Cable Modem Fast Channel Change via Content Guide Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing channel change process in DOCSIS MAC domains is slow and resource-intensive, causing delays in accessing different video content streams, which affects user experience and increases upstream bandwidth usage.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes an association table to facilitate fast channel changes by allowing cable modems to tune directly to new downstream channels without requiring complex signaling procedures, using content guide information to determine the best channel with available bandwidth and minimizing interactions with the CMTS, thereby reducing the time to switch between content streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the DCC procedure is used for channel change, then the subscriber device can be successfully readmitted to the DOCSIS MAC domain, but the channel change time delay increases and CMTS resources are tied up
Solution Approach 1:
The cable modem proactively monitors content guide information and pre-identifies the target downstream channel carrying the requested content stream before the channel change is initiated. This preliminary identification eliminates the need for complex post-change signaling and re-initialization procedures, thereby reducing channel change delay while maintaining reliable readmission to the DOCSIS MAC domain
2Ease of operation
If the DCC procedure is used for channel change, then the subscriber device can switch to the correct downstream channel, but the CMTS processing demands and upstream bandwidth usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cable modem autonomously determines the target downstream channel by monitoring content guide information and comparing it with the requested content stream identifier. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex CMTS-controlled signaling procedures, thereby reducing CMTS processing demands and upstream bandwidth consumption while maintaining automatic channel switching capability
3Loss of information
If the subscriber device waits for CMTS to identify the downstream channel, then the content stream can be delivered on the correct channel, but the time to access the content stream increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable modem continuously monitors content guide information from the downstream channel and pre-identifies the downstream channel carrying the requested content stream before the channel change is initiated. This preliminary identification ensures accurate content stream identifier matching while significantly reducing the time to access the content stream
Data Source
AI summary
A stream request is generated based on the stream address of a corresponding program selected from an electronic program guide that associates programs with corresponding IP multicast stream addresses by a subscriber/user device. The stream request is sent from the subscriber device to a broadband device, which compares the address in the request to available stream information listed in a content guide. The content guide contains information for all multicast streams that are available from a CMTS to the broadband device over DS channels of the current MAC domain. The broadband device locks to the stream that corresponds to the request, including tuning to a different DS channel if necessary. The broadband device may request another MAC domain if the stream is not available from the current one. After locking to a desired stream, the broadband device informs the CMTS so that it can adjust content guide user counts.