Patent ID: 9584838
Date: 2017-02-28
CPC Classifications: H04N

Claim:
1. A method comprising: receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a plurality of unique video-data streams comprising one or more low bandwidth video-data streams and one or more high bandwidth video-data streams, wherein the plurality of unique video-data streams each comprise different content; obtaining, by the processing system, an overhead message on a control channel, wherein a first group of packet identifiers and a second group of packet identifiers are identified according to the overhead message; provisioning, by the processing system, the first group of packet identifiers to data from each of the one or more low bandwidth video-data streams and provisioning the second group of packet identifiers to data from each of the one or more high bandwidth video-data streams, wherein the first group of packet identifiers are from a first range of values, and wherein the second group of packet identifiers are from a second range of values; combining, by the processing system, the plurality of unique video-data streams to generate a single combined data stream; and distributing, by the processing system, the single combined data stream amongst a plurality of channels to a set top box, wherein distributing the single combined data stream comprises: for each of the one or more low bandwidth video-data streams, assigning, by the processing system, all data from each of the one or more low bandwidth video-data streams to a single one of the channels; and for at least a first high bandwidth video-data stream of the one or more high bandwidth video-data streams, assigning, by the processing system, respective portions of data from the first high bandwidth video-data stream to each of two or more of the channels, wherein at least one of the two or more channels is a common channel to which one of the low bandwidth video-data streams is also assigned, such that a portion of the data from the first high bandwidth video-data stream and all data from the one of the low bandwidth video-data streams are both assigned to the common channel.