Method and apparatus for employing stored content at receivers to improve efficiency of broadcast system bandwidth use
AssigneeSirius XM Radio Inc.
InventorsPaul D. Marko, Craig P. Wadin
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Abstract
The invention relates generally to a receiver unit in a digital broadcast system for receiving a broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data, and generating an output signal using the content segments and previously stored content segments. The previously stored content segments are retrieved from a local memory device using the control data and inserted among the received content segments.
Claims9
A method for generating an output signal at each of a plurality of receivers using a broadcast signal transmitted to the plurality of receivers in a digital broadcast system comprising the steps of:
- storing predefined content segments in a memory device associated with each of the plurality of receivers;
- receiving said broadcast signal at each of the plurality of receivers, said broadcast signal comprising segments of program content and segments of control data for reception by the plurality of receivers;
- accessing and retrieving selected said predefined content segments identified by said control data from said memory device of at least some of the plurality of receivers;
- and
- playing back the selected said predefined content segments in said output signal in accordance with said control data using at least some of the plurality of receivers;
- wherein said memory device at each of the plurality of receivers comprises index data with which to identify each of said predefined content segments stored therein, and said control data comprises said index data corresponding to the selected said predefined content segments, said accessing step comprises the step of using said index data in said control data to retrieve said predefined content segments corresponding thereto from said memory device.
A method for generating an output signal at a receiver using a broadcast signal transmitted in a digital broadcast system comprising:
- transmitting a multiplexed broadcast signal via at least one transmitter, the broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data for receivers;
- receiving the transmitted broadcast signal;
- extracting at least portions of said content segments and control data from the received broadcast signal;
- storing predefined content segments,
- retrieving selected ones of the stored predefined content segments in accordance with said control data in the received broadcast signal, said control data indicating which of said predefined content segments are to be retrieved from the memory and played back in an output signal comprising at least some of the content segments extracted from the received broadcast signal.
A broadcast system comprising:
- a broadcast signal transmitted by at least one transmitter, the broadcast signal comprising content segments and control data for receivers;
- a plurality of receivers, at least some of the plurality of receivers comprising
- memory for storing predefined content segments, and
- a controller for controlling the receiver to receive said broadcast signal, and retrieve selected ones of the stored predefined content segments from the memory device in accordance with said control data in said received broadcast signal, said control data indicating which of said predefined content segments are to be retrieved from the memory and played back in an output signal comprising at least some of the content segments extracted from the received broadcast signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.