# US 9,438,951 B2 · Anticipatory video signal reception and processing

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- Number: US 9,438,951 B2
- Document ID: US9438951B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/492,928
- Filed: 2014-09-22
- Published: 2015-03-12
- Granted: 2016-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2004-03-26
- Assignees: Broadcom Corporation
- Applicants: Broadcom Corporation
- Inventors: Alexander G. MacInnis
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9438951B2

## CPC

- H04N 21/4384: {involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency}
- H04N 5/50: Tuning indicators; Automatic tuning control
- H04N 7/163: {by receiver means only}
- H04N 21/426: Internal components of the client {; Characteristics thereof} (H04N5/44 takes precedence)
- H04N 21/4263: {involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners}
- H04N 21/4312: {involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations}
- H04N 21/4314: {for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid}
- H04N 21/4382: {Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation (analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002)}
- H04N 21/44004: {involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer}
- H04N 21/44222: {Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programmes or purchase activity (monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33)}
- H04N 21/4532: {involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18)}
- H04N 21/4623: Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] {(arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14)}
- H04N 21/4667: {Processing of monitored end-user data, e.g. trend analysis based on the log file of viewer selections}
- H04N 21/472: End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content {(end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612)}
- H04N 5/04: Synchronising (for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56)
- H04N 21/42204: {User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor (constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205)}
- H04N 21/44204: {Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched (monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31)}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

A system and method that provide reduced latency in a video signal processing system. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise receiving a current request from a user for first video information. Such a request may, for example, be received with a user interface module. A first video stream and a second video stream may be received simultaneously, where the first video stream comprises the first video information currently requested by the user, and the second video stream comprises second video information not currently requested by the user. A video receiver module may, for example, perform such receiving. The first video stream may be processed to present the first video information to the user at the current time. Further, the second video stream may be pre-processed in preparation for being presented to the user in the future. A video processing module may, for example, perform such video stream processing.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method, comprising:
receiving a request for first video information;
predicting a request for second video information;
receiving a first video stream and a second video stream, the first video stream corresponding to the request for the first video information and the second video stream corresponding to the request for the second video information;
decoding the first video stream; and
while decoding the first video stream, pre-processing the second video stream, the pre-processing comprising:
establishing user rights to receive the second video stream after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information;
in response to the establishing the user rights to receive the second video stream, buffering at least a portion of the second video stream starting from an access point in the second video stream to cause the portion of the second video stream starting from the access point to be available for decoding upon receiving the request for the second video information; and
tracking timing components of the second video stream relative to timing components of the first video stream, the timing components of the second video stream comprising timestamp or synchronization components, wherein the tracking the timing components of the second video stream is utilized to control buffering activities for the second video information.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-processing of the second video stream further comprises:
receiving conditional access information for the second video stream after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information; and
decrypting at least a portion of the second video stream using the conditional access information before receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving of the conditional access information further comprises:
after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information, receiving key information for the second video stream; and
decrypting the second video stream using the key information.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the pre-processing of the second video stream further comprises:
processing error correction of the second video stream before receiving the request for the second video information; and
parsing communication protocol layers associated with the second video stream before receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprises:
receiving the request for the second video information; and
decoding the second video stream starting from the access point in the buffer in response to receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the access point in the second video stream comprises a reference frame.

### Claim 7

A system, comprising:
an interface configured to receive a request for first video information;
a video receiver configured to receive a first video stream and a second video stream, the first video stream corresponding to the request for the first video information and the second video stream corresponding to a request for second video information; and
a video processor configured to:
predict the request for the second video information;
decode the first video stream;
establish user rights to receive the second video stream after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information;
in response to the establishing the user rights to receive the second video stream, buffer at least a portion of the second video stream starting from an access point in the second video stream to cause the portion of the second video stream starting from the access point to be available for decoding upon receiving the request for the second video information; and
track timing components of the second video stream relative to timing components of the first video stream, the timing components of the second video stream comprising timestamp or synchronization components, wherein the tracking the timing components of the second video stream is utilized to control buffering activities for the second video information.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the video processor is further configured to receive conditional access information for the second video stream after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information, and to decrypt at least a portion of the second video stream using the conditional access information.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The system of claim 8, wherein the video processor is further configured to, after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information, receive key information for the second video stream and decrypt the second video stream using the key information.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the video processor is further configured to:
process error correction of the second video stream before receiving the request for the second video information; and
parse communication protocol layers associated with the second video stream before receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 11 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the video receiver is further configured to receive the first video stream through a first tuner and to receive the second video stream through a second tuner.

### Claim 12 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein the access point in the second video stream comprises a reference frame.

### Claim 13 (depends on 7)

The system of claim 7, wherein:
the interface is further configured to receive the request for the second video information; and
the video processor is further configured to decode the second video stream starting from the access point in the buffer in response to receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 14

An apparatus, comprising:
circuits configured to:
receive a request for first video information;
predict a request for second video information;
receive a first video stream and a second video stream, the first video stream corresponding to the request for the first video information and the second video stream corresponding to the request for the second video information;
decode the first video stream; and
while decoding the first video stream, pre-process the second video stream, the pre-processing of the second video stream comprising the one or more circuits configured to:
establishing user rights to receive the second video stream after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information;
in response to the establishing the user rights to receive the second video stream, buffer at least a portion of the second video stream starting from an access point in the second video stream to cause the portion of the second video stream starting from the access point to be available for decoding upon receiving the request for the second video information;
track timing components of the second video stream relative to timing components of the first video stream, the timing components of the second video stream comprising timestamp or synchronization components, wherein the tracking the timing components of the second video stream is utilized to control buffering activities for the second video information;
receive the request for the second video information; and
decode the second video stream starting from the access point in the buffer in response to receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the pre-processing of the second video stream further comprises the one or more circuits configured to:
receive conditional access information for the second video stream after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information; and
decrypt at least a portion of the second video stream using the conditional access information before receiving the request for the second video information.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the receiving of the conditional access information further comprises the one or more circuits configured to:
after predicting the request for the second video information and before receiving the request for the second video information, receive key information for the second video stream; and
decrypt the second video stream using the key information.