Patent ID: 9609388
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: H04N

Claim:
1. A set top box comprising a wired transceiver operably coupled to an in-home coaxial cable network to communicate with a plurality of client modules that are each coupled to at least one client device that includes a video display, wherein the plurality of client modules are remotely located on the in-home coaxial cable network at remote points from the set top box, wherein the wired transceiver receives a first video request from a first client module of the plurality of client modules and a second video request from a second client module of the plurality of client modules; at least one tuner operably coupled to receive digital video signals in a high definition format from at least one broadcast video source and operable to respond to the first video request via the in-home coaxial cable network from the first client module by tuning a video channel from the digital video signals to generate a first video stream; video storage module operably coupled to digitally record and store at least one video program included in the digital video signals, wherein the video storage module responds to receive the second video request and to generate a second video stream from the at least one video program digitally recorded and stored in the video storage module; an encoding module operably coupled to format the first video stream and the second video stream in accordance with a packet format of the in-home coaxial cable network and forms a stream of channel data that includes the first video stream and the second video stream, wherein the encoding module controls delivery of the first video stream via the in-home coaxial cable network to the first client module in accordance with a priority associated with real-time transmissions and further in accordance with pause, fast forward and rewind commands from the first client module, while also controlling delivery of the second video stream via the in-home coaxial cable network to the second client module in accordance with the priority associated with real-time transmissions and further in accordance with pause, fast forward and rewind commands from the second client module; and a control module operably coupled to evaluate the first video request, to determine if the at least one tuner has sufficient resources to fulfill the first video request, and to authorize the at least one tuner to satisfy the first video request when the at least one tuner has sufficient resources to fulfill the first video request.