Methods and apparatus for providing video on demand and network PVR functions using IP streaming
Methods and apparatus for supporting on-demand content services, using conventional non-IP based VOD servers are described. The methods and apparatus of the present invention, through the use of a protocol converter and/or a content redirector, can be used to enable a conventional VOD server to supply content to a customer premise equipment (CPE) device which supports IP based content delivery and/or RSTP control of content delivery. The protocol converter of the invention can be implemented as an RTSP-ISA PROXY. The RTSP Proxy converts messages between RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) to the appropriate ISA protocol signal or another protocol format. The proxy module handles the conversion between these formats and converts a received signal, e.g. message, into the format required by the device which responds by implementing the operation requested by the signal.
1. A content distribution system, the system comprising:
a video on demand server;
an IP business management module for performing at least one of billing and authorization functions relating to content delivery requests initiated by an IP customer premise device which supports a first protocol;
a cable network business management module for performing billing functions relating to services provided by said video on demand server, said cable network business management module supporting a second protocol which is different from said first protocol; and
a protocol converter module in communication with said cable network business management module, said IP business management module, said IP customer premise device and said video on demand server, said protocol converter module configured to convert command signals which are in accordance with the first protocol which is used by said IP customer premise device, but which is not supported by said video on demand server, to command signals to which said video on demand server is responsive, said command signals to which said video on demand server is responsive being in accordance with the second protocol and including a content delivery command signal, said protocol converter module being further configured to convert signals from said IP business management module directed to said cable business network management module from said first protocol to said second protocol and to convert signals sent from said cable network business management module to said IP business management module from said second protocol to said first protocol thereby allowing said IP business management module and said cable network business management module to interoperate using said first and second protocols.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video on demand server is a network based video recorder device which provides network personal video recorder functionality in response to one or more ISA protocol compliant signals.
3. The system of claim 1 , wherein said first protocol is an RTSP protocol and wherein said second protocol is an Interactive Services Architecture protocol.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a video redirector module for receiving video content from said video on demand server and forwarding said video content as an IP stream to said IP customer premise device.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein said video redirector packetizes said video content.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein said video redirector reformats said video content from a first encoding format to a second encoding format prior to delivery to said customer premise device.
7. The system of claim 4 , further comprising:
a broadband network in communication with said customer premise device to said protocol converter module, said IP business management system module and to said video redirector.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein said IP customer premise device is a personal computer, the system further comprising:
a plurality of set top boxes in communication with said video on demand server.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said plurality of set top boxes communicate with said video on demand server through a cable network and wherein said broadband network includes a DSL connection to said customer premise device.
10. The system of claim 9 , wherein said protocol converter is an ISA-RTSP protocol converter for converting at least some signals between an ISA signal format and an RTSP signal format.
11. The system of claim 1 , wherein said video on demand server is located in a cable head end.
12. The system of claim 11 , wherein said IP business management module supports RTSP signaling and is located in an IP headend which is in a different building than said cable headend.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said content delivery command signal is one of: a pause command, a fast forward command and a reverse command.
14. A method for use in delivering content, the method comprising:
operating an IP business management system module to process a content delivery request from an IP customer premise device requesting content;
operating the IP business management system module to send a first command signal in a first format corresponding to a first protocol to initiate delivery of the requested content, said IP business management system module supporting IP based content delivery;
operating a protocol converter module to convert said first command signal from said first format to a second format, said second format corresponding to a second protocol which is different from a first protocol used by said IP business management module and which is used by a cable network business management module, said protocol conversion producing a second signal, said second signal being a signal used to initiate content delivery;
operating said cable network business management module to process said second signal and send a signal to a video on demand sever to cause the video on demand server to provide the requested content; and
operating said protocol converter module to convert presentation control signals including content delivery command signals received from said IP customer premise device into a format to which said video on demand server is responsive while said requested content is being provided by said video on demand server, said format to which said video on demand server is responsive being in accordance with the second protocol.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein said video on demand server is a network based video recorder device which provides network personal video recorder functionality in response to one or more ISA protocol compliant signals.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein operating the protocol converter module to convert said first signal includes converting from said first signal format to an ISA signal format.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein said first format is an RTSP signal format.
18. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
operating the video on demand server to begin supplying the requested content to a video redirector module.
19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
operating the video redirector module to generate an IP packet stream including at least some of the content to be delivered, packets in said IP packet stream including an IP addresses corresponding to a customer premise device.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
operating the video redirector to perform an encoding format conversion operation to produce said IP packet stream.
21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:
operating the video redirector to perform a data rate shaping operation when producing said IP packet stream.
22. The method of claim 19 , further comprising:
operating said protocol converter module to receive a playback control signal from said customer premise device; and
operating said protocol converter module to perform a protocol conversion operation on said network video playback control signal to convert said signal to a protocol format supported by said video on demand server, said conversion producing a second video playback control signal.
23. The method of claim 22 , further comprising:
operating said video on demand server to receive said second video playback control signal and to modify the video stream being supplied to said video redirector in accordance with said video playback control signal.
24. The method of claim 23 , wherein said video control playback signal is one of a fast forward and a reverse signal.
25. The method of claim 24 , further comprising:
operating the video on demand server to supply a plurality of set top boxes with on demand video streams.
26. The method of claim 25 , further comprising:
operating an IPTV stream server to send a plurality of IP TV streams to a plurality of different IP based customer premise devices, said customer premise device being one of said plurality of different IP based customer premise devices.
27. The method of claim 14 , wherein said content delivery command signals, to which said video on demand sever is responsive, include at least one of: a pause command, a fast forward command, or a reverse command.