Apparatus and methods for packetized content delivery over a bandwidth-efficient network
View Patent ↗Methods and apparatus for providing packetized content to users via a bandwidth-optimized network. In one embodiment, legacy and IPTV streams are carried over the same switched digital infrastructure, and freely intermixed without regard to their encoding or type. A user's selection for IPTV content is transmitted to an IP proxy (such as a gateway apparatus or a headend server), then on to the switched digital server which causes provision of the requested content back to the proxy for formatting. The formatted content is then delivered to the requesting IP-capable device. The entire carrier class program stream is therefore available as IP-encapsulated content to the IP capable devices (and as legacy content to legacy devices) without any significant modifications to the network infrastructure or bandwidth penalty.
1. A method for providing a plurality of content to a consumer device in a content delivery network, said method comprising:
receiving a selection of at least one of said plurality of content from said consumer device;
sending a request for said selected at least one of said plurality of content to a server, said server determining that said selected at least one of said plurality of content is not currently being delivered to a service group to which said consumer device is associated, and based at least in part on said determination, selectively switching a content stream associated with said at least one of said plurality of content into a multi-program transport stream (MPTS) for delivery to said service group;
receiving from said server said MPTS comprising said selected at least one of said plurality of content encoded in a first Internet Protocol (IP) format and at least a second one of said plurality of content encoded in a second non- 1 P format;
demodulating said MPTS to extract one or more elementary streams associated with said selected at least one of said plurality of content; and
providing said one or more elementary streams to said at least one of said plurality of consumer devices.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said act of sending said request for said selected at least one of said plurality of content to a server comprises formatting said request to include a source identifier of said selected at least one of said plurality of content.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said act of providing said one or more elementary streams comprises exposing a multicast address of said one or more elementary streams, said at least one of said plurality of consumer devices being configured to identify said multicast addresses and stream said selected content.
4. A gateway apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
at least one storage device in data communication with said processor, said at least one storage device configured to store at least one computer program thereon, said at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed by said processor, cause said gateway apparatus to:
send a request for a first Internet Protocol (IP) encoded content, and a second non-IP encoded content received from respective first and second ones of a plurality of consumer devices in communication with said gateway apparatus to a headend server configured to provide bandwidth optimized delivery of content;
in response to said request, receive a multi-program transport stream (MPTS) comprising said first IP encoded content, a first address associated to said first IP encoded content, and said second non-IP encoded content;
extract one or more elementary streams associated with said first IP encoded content from said MPTS based at least in part on said first address associated to said first IP encoded content;
deliver said one or more elementary streams associated to said first IP encoded content of said plurality of available content to said first one of said plurality of consumer devices; and
deliver said one or more elementary streams associated to said non-IP encoded content to said second one of said plurality of consumer devices not compatible with said first IP encoded content, said delivery thereof comprising delivery in a format received from said headend server;
wherein, via utilization of said first address associated to said first IP encoded content, third ones of said plurality of client devices receive said first IP encoded content from said gateway apparatus upon request therefor subsequent to said delivery thereof to said first ones of said plurality of client devices.
5. The gateway apparatus of claim 4 , wherein formatting of said selected content comprises encapsulation of said selected content according to a networking protocol, and wherein said consumer device comprises a device adapted to utilize said protocol.
6. The gateway apparatus of claim 5 , wherein said networking protocol comprises an Internet Protocol (IP), and said encapsulation further comprising including at least one IP header having a multicast address associated therewith.
7. The gateway apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said selected content further comprises digital rights management (DRM) information for use at said consumer device.
8. A computer readable apparatus comprising a non-transitory medium configured to store a computer program thereon, said computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed, cause a host apparatus to:
receive a first request for access to first content encoded according to a first protocol from a legacy consumer device, said legacy consumer device comprising a device which is not capable of decoding Internet Protocol (IP) encoded content;
receive a second request for access to second content encoded according to said Internet Protocol (IP) from an IP-capable consumer device;
send said first and second requests to a headend entity for providing bandwidth optimized delivery of both said first and second content;
receive from said headend entity a multi-program transport stream (MPTS) comprising at least said first content in said first protocol for delivery to said legacy consumer device and said second content in said IP protocol for delivery to said IP-capable consumer device;
encapsulate said second content according to said IP protocol; and
provide said first content to said legacy consumer device and said second content to said IP-capable consumer device.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said requests for access to said second content encoded according to said IP protocol comprises a request from among an entirety of content available as encoded according to said first protocol.
10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said encapsulation further comprises including at least one IP header having a multicast address associated therewith.
11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said first and second content further comprise digital rights management (DRM) information, said DRM information being used at said first and second consumer devices.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said headend entity is configured to freely intermix said first and second content without regard to an encoding thereof in said first IP format and/or said second non-IP format.
13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein at least one of said first and second content comprises content which is configured to always be delivered from said network to each of a plurality of consumer devices.
14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein said plurality of instructions are further configured to, when executed, via utilization of a first address associated to said second IP encoded content received with said MPTS, provide said second IP encoded content to at least one other consumer device upon request therefor, said request being subsequent to said provision of said second content to said IP-capable consumer device.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said server is configured to freely intermix said first and second ones of said plurality of content without regard to an encoding thereof in said first IP format and/or said second non-IP format.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said plurality of content comprises content which is configured to always be delivered from said network to each of a plurality of consumer devices.
17. The method of claim 1 , further comprising via utilization of a first address associated to said first IP encoded content received with said MPTS, providing said first IP encoded content to at least one other one of said plurality of consumer devices upon request therefor, said request being subsequent to said act of providing said one or more elementary streams to said at least one of said plurality of consumer devices.
18. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selected at least one of said plurality of content further comprises digital rights management (DRM) information for use at said consumer device.
19. The gateway apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said request for said first IP encoded content and said second non-IP encoded content to said headend server includes a source identifier of said content.
20. The gateway apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said request for said IP encoded content comprises a request from among an entirety of content available as encoded in said non-IP format.
21. The gateway apparatus of claim 4 , wherein said headend server is configured to freely intermix said first IP encoded content and said second non-IP encoded content without regard to an encoding protocol thereof.
22. A gateway apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
at least one storage device in data communication with said processor, said at least one storage device configured to store at least one computer program thereon, said at least one computer program comprising a plurality of instructions which are configured to, when executed by said processor, cause said gateway apparatus to:
send a request for a first Internet Protocol (IP) encoded content, and a second non-IP encoded content received from respective first and second ones of a plurality of consumer devices in communication with said gateway apparatus to a headend server configured to provide bandwidth optimized delivery of content;
in response to said request, receive a multi-program transport stream (MPTS) comprising said first IP encoded content and said second non-IP encoded content;
extract one or more elementary streams associated with said first IP encoded content from said MPTS;
deliver said one or more elementary streams associated to said first IP encoded content of said plurality of available content to said first one of said plurality of consumer devices; and
deliver said one or more elementary streams associated to said non-IP encoded content to said second one of said plurality of consumer devices not compatible with said first IP encoded content, said delivery thereof comprising delivery in a format received from said headend server.
23. The gateway apparatus of claim 22 , wherein formatting of said selected content comprises encapsulation of said selected content according to a networking protocol, and wherein said consumer device comprises a device adapted to utilize said protocol.
24. The gateway apparatus of claim 23 , wherein said networking protocol comprises an Internet Protocol (IP), and said encapsulation further comprising including at least one IP header having a multicast address associated therewith.
25. The gateway apparatus of claim 22 , wherein said selected content further comprises digital rights management (DRM) information for use at said consumer device.
26. The gateway apparatus of claim 22 , wherein said request for said first IP encoded content and said second non-IP encoded content to said headend server includes a source identifier of said content.
27. The gateway apparatus of claim 22 , wherein said request for said IP encoded content comprises a request from among an entirety of content available as encoded in said non-IP format.
28. The gateway apparatus of claim 22 , wherein said headend server is configured to freely intermix said first IP encoded content and said second non-IP encoded content without regard to an encoding protocol thereof.