Set-Top Box Content Delivery Verification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for highly reliable delivery of digital media to set-top boxes and digital video recorders (DVRs) to ensure uninterrupted playback, especially in non-real-time content delivery, where impairments such as rain outages can occur, and to confirm successful recording with high certainty.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows a set-top box or integrated receiver/decoder (IRD) to determine successful recording of digital media on a DVR by using quality assurance checks and error correction techniques, such as Forward Error Correction (FEC) with tornado codes, to ensure accurate and complete content delivery, and only listing the content in the menu or program guide once successful delivery is confirmed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If non-real-time content delivery is used to allow playback at a later time, then convenience for the viewer is improved, but the risk of impairments from delivery errors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary quality assurance checks and error detection before making content available for playback. The IRD verifies delivery success criteria are met before listing content in the program guide, ensuring reliability is established in advance rather than discovered during playback.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the IRD monitors delivery quality metrics and provides status information about content integrity. This allows the system to respond to delivery conditions and adjust content availability based on verified quality thresholds.
2Manufacturing precision
If delivery assurance checks are performed to ensure complete and error-free recording, then content accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The IRD performs self-verification of content delivery integrity using built-in quality assurance capabilities. The system checks its own received content against predefined success criteria without requiring external verification, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high accuracy.
3Reliability
If the system withholds content from the program guide until successful delivery is confirmed, then delivery reliability is improved, but content availability time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary verification of delivery success using efficiency metrics and quality thresholds before content is made available. By checking delivery integrity in advance rather than during playback, the system minimizes delays while ensuring reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for applying quality assurance methods in the determination of whether or not to present previously recorded digital content as available to a viewer at a customer site. The present invention checks the digital content and makes a quality assurance comparison in determining whether to add content to an electronic program guide for selection by a customer. The present invention presents acceptable recorded content as available, and withholds unacceptable content as a means of quality assurance.