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US 2008/0301744 A1Published application
Method and Apparatus for Locating Content in an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) System
AssigneeGeneral Instrument Corporation
InventorGeorge T. Hutchings
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A set top box includes a front-end (e.g., a network interface) for receiving programming content over a broadband communication network and a processor operatively associated with the front-end. The set top box also includes a resolver operatively associated with the processor for determining a network-level multicast address corresponding to a domain name of a virtual channel on which the broadcast programming is available.
Claims16
At least one computer-readable medium encoded with instructions which, when executed by a processor, performs a method including:
- receiving a user request to acquire from a broadband network content that is associated with a virtual channel number that represents a content broadcaster;
- requesting from a Domain Name Service (DNS) server a network level multicast address corresponding to a domain name of the virtual channel number;
- receiving from the DNS server the network level multicast address;
- sending to the broadband network a request to join a multicast group associated with the network level multicast address;
- and
- in response to the request to join the multicast group, receiving from the broadcast network packets in which the content is embodied, wherein the packets have headers with a destination address corresponding to the network level multicast address.
3 more elements
A set top box, comprising:
- a front-end for receiving programming content over a broadband communication network;
- a processor operatively associated with the front-end;
- and
- a resolver operatively associated with the processor for determining a network-level multicast address corresponding to a domain name of a virtual channel on which the broadcast programming is available.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.