Patent ID: 8054849
Filing Date: 2011-11-08
Classification: H04L,H04N

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving, from an acquisition server, a plurality of video streams via multicast at a unicast/multicast video server; buffering each of the plurality of video streams within a buffer at the unicast/multicast video server; generating at least one multicast video output at the buffer of the unicast/multicast video server, wherein the buffer is associated with a requested channel, and wherein the at least one multicast video output corresponds to a multicast video stream generated from a multicast replication point of the buffer; generating at least one unicast video output at the buffer, the at least one unicast video output corresponding to a unicast video stream generated from the multicast video stream; sending the unicast video output for the requested channel from the unicast/multicast video server to a first set top box of a plurality of set top boxes, wherein the unicast/multicast video server continues sending the unicast video output for the requested channel to the first set top box until the first set top box has been joined to a multicast group associated with the requested channel; and sending the multicast video output to the first set top box after the first set top box has been joined to the multicast group.