WO2017158254A1

WO2017158254A1 - Catv system for distributing video-on-demand to a plurality of communities

Info

Publication number: WO2017158254A1
Application number: PCT/FR2017/050487
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christian FINAUD DIT "D'AUFIN"
Original assignee: Vodinn
Priority date: 2016-03-15
Filing date: 2017-03-06
Publication date: 2017-09-21
Also published as: FR3049146B1; FR3049146A1; EP3430815A1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a CATV system for distributing content and services of the video-on-demand type for consumption in a plurality of communities, comprising a carousel (1) for aggregating and broadcasting contents and program data, in the form of a data flux, a satellite television-broadcasting means (9) and, for each of said communities, a parabolic antenna, a head-end station (2) and local distributing means for distributing the signals to said consumers (4). The system furthermore comprises, for each of said communities, a transmodulator (11) ensuring the conversion from a digital satellite television-broadcasting format to a digital terrestrial television-broadcasting format, the modulated output of which is connected to the local television network. Each of said consumers (4) is associated with a piece of equipment (3) ensuring the demodulation of said distributed signal and its conversion into a video-on-demand service.

Description

SYSTEM FOR VIDEO TELEDISTRIBUTION ON DEMAND IN A

PLURALITY OF COMMUNITIES

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of the television distribution of video-on-demand content and services for communities, particularly hotels or hospitals. In each of its communities, there are more or less spaces, for example rooms, equipped with an individual television set.

The television broadcasting services offered by these communities are essentially of two types.

The services of the first category, the most classic, correspond to the broadcasting ("broadcast") of programs on the entire television set; this is typically the case for television or radio channels received over the air, satellite or cable.

All users simultaneously receive the same video stream via unidirectional data streams (audiovisual or other) as users passively consume what is offered to them. Each program is broadcast once, regardless of the number of receivers or simultaneous users; bandwidth requirements on the network are therefore proportional to the number of channels or programs. In the framework of a standard coaxial type infrastructure network, the television channels are received by a station head and rebroadcast as such on the local network or modulated on different frequencies and / or in a different type of modulation. A head of station is understood to mean a central network system for: the recovery of telecommunication signals (television channels, internet, video-on-demand or "VOD" service, etc.), the processing of these signals (modulation / demodulation, adaptation, multiplex, etc.), the adapted broadcasting of the processed signals to the terminals of the network. The services of the second category concern the offer in the rooms of one or more dedicated services, such as an internal channel, broadcast from the head of the station. They are characterized by an interactive mode allowing to answer the particular requests of each user (or receiver). A typical example is Video on Demand ("VOD"), often implemented by pay-per-view streaming of films from a catalog regularly updated by the institution.

Broadcast services are historically built on coaxial networks transmitting all services received by an antennal system to all receivers. Such an architecture can serve an unlimited number of receivers, the maximum number of broadcast services is limited by the bandwidth available on the network (typically 850 MHz) and that used by each service. The transition from analogue to digital world has multiplied by at least a factor 4 the number of services that can be offered by combining several services in a multiplex occupying a single frequency band. State of the art

The general principle of cable distribution of content including video-on-demand in a community is well known.

A first family of solutions is to ensure local distribution at the community level through radio frequency transmission. An example of such a solution is described in patent application US2002059614. It presents a system and method for distributing digital content on demand in a context in a community, for example an aircraft by a combination of low RF power (eg, WLAN / Bluetooth) and digital broadcast data (e.g. , DVB-T).

A multimedia terminal communicates via a WLAN or Bluetooth link with a shared content server to request digital content such as movies, music, games, etc. In response, the server transmits the requested content via a DVB-T connection. A mechanism is also described for quickly updating the content in the community server via a DVB-T connection.

While this solution avoids wiring problems, the wireless link makes the solution vulnerable to transmission disruptions.

US patent US2012030706 discloses another solution for providing digital content for television sets or other devices having multimedia playback capabilities over a network infrastructure using virtual decoders requiring the use of "smart" smart TVs. , with access to a network according to an internet protocol.

An alternative proposed by the US patent application US2010251316 is to transmit a signal over IP via a coaxial cable. This patent application describes a network comprising a first transmission infrastructure comprising a coaxial cable on which the data is transmitted using a modulation radio frequency (RF). A second transmission infrastructure allows the transmission of data using the Internet Protocol (IP). One or more data servers are configured for provide data services, including digital television services and video-on-demand services.

This solution makes it necessary to dedicate coaxial cabling to the exclusive IP signal transport with centralization of all locally distributed resources, at the community level, in IP mode. Such solutions are fragile and require expert skills to ensure maintenance and restart in case of failure.

Another solution is described in the international patent application WO 2013102745 describing a control of on-demand services communicated in broadcast mode. This method provides at least on-demand services to a plurality of terminals. A server generates an undifferentiated flow common to the terminals and comprising at least signaling tables of said services on demand, each signaling table being dedicated to a terminal and each terminal being configured to read the signaling table of the service on demand which it is dedicated to him and ignore the other tables of signaling. The server receives from at least a portion of the terminals, on-demand service requests, by way of return between the terminals and the computing entity. Since the server is connected to an on-demand service data source, it is thus possible to condition the delivery of the aforementioned data in the common stream according to the requests.

This solution imperatively requires a return path between each visualization equipment and the server, and therefore a heavy infrastructure to install and maintain.

Disadvantages of prior art

All of these solutions are relatively complex to install and operate, and require significant work on the site of each community to install cabling appropriate to the transmission protocol. For operation in communities such as hotels or hospitals, the implementation of specific cabling is difficult to envisage both for cost issues and service interruption during the works.

Other abovementioned solutions, known as hybrid solutions, propose using pre-existing coaxial cabling to divert it from its original purpose by transporting data according to IP protocols to provide digital television, broadcasting and interactive services on structured infrastructures (type Ethernet, twisted pair, optical fiber, etc.), bidirectional by nature, thus relaxing the bandwidth constraints. While they allow to overcome the limitations of the coaxial world, but such architectures are powerful but very expensive. While they perfectly meet the needs of luxury establishments, they are not affordable for all communities and especially all players in the hotel industry. They also require heavy work, not always possible and whose costs can be prohibitive.

These solutions are unsatisfactory either because they require full dedication of the cabling to this new use, and make them unavailable for the previous use, for example conventional television distribution of television channels via the terrestrial antenna.

Other solutions mentioned above require the use of so-called "connected" televisions including a Web browser and a physical Ethernet port.

These new materials, however, are extremely expensive especially because designed to serve a large number users. They are therefore not financially affordable by a collective establishment.

The use of in-room televisions for the broadcast of television broadcasting services can lead to quality of service issues. In fact, more and more television programs are using new hybrid broadcasting techniques to offer interactive applications offering services related to these programs. As noted above, in addition to access to interactive textual information (program information, weather information, news) these applications include video streaming, such as delayed catch-up television (or "catch-up"). TV "), video on demand, etc. In general, the solutions of the state of the art are not adapted to equip communities because, even if the community has a very high speed internet access, the speed required to broadcast simultaneously, in several rooms, multiple sessions of simultaneous on-demand broadcast services can cause congestion on the local computer network, and significantly lower the quality of the access service to an intranet or the internet.

Solution Provided by the Invention The present invention aims to remedy these drawbacks by proposing, in its most general sense, a system for the distribution of video-on-demand content and services for use in a plurality of communities, each of which includes several TVs. The system according to the invention comprises: a carousel for aggregating and broadcasting content and programming data in the form of a data stream

- a means of satellite broadcasting and, for each of those communities

- a satellite dish

- a head station

means for locally distributing the signals to said televisions The system further comprises, for each of said communities:

- a transmodulator of a digital satellite broadcasting format [DVB-S] to a digital terrestrial television broadcasting format [DVB-T] whose modulated output is connected to the local cable television network. Each of said televisions is associated with equipment demodulating said cable-transmitted signal and converting it into a video-on-demand service, said device further comprising at least one storage means for downloading and locally saving the content files, and said equipment further comprising means for controlling either the selection and viewing on the local TV of content saved via a media player, or the consultation on the associated television of a cable channel.

The invention also relates to a carousel specifically intended for such a video-on-demand type of television content and services television distribution system. operating in a plurality of communities, including satellite broadcasting.

The invention also relates to a head-end station for the television distribution of video-on-demand content and services for operation in a plurality of communities, comprising a transmodulator of a digital satellite broadcasting format [DVB-S] to a digital terrestrial television broadcasting format [DVB-T] whose modulated output is connected to the local cable television network. The invention also relates to an equipment for cable distribution of video-on-demand content and services for operation in a plurality of communities, comprising a computer providing the demodulation of said cable-TV signal and converting it into a video-on-demand service, said apparatus further comprising at least one storage means for downloading and locally saving the content files, and said equipment further comprising means for controlling either the selection and viewing on the local TV of content saved via a multimedia player, ie the consultation on the associated television of a television channel.

The principle of content distribution is based on technology that allows any type of digital content to be pushed in advance on the decoder's internal hard disk via a satellite network to a community site, and then via cable. coaxial inside this site, to the decoder box of each user. Detailed description of a non-limiting example of

production

The present invention will be better understood on reading the detailed description of a nonlimiting example of the invention which follows, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 represents a schematic view of the system architecture

The system of which Figure 1 represents a diagram of the architecture includes a head-end equipment (1) and local stations (2) installed at the level of each community, for example a hotel, and a set of housings (3) each of which is associated with each television (4), in the equipped rooms. The system according to the invention makes it possible to operate an existing coaxial TV network and to inject a VOD service reserved for the authorities (hotel, holiday, health, penitentiary, cruise, etc. establishments).

This system comprises a suitable head-end station for converting the Push VOD signals from a DVB-S broadcast satellite into DVB-T type digital signals, which are continuously fed into files, a series of terminal units. specific boxes "or" Set Top Box "(STB). Description of the head-end equipment

The head-end equipment comprises a content management system (CMS) consisting of a computer executing a software suite performing the following functionalities: - supply of a publication chain (workflow) offering for example the possibility of putting on line the list of the files and the programming of their broadcasting then of their provision with the users. - performing ingestion operations, form and content management;

- Content structuring and pre-scrambling (security)

- management of bandwidth and broadcast strategies

- Generation of data flows

- Embedded software agent to operate the good reception and storage management at sets top boxes and a first level of security. - prioritizing users and assigning them roles and permissions (anonymous user, administrator, contributor, etc.)

The CMS system (5) includes memories for the recording of metadata, technical information, marketing data, and the push mode management table and delivers the editorial data transferred in FTP mode to a server (7). ).

It is controlled by the server (7) via an IP communication controlled by the "web service" interface of the server (7).

A library of contents (6) delivered by the rightholders manages the files of video content, image etc. and delivers the content data in FTP mode to the server (7). Encryption means (8) encode the data processed by the server (7). This is for example an encoding with a specific software agent and proprietary combined with an AES pre-encryptor receiving and delivering secure video files then encrypted AES with a key that can be regularly renewed in the data stream "push" multiplexed and transmitted.

The security of the data flow is ensured by a scrambler (8) whose output is connected to a multiplexer (9) delivering the signals broadcast according to the DVB-S standard (Digital Video Broadcasting - Satellite) in a known manner themselves subject to an access control that secures this broadcast.

Description of the local station The local station (2) comprises a satellite dish connected to a DVB transmodulator (10) constituted by a demodulator for receiving television signals and digital satellite data broadcast by the head-end equipment ( 1) integrating an access control device for decoding DVB-S signals.

The QPSK-modulated DVB-S signals delivered on the satellite repeater (10) are decoded by an access control and then converted by a transmodulator (11) which remodels the COFDM signal to the DVB-T standard and carries the multiplexed VOD data. and encoded with the specific encryption agent, mainly on the IV and V bands of the UHF range.

The output of the transmodulator (11) is connected to the coaxial cable television network of the collective site on which the television sets (4) are connected. Description of the local box

In each room of the community, the television (4) is associated with a specific set-top box (3) identified by its serial number comprising a computer controlled by an operating software (12) for saving on a local internal hard disk ( 13) paired with this set-top box, the broadcasted contents decoded with the specific software agent and received in "push" mode by the local station (2) and to control the selection and display of locally available contents via a graphical navigation interface . These contents consist of secure AES encrypted video files with a regularly renewed key. A software module (14) decrypts on the fly. The digital video and audio signals are delivered to the TV via an HDMI output with integrated HDCP type copy prevention device.

Claims

claims

1 - Video-on-demand video content and service delivery system for operation in a plurality of communities, each community having multiple television sets (4), the system comprising:

a carousel (1) for aggregating and broadcasting content and programming data in the form of a data stream

- a means of satellite broadcasting (9) and, for each of the said collectivities

- a satellite dish

- a head station (2)

means for local distribution of the signals to said televisions (4), characterized in that the system further comprises, for each of said collectivities:

a transmodulator (11) for converting a digital satellite broadcasting format to a digital terrestrial television broadcasting format whose modulated output is connected to the local cable television network

each of said televisions (4) being associated with a device (3) demodulating said cable-TV signal and converting it into a video-on-demand service, said equipment (3) further comprising at least one storage means (13) for downloading and local backup content files, and said equipment (3) further comprising means for controlling either the selection and viewing on the local TV of a content saved via a media player, ie the consultation on the associated television (4) of a television channel.

2 - Cable television system according to claim 1 characterized in that said transmodulator

DVB (11) converts a DVB-S type digital satellite broadcasting format to a DVB-T digital terrestrial television broadcasting format.

3 - Cable television system according to claim 1 characterized in that said transmodulator

DVB (11) is constituted by a demodulator for receiving television signals and digital satellite data televised by the headend equipment (1) integrating an access control device for decoding the DVB-S signals .

4 - Carousel (1) specifically intended for a video-on-demand content television service and content delivery system for operation in a plurality of communities according to claim 1, comprising satellite broadcasting means.

5 - Head-end station (2) for the television distribution of video-on-demand content and services for operation in a plurality of communities according to claim 1, comprising a transmodulator of a digital satellite broadcasting format [DVB- S] to a digital terrestrial television broadcasting format [DVB-T] whose modulated output is connected to the local cable television network.

6 - Equipment (3) for the television distribution of video-on-demand content and services for operation in a plurality of communities according to claim 1, comprising a computer providing the demodulation of said distributed signal and converting it into a video-on-demand service, said equipment further comprising at least one storage means for downloading and local backup of the content files, and said equipment further comprising means for controlling either the selection and the viewing on the television local content saved via a media player, or consultation on the TV associated with a channel broadcast.