Method and apparatus for communicating program selections on a multiple channel digital media server having analog output
US6023731A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 30, 1997 |
| Grant date | Feb 8, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 30, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N7/17336
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for delivering analog data on demand from a multiple channel digital media server are provided. A number of digital data streams are admitted to a media server. A number of control bits in the form of program packet identifiers are extracted from the admitted digital data streams. One of a number of channels in a converter is allocated as a control channel. A number of control commands are transmitted to the control channel for each of the converter channels in response to user selections, the control commands comprising the extracted program packet identifiers of the digital data streams. The admitted digital data streams are transmitted to the decoding channels of the converter where the converter channels convert the digital data streams to analog data streams in response to the extracted program packet identifiers. The analog data streams may be modulated to produce cable televisions signals or ultrahigh frequency or very high frequency television signals for transmission to clients.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.