Service Description Table Insertion for OTT Broadcast Switching

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Solution Overview

Problem

When switching from on-demand over-the-top (OTT) content to broadcast channels, users experience a delay due to the loss of channel line-up information, requiring a full scan of available services to re-sample the service description table (SDT) of the broadcast transport stream, which is inconvenient.

Innovation Solution

The method involves acquiring a broadcast transport stream's SDT and inserting it into the OTT transport stream, allowing seamless switching without the need for re-scanning, by marking SDT packets as stuffing to avoid discarding them and recalculating timestamps as necessary.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If a full scan of available services is performed to re-sample the SDT when switching from OTT to broadcast content, then the channel line-up information is obtained, but a time delay occurs which inconveniences the user

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechannel line-up informationVSAvoiddelay in obtaining reception

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The service description table (SDT) data is obtained and stored in advance while the user is viewing OTT content. When the user switches back to broadcast content, the pre-obtained SDT data is immediately available for use, eliminating the need for a time-consuming re-scan operation and thus resolving the time delay issue.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

A memory device acts as an intermediary between the broadcast stream source and the processing system. This memory stores the SDT data separately, allowing the system to retrieve channel line-up information without performing a full scan of the broadcast stream, thereby reducing the time delay while maintaining information availability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If SDT packets from the OTT source are processed normally, then processing resources are consumed, but the SDT information is not needed and causes unnecessary processing overhead

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing efficiencyVSAvoidprocessing power consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The SDT packets from the OTT source are identified and extracted (removed) from the processing pipeline. Since OTT content does not contain relevant broadcast channel line-up information, these unnecessary packets are taken out and discarded, preventing wasted processing resources and energy consumption on irrelevant data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3398343B1OTT channel list retention

Publication Date: 2021.01.27 SMARDTV SA

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AI summary

A method comprising the steps of acquiring a first transport stream, acquiring the service description table of the first transport stream, acquiring a second transport stream of an over the top source, and inserting the service description table of the first transport stream into the second transport stream of the over the top source to form a third transport stream.