Patent ID: 7944826
Filing Date: 2011-05-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for switching to a new channel, comprising: pre-configuring, by a business and operation support system (BSS/OSS), a corresponding relationship between channels and IP multicast addresses, bandwidth required by each of the channels, and rights of a user to watch the channels, to a service application control agent (SACA), wherein the SACA is located on a digital subscriber line access multiplexer (DSLAM); associating, by the SACA, channels having the same forward path, capable of using the same type of bearer resources, and unable to be accessed at the same time; wherein when the user switches to the new channel, a set top box (STB) sends an Internet group management protocol (IGMP) packet, and the SACA detects the IGMP packet and determines whether the user can watch the new channel according to an IP multicast address in the IGMP packet, the corresponding relationship between channels and IP multicast addresses, and the rights of the user to watch the channels; wherein when the user has rights to watch the new channel, a bandwidth required by the new channel is extracted and compared with a bandwidth of a current channel; if the bandwidth of the new channel is equal to the bandwidth of the current channel, the SACA controls the DSLAM to complete user-oriented broadcast television (BTV) channel replication, so as to allow the user to watch the new channel; if the bandwidth of the new channel is narrower than the bandwidth of the current channel, the SACA controls the DSLAM to complete user-oriented BTV channel replication, so as to allow the user to watch the new channel, and the SACA sends a bearer resource release indication to the RACF to release idle bearer resources; if the bandwidth of the new channel is wider than the bandwidth of the current channel, the SACA sends a bearer resource reservation request to a resource and admission control function (RACF) to apply for additional bearer resource; the RACF performs resource admission control processing according to use conditions of bearer resources and notifies a processing result of resource admission control to the SACA; if the RACF admits the bearer resource reservation request, the SACA controls the DSLAM to complete user-oriented BTV channel replication, so as to allow the user to watch the new channel; if the RACF does not admit the bearer resource reservation request, the user is not allowed to watch the new channel.