System and method for utilizing multicast ip and ethernet to locate and distribute a satellite signal

A method of receiving a packetized program stream and distributing the packetized program stream through a data network, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a plurality of packetized program streams from a signal source, each packetized program stream having associated therewith program identification information;
• receiving a request for a particular packetized program stream, the request including a multicast address;
• determining program identification information associated with the particular packetized program stream using a predetermined algorithm and the multicast address;
• acquiring the particular packetized program stream using the determined program identification information;
• and
• transmitting, on the data network, the particular packetized program stream in accordance with a transport format associated with the data network using the multicast address.

A method for receiving a packetized program signal in a data network, comprising the steps of:

• receiving a user request for a particular packetized program stream from a plurality of packetized program streams;
• determining a multicast address associated with the particular packetized program stream using a predetermined algorithm and identification information associated with the particular packetized program information;
• transmitting a request for the particular packetized program stream, the request including the multicast address, to a device coupled to a source of the plurality of packetized program streams;
• acquiring, from the data network, packetized data having the particular program stream included therein and being associated with the multicast address;
• and
• deriving the packetized program stream from the acquired packetized data.

A method of receiving a packetized program stream from a signal source and distributing the packetized program stream through a data network, comprising the steps of:

• a) receiving, in a first device coupled to the data network, a plurality of packetized program streams from the signal source;
• b) receiving, in a second device coupled to the data network, a user input selecting a particular packetized program stream from the plurality of packetized program streams;
• c) determining, in the second device, a multicast address associated with the particular packetized program stream using a predetermined algorithm, and transmitting a request for the particular packetized program stream including the determined multicast address to the first device;
• d) determining, in the first device, identification information associated with the particular packetized program stream in response to the request using the predetermined algorithm and the multicast address;
• e) acquiring, in the first device, the particular packetized program stream in response to the identification information, and transmitting the particular packetized program stream through the data network in accordance with a transport format of the data network using the multicast address;
• and
• f) receiving, in the second device, the particular packetized program stream in response to packetized data transmitted with the multicast address.

A digital server for receiving a packetized program stream from a satellite source and distributing said packetized program stream through a network, comprising:

• means for encapsulating said packetized program stream in a first transport protocol into packetized data in a second transport protocol;
• means for assigning a unique internet protocol multicast address to each packetized program stream, whereby satellite identification data is mapped to said uniquely assigned internet protocol multicast address;
• and
• a plurality of receivers to which to distribute said packetized data, wherein a group of said plurality of said receivers form a internet protocol multicast group.

A plurality of satellite receivers for receiving packetized data, comprising:

• a group of said plurality of satellite receivers forming a first internet protocol multicast group, each satellite receiver of said group of satellite receivers being Ethernet capable;
• each satellite receiver of said group of satellite receivers, further comprising:
• means for processing packetized data;
• means for tuning to at least one satellite elementary steam packet via its
• multicast address;
• and
• means for receiving program or service guide information.