Discovery information for IP multicast

1. A method for distributing discovery information in an IP multicast television network, comprising:

multicasting offer information linking a service provider offer description and a service provider offer localization within the IP multicast television network, wherein the offer information is multicast at a predetermined offer localization known to a set top box associated with a subscriber, and

multicasting stream information at the service provider offer localization, the stream information linking a multi-service transport stream and a stream localization within the IP multicast network, wherein the multi-service transport stream is multicast at the stream localization,

wherein the service provider offer localization and the stream localization are different, and

wherein the service provider offer localization comprises a first IP address and a first port and the stream localization comprises a second IP address and a second port, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address are different, wherein the first port and the second port are different, and wherein the first port and the second port are each configured to receive data transmitted over the IP multicast television network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , in which the offer and stream information are respectively cyclically multicast.

3. A method for broadcasting over an IP multicast network at least one offer of multimedia services received in a form of a bundle of transport streams, comprising:

attributing, for each offer, a determined service provider offer localization within the IP multicast network,

creating a file of offer information describing, for each offer, a relation to its attributed service provider offer localization,

extracting, for each offer, transport stream information from the bundle of transport streams, the transport stream information comprising a transport stream identification for each transport stream,

attributing for each transport stream identification a determined stream localization within the IP multicast network, wherein each transport stream in the bundle of transport streams is multicast at the determined stream localization, wherein the service provider offer localization comprises a first IP address and a first port and the stream localization comprises a second IP address and a second port, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address are different, wherein the first port and the second port are different, and wherein the first port and the second port are each configured to receive data transmitted over the IP multicast network, and

creating, for each offer, a file of stream information describing for each transport stream a relation to its attributed stream localization,

wherein the service provider offer localization and the stream localization are different.

4. The method for broadcasting according to claim 3 , further comprising adding, for each offer, a service provider offer description in the file of offer information.

5. The method for broadcasting according to claim 3 , wherein the extraction of transport stream information from the bundle comprises:

for each transport stream, extracting an original network Id for a network previously used to deliver the transport stream, and

inserting the original network Id in relation to the transport stream in the file of stream information.

6. The method for broadcasting according to claim 3 , further comprising:

receiving, for each transport stream, a corresponding stream of packetized data,

inserting the stream of packetized data into IP packets,

multicasting the IP packets at the stream localization previously attributed to the transport stream,

multicasting the file of offer information at a predetermined offer localization, and

multicasting, for each offer, the corresponding stream information file at the service provider offer localization attributed to the offer.

7. The method according to claim 6 , in which the files of offer and stream information are respectively cyclically multicast.

8. A method for receiving, in a set top box receiver compliant to receive a bundle of transport streams and connected to an IP multicast network, a transport stream from a bundle, comprising:

obtaining multicast stream information from a service provider offer localization,

processing the stream information to determine a stream localization previously attributed to the transport stream, wherein the service provider offer localization comprises a first IP address and a first port and the stream localization comprises second IP address and a second port, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address are different, wherein the first port and the second port are different, and wherein the first port and the second port are each configured to receive data transmitted over the IP multicast network,

obtaining multicast IP packets associated with the transport stream from the determined stream localization, and

extracting packetized data from the obtained IP packets, thereby obtaining the transport stream,

wherein the service provider offer localization and the stream localization are different.

9. A method for receiving, in a set top box receiver compliant to receive a bundle of transport streams and connected to an IP multicast network, a transport stream from an offer among one or many offers in the form of bundles, comprising:

obtaining multicast offer information from a predetermined offer localization,

processing the offer information to obtain a determined service provider offer localization previously attributed to the offer,

obtaining multicast stream information from the determined service provider offer localization,

processing the stream information to determine a stream localization previously attributed to the transport stream, wherein the service provider offer localization comprises a first IP address and a first port and the stream localization comprises second IP address and a second port, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address are different, wherein the first port and the second port are different, and wherein the first port and the second port are each configured to receive data transmitted over the IP multicast network,

obtaining multicast IP packets associated with the transport stream from the stream localization, and

extracting packetized data from the obtained IP packets, thereby obtaining the transport stream,

wherein the service provider offer localization and the stream localization are different.

10. A method for receiving, in a set top box receiver compliant to receive a bundle of transport streams and connected to an IP multicast network, a transport stream from an offer among one or many offers in form of bundles, comprising:

obtaining multicast offer information from a predetermined offer localization,

processing the offer information to obtain a list of items, each item relating a service provider offer localization and an offer,

obtaining, for each item from the list of items, multicast stream information from the service provider offer localization corresponding to the item,

processing the stream information to obtain a transport stream list of transport streams and respectively related stream localizations, wherein the service provider offer localization comprises a first IP address and a first port and the stream localization comprises second IP address and a second port, wherein the first IP address and the second IP address are different, wherein the first port and the second port are different, and wherein the first port and the second port are each configured to receive data transmitted over the IP multicast network, and

storing the transport stream list in the set top box,

wherein the service provider offer localization and the stream localization are different.

11. The method for receiving according to claim 10 , further comprising:

requesting a determined transport stream,

finding a stream localization corresponding to the determined transport stream in the transport stream list,

obtaining multicast IP packets from the stream localization, and

extracting packetized data from the obtained IP packets, thereby obtaining the determined transport stream,

wherein the determined transport stream combines offers for multimedia services from a plurality of service providers, each of which broadcast using a different distribution system.