Flexible traffic management and shaping processing for multimedia distribution

1. Apparatus for distributing streaming multimedia to at least one end client over a network, the apparatus comprising:

memory; and

at least one processor operatively connected to the memory, the at least one processor being operative: (i) to receive the streaming multimedia from at least one multimedia source via at least one of a plurality of channels in the network; (ii) when a channel change request generated by the end client for changing a channel and corresponding multimedia content from the multimedia source is not detected, to deliver the at least one multimedia stream to the end client at a first data rate; and (iii) when the channel change request has been detected, to deliver the at least one multimedia stream to the end client at a second data rate for a prescribed duration of time after receiving the channel change request and, after the prescribed duration of time, to deliver the at least one multimedia stream to the end client at the first data rate, wherein the second data rate is greater than the first data rate;

wherein the prescribed duration of time is determined as a function of a ratio of the second data rate to the first data rate and an amount of buffering of the at least one multimedia stream.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor is operative to detect whether or not the channel change request has been generated by the end client for changing a channel and corresponding multimedia content from the multimedia source.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising memory management circuitry connected between the memory and the at least one processor, the memory management circuitry being operative to interface between the at least one processor and the memory for at least one of storing data in the memory and retrieving data from the memory.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the prescribed duration of time is substantially equal to:

t

R

=

S

Buff

R

-

1

,

where t R is the prescribed duration of time, R is the ratio of the second data rate to the first data rate, and S Buff is the amount of buffering of the at least one multimedia stream.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the prescribed duration of time is less than about five seconds.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second data rate is at least 1.3 times faster than the first data rate.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor comprises a network processor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is included in a network processor appliance in a multimedia distribution network comprising at least one streaming video head end, at least one video hub office operatively coupled to the video head end, a plurality of video serving offices operatively coupled to at least one of the at least one streaming video head end and the at least one video head end, and a plurality of digital subscriber line access multiplexers, each of the plurality of digital subscriber line access multiplexers being operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of video serving offices, the network processor appliance being operatively coupled between at least a corresponding one of the plurality of video serving offices and at least a corresponding one of the plurality of digital subscriber line access multiplexers.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is included in a media server in a multimedia distribution network comprising at least one streaming video head end, at least one video hub office operatively coupled to the video head end, a plurality of video serving offices operatively coupled to at least one of the at least one streaming video head end and the at least one video head end, and a plurality of digital subscriber line access multiplexers, each of the plurality of digital subscriber line access multiplexers being operatively coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of video serving offices, the media server being operatively coupled to the at least one video hub office.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processor is operative to perform traffic shaping for controlling at least one of a volume of data traffic being sent into the network and a rate at which the data traffic is being sent in the network.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one processor receives the streaming multimedia from at least one multimedia source via at least one gigabit Ethernet communication channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the network comprises at least one of a broadband network and an Internet Protocol network.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the streaming multimedia comprises Internet Protocol television data traffic.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising multicast interface circuitry connected to the at least one processor.

15. An integrated circuit including at least one apparatus for distributing streaming multimedia to at least one end client over a network, the at least one apparatus comprising:

memory; and

at least one processor operatively connected to the memory, the at least one processor being operative: (i) to receive the streaming multimedia from at least one multimedia source via at least one of a plurality of channels in the network; (ii) when a channel change request generated by the end client for changing a channel and corresponding multimedia content from the multimedia source is not detected, to deliver the at least one multimedia stream to the end client at a first data rate; and (iii) when the channel change request has been detected, to deliver the at least one multimedia stream to the end client at a second data rate for a prescribed duration of time after receiving the channel change request and, after the prescribed duration of time, to deliver the at least one multimedia stream to the end client at the first data rate, wherein the second data rate is greater than the first data rate;

wherein the prescribed duration of time is determined as a function of a ratio of the second data rate to the first data rate and an amount of buffering of the at least one multimedia stream.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15 , wherein the at least one processor is operative to detect whether or not the channel change request has been generated by the end client for changing a channel and corresponding multimedia content from the multimedia source.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 15 , further comprising memory management circuitry connected between the memory and the at least one processor, the memory management circuitry being operative to interface between the at least one processor and the memory for at least one of storing data in the memory and retrieving data from the memory.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 15 , wherein the prescribed duration of time is substantially equal to:

t

R

=

S

Buff

R

-

1

,

where t R is the prescribed duration of time, R is the ratio of the second data rate to the first data rate, and S Buff is the amount of buffering of the at least one multimedia stream.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 15 , wherein the prescribed duration of time is less than about five seconds.

20. The integrated circuit of claim 15 , wherein the second data rate is at least 1.3 times faster than the first data rate.