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US 6,796,555 B1Granted
Centralized video controller for controlling distribution of video signals
AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorDonald E. Blahut
Life of this patent
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AssigneeLucent Technologies Inc.
InventorDonald E. Blahut
Estimating the term…
A single centralized video controller is employed to convert and distribute video channels to one or more analog TVs (i.e., viewing devices or the like). This is realized without the need for changes to either the TVs or the interconnecting COAX. Specifically, the centralized controller includes one or more MPEG2 decoders, the number of which depends on a desired number of active TVs to be used in viewing different programs, and one or more wireless (e.g., radio frequency (RF)) communications links to television controllers (i.e., remote control units) associated on a one-to-one basis with the desired number of TVs. In operation, channel selection for each of the one or more TVs is communicated up-stream from the centralized controller to a remote video server and, therein, to a video services controller. The video services controller causes the video server to transmit only the selected program channels to the local centralized video controller. However, when the video channel is already being supplied from the video server to an optical line terminal and, specifically, to an optical line card to which the requesting centralized controller is connected to, there is no need to communicate the channel request to the video server. The optical line terminal simply supplies the requested channel via an optical line card to the additional requesting centralized controller and, in turn, to the requesting TV.
Apparatus for use at a prescribed local location to control the provision of video channels from a remote source at a remote location from the prescribed local location to a plurality of television sets at the prescribed local location, the apparatus comprising:
Apparatus for use at a prescribed local location to control the provision of video channels from a remote source at a remote location from the prescribed local location to a plurality of television sets at the prescribed local location, the apparatus comprising:
A system for controllably supplying video channels from a remote source at a remote location to a plurality of television sets at an at least one local location remote from said remote location comprising:
A method for use at a prescribed local location to control the provision of video channels from a remote source at a remote location to a plurality of television sets at the prescribed local location, the method comprising the steps of:
A method for controllably supplying video channels from a remote source at a remote location to a plurality of television sets at one or more local locations including at least one video controller, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.