Headend modeling of data
View Patent ↗A data modeling method for modeling data for an electronic program guide (EPG) at a broadcast headend is described. The method includes grouping receiver types according to a first set of characteristics associated with a receiver type, thereby producing a plurality of groups of receivers, assigning a bit number to each group of receivers, providing EPG data, the EPG data including data for display at an EPG, the EPG data being included in a data fragment, evaluating the data fragment and the EPG data included therein according to at least one characteristic from a second set of characteristics, thereby producing a result, adding metadata to the data fragment, the metadata including a bit field including the assigned bit number, the bit number being determined in accordance with the result, the metadata being indicative of at least one characteristic from the first set of characteristics with which a data container and EPG data included therein are associated, and broadcasting the data fragment in the data container. Related methods and apparatus are also described.
1. A data update method for program guide data, the method comprising:
throughout a time-window of a fixed duration, the time-window denoted T, concurrently broadcasting a plurality of data containers, the plurality of data containers comprising M data containers, each data container comprising an update to program guide data and a version number associated with the update, the update comprising one of a partial update and a complete update to previously broadcasted program guide data; and
during one or more subsequent time-windows of the fixed duration, utilizing each data container to broadcast another M th update after an initial use of the data container, thereby creating a cycle of update containers, where each data container broadcast during said one or more subsequent time-windows includes a version number which is incremented relative to a version number of a preceding broadcast of that data container; and
wherein broadcasting the cycle of update containers continues until there are no further updates occurring within a given time-window of the one or more subsequent time-windows, at which time broadcasting the cycle of update containers is paused, but the data containers continue to be broadcast, each of the data containers which continues to be broadcast comprising a previous update to program guide data and the version number associated with said previous update.
2. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the version number associated with each said update comprises a version number of an EPG dataset.
3. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the number of data containers, M, comprises a fixed number of data containers.
4. The method according to claim 1 and wherein the number of data containers, M, comprises a variable number of data containers.
5. The method according to claim 4 and wherein a plurality of data containers comprise a complete update to previously broadcasted program guide data.
6. The method according to claim 1 and wherein receivers receiving the data containers sequentially apply the at least partial updates comprised in the data containers.
7. A data update system for program guide data, the system comprising:
a broadcast headend for concurrently broadcasting throughout a time-window of a fixed duration, the time-window denoted T, a plurality of data containers, the plurality of data containers comprising M data containers, each data container comprising an update to program guide data and a version number associated with the update, the update comprising one of a partial update and a complete update to previously broadcasted program guide data, and
the broadcast headend utilizing each data container, during one or more subsequent time-windows of the fixed duration, to broadcast another M th update after an initial use of each data container, thereby creating a cycle of update containers, where each data container broadcast during said one or more subsequent time-windows includes a version number which is incremented relative to a version number of a preceding broadcast of that data container; and
wherein broadcasting the cycle of update containers continues until there are no further updates occurring within a given time-window of the one or more subsequent time-windows, at which time the broadcasting of the cycle of updates is paused, but the data containers continue to be broadcast, each of the data containers which continues to be broadcast comprising a previous update to program guide data and the version number associated with said previous update.
8. The system according to claim 7 and wherein the version number associated with each said update comprises a version number of an EPG dataset.
9. The system according to claim 7 and wherein the number of data containers, M, comprises a fixed number of data containers.
10. The system according to claim 7 and wherein the number of data containers, M, comprises a variable number of data containers.
11. The system according to claim 10 and wherein a plurality of data containers comprise a complete update to previously broadcasted program guide data.
12. The system according to claim 7 and wherein receivers receiving the data containers are operative to sequentially apply the at least partial updates comprised in the data containers.