Method of management of metadata size of a service guide
The invention enables reducing of the complexity of Service Guide size management related to the management of the bandwidth occupied by a combination of streams comprising audio/and or video streams, signaling streams and service guide streams. The invention relates more particularly to a method of management of metadata size of a service guide, by devices part of a contribution network, and comprises a step of determination of a maximum size of the service guide metadata as a function of a protocol encapsulator fill level, a step of sending of a message containing the maximum size for the service guide metadata to a service guide server, and a step of delivery by said service guide server of service guide metadata to the protocol encapsulator where the size of the said service guide metadata is smaller than or equal to said maximum size.
1 . Method of management of metadata size of a service guide, by devices part of a contribution network, comprising a protocol encapsulator accepting as input audio and/or video data and service guide data and a service guide server, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
determination of a maximum size for the service guide metadata as a function of a protocol encapsulator fill level;
sending of a message containing the said maximum size for the service guide metadata destined for a service guide server connected to the said contribution network;
delivery by said service guide server of service guide metadata to said protocol encapsulator where the size of the said service guide metadata is smaller than or equal to said maximum size.
2 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein said service guide metadata is provided to said protocol encapsulator in the Extensible Markup Language format.
3 . Method according to claim 1 , where the said service guide metadata is stored in said service guide server in an Extensible Markup Language metadata tree format.
4 . Method according to claim 3 , wherein said service guide server respects the said maximum metadata size by pruning of the said XML metadata tree.
5 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein said service guide server varies the duration in days of the said service guide metadata in order to respect the said maximum metadata size.
6 . Method according to claim 3 , wherein said service guide server respects the said maximum metadata size by either pruning the said metadata tree or by varying the duration in days of said service guide metadata.
7 . Method according to claim 4 , wherein said service guide server respects the said maximum metadata size by pruning the said metadata tree and by varying the duration in days of said service guide metadata.
8 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein said message, containing the said maximum service guide metadata size, is sent upon expiration of a time delay.
9 . Method according to claim 1 , wherein said message, containing the said maximum service guide metadata size, is sent upon exceeding of a predetermined maximum value of said encapsulator fill level.
10 . Method according to claim 8 wherein said message, containing the said maximum service guide metadata size, is sent upon exceeding of a predetermined maximum value of said encapsulator fill level.