “includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,” etc.). For example, as an aid to understanding, the detail description may contain usage of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a recitation by the indefinite articles “a” or “an” limits any particular part of description containing such introduced recitation to inventions containing only one such recitation, even when the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or “an” (e.g., “a” and/or “an” should typically be interpreted to mean “at least one” or “one or more”) are included in the recitations; the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce such recitations. In addition, even if a specific part of the introduced description recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should typically be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (e.g., the bare recitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, typically means at least two recitations or two or more recitations).

[071] While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following detailed description

Claims

WE CLAIM:

1. A method for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels, the method comprising: receiving, by a processor (302), a notification and one or more parameters, related to an impacted channel of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels; identifying, by the processor (302), a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the one or more parameters; switching, by the processor (302), a router (206) to receive the carrier signal from the satellite; tuning, by the processor (302), a satellite meter (210) based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router (206), wherein the satellite meter (210) measures at least Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal; and tuning, by the processor (302), a signal analyzer (208) based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router (206), wherein the signal analyzer (208) displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal, wherein the satellite meter (210) and the signal analyzer (208) are tuned for monitoring the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters related to the impacted channel are mapped to a database (320) comprising information related to a plurality of carrier signals for identifying the carrier signal.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the RF quality data, the one or more signal characteristics, and the one or more parameters along with a corresponding timestamp are stored in a database (320) for analysis.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more of: a channel name, a feed number, a L-Band frequency, a symbol rate, channel power, and a signal level.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more signal characteristics comprises at least one of: a dominant frequency, power, distortion, harmonics, and bandwidth of the carrier signal.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the satellite meter (210) measures one or more of: a Modulation Error Ratio (MER), a Bit Error Rate (BER) measurement of the carrier signal before the error correction (CBER), a link-margin, and a constellation.

7. A system (150) for monitoring a plurality of multimedia streaming channels, the system (150) comprising: a memory (304) configured to store instructions (305); and a processor (302) configured to execute the instructions (305) stored in the memory (304) and thereby cause the system (150) to: receive a notification and one or more parameters, related to an impacted channel of the plurality of multimedia streaming channels; identify a carrier signal and corresponding satellite associated with the impacted channel based on the one or more parameters; switch a router (206) to receive the carrier signal from the satellite; tune a satellite meter (210) based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router (206), wherein the satellite meter (210) measures Radio Frequency (RF) quality data of the carrier signal; and tune a signal analyzer (208) based on the one or more parameters for receiving the carrier signal via the router (206), wherein the signal analyzer (208) displays one or more signal characteristic of the carrier signal, wherein the satellite meter (210) and the signal analyzer (208) are tuned for monitoring the carrier signal associated with the impacted channel.

8. The system (150) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more parameters related to the impacted channel are mapped to a database (320) comprising information related to a plurality of carrier signals for identifying the carrier signal.

9. The system (150) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the RF quality data, the one or more signal characteristics, and the one or more parameters along with a corresponding timestamp are stored in a database (320) for analysis.

10. The system (150) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more parameters comprise one or more of: a channel name, a feed number, a L-Band frequency, a symbol rate, channel power, and a signal level.

11. The system (150) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the one or more signal characteristics comprises at least one of: a dominant frequency, power, distortion, harmonics, and bandwidth of the carrier signal.

12. The system (150) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the satellite meter (210) measures one or more of: a Modulation Error Ratio (MER), a Bit Error Rate (BER) measurement of the carrier signal before the error correction (CBER), a link-margin, and a constellation.