Network Device for Home Entertainment Stream Rerouting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current home entertainment networks, particularly those utilizing HDMI, face limitations in device addressing and control, restricting seamless audio/video and data streaming across multiple rooms due to ambiguous addressing schemes and lack of comprehensive device and operation history databases.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a network device equipped with a database generator unit to create device and operation history databases, along with a synchronization unit for network devices, allows for unique addressing and seamless streaming by storing and synchronizing data records of device operations across HDMI sub-networks, enabling enhanced control and rerouting of streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If HDMI Ethernet channel is used to connect multiple HDMI networks, then multiroom home entertainment network capability is enabled, but device addressing becomes ambiguous and control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the home entertainment network into multiple HDMI sub-networks, each with its own addressing scheme. This allows each sub-network to be managed independently while still being part of the overall multiroom network, resolving the addressing ambiguity by creating hierarchical structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a network address translation mechanism that acts as an intermediary between different HDMI sub-networks. This mediator translates addresses from one sub-network's addressing scheme to another, enabling seamless communication across sub-networks without exposing the complexity of inter-network addressing to end devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If device databases and operation history databases are implemented, then device selection and stream rerouting capabilities are enhanced, but data storage and synchronization requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the device database and operation history database into a unified data structure that is shared across all network devices. By combining these databases and implementing centralized synchronization, the system reduces redundant data storage while enhancing device selection and stream rerouting capabilities through comprehensive network-wide information.
3Measurement precision
If unique addressing scheme is implemented across HDMI sub-networks, then device identification precision is improved, but addressing system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the addressing system into two levels: local HDMI sub-network addresses and global unique network identifiers. This segmentation allows devices to use simple local addresses within their sub-network while still having unique global identifiers for network-wide communication, thereby maintaining identification precision without overwhelming complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a hierarchical dimension to the addressing system by introducing sub-network identifiers as an additional layer. Instead of creating a single complex flat addressing scheme, the system uses a two-dimensional addressing structure (sub-network ID + local device address), which simplifies the overall system while ensuring unique device identification across the entire network.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a network device for a network (10) comprising a display (38); a network controller (42), an evaluation unit (50) adapted to evaluate an operation history database containing information about network device operations tasked by a user of a network device, an operation option unit adapted to provide a selectable operation option on the display (38) in response to the evaluation of the operation history database and to perform network device operations in response to the selected operation option. The invention also relates to a method for controlling and rerouting audio, video and data streams in a network, comprising the steps of: evaluating an operation history database containing information about network device operations tasked by a user of a network device, and providing a selectable operation option on a display (38) in response to the evaluating step of database; performing network device operations in response to the selected operation option.