Access/edge node supporting multiple video streaming services using a single request protocol

1. An access/edge network node comprising:

subscriber line terminating equipment, subscriber line aggregating equipment and network terminating equipment, for terminating and aggregating bi-directional data packet traffic from and to a number of subscribers on a subscriber side onto a network link on a network side;

a proxy unit having proxy functionality for a plurality of streaming video services, the proxy unit being configured to terminate on the subscriber side a single requesting protocol for at least two of said streaming video services, requests of the single requesting protocol each including an indicator capable of indicating a type of video service being requested; and

a protocol translation unit configured to translate the single requesting protocol on the subscriber side into one of at least two requesting protocols on the network side.

2. An access/edge network node according to claim 1 , characterized in that said at least two of said streaming video services comprise at least one streaming video service of on-demand nature and at least one video service of broadcast nature.

3. An access/edge network node according to claim 1 , characterized in that said single requesting protocol is the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

4. An access/edge network node according to claim 1 , characterized in that said at least two requesting protocols on network side include the Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) and the Internet Group Management Protocol (IGMP).

5. An access/edge network node according to claim 1 , characterized in that said access/edge network node further includes a cache memory for steaming video with intelligent caching algorithm, operationally coupled with said proxy functionality and able to analyze information retrieved from said single requesting protocol and to thereupon decide intelligently which video channel or which video program to temporarily cache.

6. An access/edge network node according to claim 5 , characterized in that said intelligent caching algorithm is further able to decide which fragments of a video program to cache.

7. An access/edge network node according to claim 6 , characterized in that said intelligent caching algorithm is further able to decide how long to cache said fragments.

8. An access/edge network node according to claim 1 , characterized in that said streaming video services include two or more of a broadcast TV service, a time-shifted TV service, a video-on-demand service, a near video-on-demand service, a multicast TV service, user-centric broadcast TV service, a pay-per-view TV service.

9. The access/edge network node of claim 1 , wherein the at least two requesting protocols include at least one requesting protocol corresponding to a video service of an on-demand nature and at least one requesting protocol corresponding to a video service of broadcast nature.

10. An access/edge network node according to claim 1 , further comprising:

first and second output interfaces, the first and second output interfaces being separate interfaces, the first output interface being configured to output requests associated with a first one of the at least two requesting protocols from the proxy translation unit to the network side, and the second output interface being configured to output requests associated with a second one of the at least two requesting protocols from the proxy translation unit to the network side.

11. A method for providing a plurality of streaming video services to a number of subscribers via an access/edge network node that terminates and aggregates bi-directional data packet traffic for said number of subscribers, the method comprising:

using between the subscriber terminal and said access/edge network node a single requesting protocol for at least two of said streaming video services, requests of the single requesting protocol each including an indicator capable of indicating a type of video service being requested;

proxying said single requesting protocol at said access/edge network node; and

translating the single requesting protocol into one of at least two requesting protocols at the access/edge network node.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the access/edge network node includes first and second output interfaces, the first and second output interfaces being separate interfaces, the first output interface being configured to output requests associated with a first one of the at least two requesting protocols to a network side, and the second output interface being configured to output requests associated with a second one of the at least two requesting protocols to the network side.

13. A subscriber terminal able to terminate at a subscriber premises a plurality of streaming video services received over a subscriber line, the subscriber terminal being configured to communicate with a network through a network node, the network node including a proxy unit having proxy functionality for a plurality of streaming video services and a protocol translation unit, the subscriber terminal being characterized in that

said subscriber terminal includes a single requesting protocol client of Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) type for generating RTSP type requests for at least one streaming video service of on-demand nature and at least one video service of broadcast nature, the RTSP type requests each including an indicator capable of indicating a type of video service being requested, and

said subscriber terminal is configured to generate the RTSP type requests and forward the RTSP type requests towards the proxy unit and the protocol translation unit such that

the proxy unit is capable of terminating, on a subscriber side of the network node, the RTSP type requesting protocol for at least two of said streaming video services, and

the protocol translation unit is capable of translating the RTSP type requests on the subscriber side into one of at least two requesting protocols on a network side of the network node.