Patent ID: 9554166
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: H04J,H04N

Claim:
1. A method of providing video on-demand and switched digital video using bandwidth to a first set of customer premise equipment devices, the method comprising: apportioning said bandwidth so that it includes a first portion, a second portion and a third portion, said first portion of bandwidth being dedicated for communicating video-on demand, said second portion of bandwidth being dedicated for communicating switched digital video, and said third portion of bandwidth being available for communicating (i) video on-demand, (ii) switched digital video, or (iii) video on-demand and switched digital video; using said first dedicated portion of said bandwidth to provide video on-demand services to the first set of customer premise equipment devices, said using said first dedicated portion of said bandwidth to provide video on-demand services to the first set of customer premise equipment devices including operating a first communications network device which does not support and is not capable of bandwidth sharing to use at least a portion of said first dedicated portion of said bandwidth to provide video on-demand services to the first set of customer premise equipment devices; using said second dedicated portion of said bandwidth to provide switched digital video services to the first set of customer premise equipment devices; and using said third portion of said bandwidth to provide both video on-demand and switched digital video services to the first set of customer premise equipment devices, said third portion of said bandwidth being available for communicating (i) video on-demand, (ii) switched digital video, or (iii) video on-demand and switched digital video, the size of a video on-demand portion of said third portion of bandwidth varying as a function of requests for video on-demand content received from one or more customer premise equipment devices and a video on-demand service priority relative to a switched digital video service priority.