Patent ID: 6408436
Filing Date: 2002-06-18
Classification: H04L,H04N,H04Q

Abstract:
A switched telecommunication access system comprising:a switched multicasting station for transmitting video data in response to receiving a video data request signal; and a plurality of gateway devices coupled to the switched multicasting station, said gateway devices sending video data request signals to said switched multicasting station and receiving video data from said switched multicasting station, at least one gateway device of said plurality of gateway devices comprising: a controller for sending a video data request signal to said switched multicasting station and for routing video data received from said switched multicasting station in response to the video data request signal; and a plurality of video decoders coupled to said controller for decoding the video data received from said switched multicasting station; wherein one stream of video data representing a video program on a particular channel is sent from said switched multicasting station to one gateway device of said plurality of gateway devices even when the video program on the particular channel is requested for display on more than one display device coupled to said one gateway device, further wherein the one stream of video data representing the video program on the particular channel is used to display the video program on the more than one display device coupled to said one gateway device requesting the video program, the more than one display device requesting the video program, further wherein for the particular channel, the one stream of video data includes one copy, rather than multiple copies, of the video program on the particular channel.