Patent ID: 8286217
Filing Date: 2012-10-09
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. A system for fast channel change (FCC) comprising: a FCC server for: generating, responsive to a received and stored multicast channel, a plurality of corresponding slotted multicasts each having the same content as the multicast channel and delayed in time relative to the multicast channel and to each of the other slotted multicasts; generating a FCC metadata record for each of the slotted multicasts; and inserting the FCC metadata records into a multicast metadata channel output by the FCC server; and one or more FCC middleware components, each for determining, responsive to a channel change request from a viewer, the slotted multicast that minimizes the total time to reach a next random access point while allowing a maximum leave-join delay based on metadata records received in the multicast metadata channel wherein: a first of the plurality of slotted multicasts is delayed relative to the received multicast channel by a configurable delay time T each subsequent slotted multicast is delayed relative to the preceding slotted multicast by a spacing interval time SI that is 100 mS or less; and the FCC server generates slotted multicasts for a time interval T