Gateway based and centric network management and coordination
View Patent ↗Gateway based and centric network management and coordination. Coordination and management of delivery of a source sequence, that has possibly undergone adaptive bit rate (ABR) encoding upstream to generate a number of respective fragments that may have different respective bit rates associated therewith, to one or more downstream, user, or client devices is achieved via appropriate communication network management and coordination performed by one or more communication devices within the system. In one instance, a home gateway communication device operates to perform such coordination management of a convergent network or convergent digital home network (CDHN). Consideration of any one or more local and/or remote conditions, parameters, etc. may be employed by such an application to ensure effective delivery of a source sequence to one or more client devices.
1. A communication device comprising:
a communication interface; and
a processor, at least one of the processor or the communication interface configured to:
select a combination of fragments from a plurality of fragments based on at least one characteristic of a communication channel between the communication device and another communication device that is located remotely from the communication device, wherein the plurality of fragments correspond to a plurality of segments of a signal stream based on a plurality of bit rates;
process the combination of fragments to generate an output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmit the output signal to the another communication device that is located remotely from the communication device via the communication channel.
2. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the another communication device is a first other communication device, and wherein the at least one of the processor or the communication interface is further configured to:
select another combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on at least one characteristic of another communication channel between the communication device and a second other communication device;
process the another combination of fragments to generate another output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmit the another output signal to the second other communication device via the another communication channel.
3. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processor or the communication interface is further configured to:
select another combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on a change of the at least one characteristic of the communication channel between the communication device and the another communication device;
process the another combination of fragments to generate another output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmit the another output signal to the another communication device via the communication channel.
4. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein:
a first fragment subset of the plurality of fragments is based on a first bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and is representative of the signal stream at a first quality associated with the first bit rate;
a second fragment subset of the plurality of fragments is based on a second bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and is representative of the signal stream at a second quality associated with the second bit rate; and
at least two different fragments of the plurality of fragments that are based on different bit rates of the plurality of bit rates, respectively, correspond to a common segment of the plurality of segments of the signal stream.
5. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein:
the combination of fragments includes a first fragment of the plurality of fragments that is based on a first bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and a second fragment of the plurality of fragments that is based on a second bit rate of the plurality of bit rates; and
the combination of fragments is representative of the signal stream at a quality associated with a combination of the first bit rate and the second bit rate.
6. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the communication channel includes at least one of a network that includes the communication channel, a bandwidth of the communication channel, a local operating condition of the communication device, or a remote operating condition of the another communication device.
7. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the another communication device is a first other communication device, and further comprising:
a gateway communication device that is configured to receive the plurality of fragments from a second other communication device that includes an adaptive bit rate (ABR) encoder via an Internet communication pathway.
8. The communication device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one of the processor or the communication interface is further configured to:
support communications within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, a fiber-optic communication system, or a mobile communication system.
9. A communication device comprising:
a communication interface; and
a processor, at least one of the processor or the communication interface configured to:
receive a plurality of fragments from a first other communication device that includes an adaptive bit rate (ABR) encoder via an Internet communication pathway, wherein the plurality of fragments correspond to a plurality of segments of a signal stream based on a plurality of bit rates;
select a first combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on at least one characteristic of a communication channel between the communication device and a second other communication device that is located remotely from the communication device;
process the combination of fragments to generate a first portion of an output signal that is representative of the signal stream;
transmit the first portion of the output signal to the second other communication device that is located remotely from the communication device via the communication channel;
select a second combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on a change of the at least one characteristic of the communication channel between the communication device and the second other communication device that is located remotely from the communication device;
process the second combination of fragments to generate a second portion of the output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmit the second portion of the output signal to the second other communication device that is located remotely from the communication device via the communication channel.
10. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the processor or the communication interface is further configured to:
select another combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on at least one characteristic of another communication channel between the communication device and the second other communication device;
process the another combination of fragments to generate another output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmit the another output signal to the second other communication device via the another communication channel.
11. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein:
a first fragment subset of the plurality of fragments is based on a first bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and is representative of the signal stream at a first quality associated with the first bit rate;
a second fragment subset of the plurality of fragments is based on a second bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and is representative of the signal stream at a second quality associated with the second bit rate; and
at least two different fragments of the plurality of fragments that are based on different bit rates of the plurality of bit rates, respectively, correspond to a common segment of the plurality of segments of the signal stream.
12. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the communication channel includes at least one of a network that includes the communication channel, a bandwidth of the communication channel, a local operating condition of the communication device, or a remote operating condition of the second other communication device.
13. The communication device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one of the processor or the communication interface is further configured to:
support communications within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, a fiber-optic communication system, or a mobile communication system.
14. A method for execution by a communication device, the method comprising:
selecting a combination of fragments from a plurality of fragments based on at least one characteristic of a communication channel between the communication device and another communication device that is located remotely from the communication device, wherein the plurality of fragments correspond to a plurality of segments of a signal stream based on a plurality of bit rates;
processing the combination of fragments to generate an output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmitting, via a communication interface of the communication device, the output signal to the another communication device that is located remotely from the communication device via the communication channel.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the another communication device is a first other communication device, and further comprising:
selecting another combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on at least one characteristic of another communication channel between the communication device and a second other communication device;
processing the another combination of fragments to generate another output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmitting, via the communication interface of the communication device, the another output signal to the second other communication device via the another communication channel.
16. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
selecting another combination of fragments from the plurality of fragments based on a change of the at least one characteristic of the communication channel between the communication device and the another communication device;
processing the another combination of fragments to generate another output signal that is representative of the signal stream; and
transmitting, via the communication interface of the communication device, the another output signal to the another communication device via the communication channel.
17. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
a first fragment subset of the plurality of fragments is based on a first bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and is representative of the signal stream at a first quality associated with the first bit rate;
a second fragment subset of the plurality of fragments is based on a second bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and is representative of the signal stream at a second quality associated with the second bit rate; and
at least two different fragments of the plurality of fragments that are based on different bit rates of the plurality of bit rates, respectively, correspond to a common segment of the plurality of segments of the signal stream.
18. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the combination of fragments includes a first fragment of the plurality of fragments that is based on a first bit rate of the plurality of bit rates and a second fragment of the plurality of fragments that is based on a second bit rate of the plurality of bit rates; and
the combination of fragments is representative of the signal stream at a quality associated with a combination of the first bit rate and the second bit rate.
19. The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one characteristic of the communication channel includes at least one of a network that includes the communication channel, a bandwidth of the communication channel, a local operating condition of the communication device, or a remote operating condition of the another communication device.
20. The method of claim 14 further comprising:
operating the communication interface of the communication device to support communications within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, a fiber-optic communication system, or a mobile communication system.