Abstract:
A low cost server (thin server) for ATSC terrestrial broadcaster delivered services, replaces the conventional STB for delivering services to consumers. In one version, the server is for a network that has a sink device and one or more signal processing functions. The server has a receiver that receives a source signal; a network interface for connecting the sink device to the network; and a controller that provides the received source signal to the sink device via the network. When necessary the source signal is processed using a processing function in the network to enable the sink device to properly utilize the source signal.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to servers for networks, and more particularly to thin servers for home networks.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     A network generally includes a communication link and various devices with communication capability connected to the communication link. The devices include computers, peripheral devices, routers, storage devices, consumer electronics and appliances with processors and communication interfaces. An example of a network is a home network for a household in which various devices are interconnected. A usual household can contain several devices including personal computers and home devices such as consumer electronics and appliances that are typically found in the home. As such the term “device” generally includes logical devices or other units having functionality and an ability to exchange data, and can include not only all home devices but also general purpose computers.  
         [0003]     Home devices include such electronic devices as security systems, theater equipment, consumer electronics (e.g., HDTVs, VCRs, DVD players, stereo equipment, direct broadcast satellite services (DBSS), digital satellite services (DSS), etc.), and the like. For example, such home devices can include support for networking using e.g. 1394 standard and communication protocols such as HTTP and HTML standards for inter-device communication and operation.  
         [0004]     In one example conventional home network shown in  FIG. 1 , a sink device such as a high definition TV (HDTV)  12  is connected to a source device such as DSS  14  which provides digital programming to the HDTV via an IEEE-1394 network. The HDTV includes a decoder  11  and a display  13 . The network  10  further includes a set-top-box (STB)  15  having a tuner  17  and a decoder  16  that decodes the signals from the DSS for the HDTV  12 . Each decoder  11 ,  16  is designed to decode a certain format (e.g., MPEG2, MPEG4, etc.) from the DSS  14 .  
         [0005]     Conventionally, when a new video service is established, it is delivered to a customer&#39;s TV  12  via the STB  15 . The conventional STB  15  provides a tuner, decoder, Conditional Access (CA) and Electronic Program Guide (EPG) functions in a single enclosure. The consumer connects the STB&#39;s input to the signal source and its output to the TVs baseband inputs. The STB is also known as the Integrated Receiver Decoder (IRD).  
         [0006]     The need for this type of STB as an IRD in terms of satellite service providers is limited because digital networks, such as CEA-2027 over 1394, provide features that can allow multiple incremental enhancements without disjointing the User Interface. Conventional STBs include components that are unnecessary for processing received digital broadcasts.  
         [0007]     There is, therefore, a need for a low cost server for Advanced Televisions Standards Committee (ATSC) terrestrial broadcaster delivered services that replaces conventional STBs for delivering services to the consumer.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention addresses the above needs. In one embodiment, the present invention provides a low cost server (thin server) for ATSC terrestrial broadcaster delivered services, replacing the conventional STB for delivering services to consumers. In one version, the server is for a network that includes a sink device and one or more signal processing functions. The server includes a receiver that receives a source signal; a network interface for connecting the sink device to the network; and a controller that provides the received source signal to the sink device via the network, wherein when necessary the source signal is processed using a processing function in the network to enable the sink device to properly utilize the source signal.  
         [0009]     The controller can include a selector, such that if the sink device is not capable of properly utilizing the source signal, the selector selects a signal processing function in the network that enables the sink device to properly utilize the source signal. In another version, when necessary the controller utilizes said signal processing function in the network to enable the source device to utilize the source signal. Further, when necessary the controller can switch the sink device to utilize said signal processing function to enable the sink device to utilize the source signal.  
         [0010]     In one example, the source signal comprises an encoded signal, such that when necessary a decoding function in the network decodes the encoded source signal such that sink device can utilize the decoded source signal. In another example, the network further includes a tuner function such that when necessary the tuner function enables the sink device to utilize the source signal. A signal processing function is provided by a device that is connected to the network when necessary to provide said signal processing function.  
         [0011]     In another version of the server, the server is provided by the network bus. Further, power for the server can provided by another device in the network. The network can comprise a CEA-2027 over 1394 network, and the controller can utilizes the XHTML protocol in the network.  
         [0012]     In another aspect, the present invention provides a network that includes said server and a sink device, wherein the server provides signals to the sink device.  
         [0013]     Other embodiments, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  shows an example functional block diagram of a conventional network.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  shows an example function block diagram of an embodiment of a network according to the present invention with a thin server.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  shows an example function block diagram of another embodiment of a network according to the present invention with a thin server.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  shows an example function block diagram of another embodiment of a network according to the present invention which with a thin server, illustrating an example connectivity diagram for an NIU device, MPEG4 decoder device and HDTV device. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0018]      FIG. 2  shows a functional block diagram of an embodiment of a network  20  in which the present invention is implemented. The example network  20  comprises an IEEE-1394 network including a sink device such as a high definition TV (HDTV)  22  receiving digital programming signals via an antenna, a decoder  23  including an MPEG4 decoder, and a thin server  24  including a Network Interface Unit (NIU). The HDTV  22  includes an MPEG2 decoder  21 , a display  23  and an ATSC tuner  25 . The server  24  includes a 1394 input, and the HDTV  22  and the decoder  23  include DVI and 1394 inputs.  
         [0019]     In one example, the decoder  23  is added into the network  20  using said method of transparent addition of features to network devices, to provide MPEG4 decoding capability which the HDTV  22  could not provide. This transparent addition of features to network devices, yields a STB functionality that allows a very thin server form factor  24  according to an embodiment of the present invention, for new pay services that are delivered by ATSC terrestrial broadcasters (e.g., EMMIS, USDTV, All Connect TV, etc.). These are services that supply additional video in terrestrial broadcaster&#39;s transmissions. These additional streams may have different properties than the conventional ATSC program transmission. The conventional ATSC transport stream is an MPEG System Level Multiplex but it has additional restrictions such as free, unencrypted, MPEG2 encoded, and one of 18 prescribed formats.  
         [0020]     FCC regulations have affected the Television Manufacturing Industry in the mandate to have ATSC tuners in TVs and the mandate to have 1394 with DTCP link protection on Cable STBs. In order to accommodate these new services, according to the embodiments of the present invention it is only necessary to supply any missing functionality within the very thin server  24 . In particular, the server  24  can use the ATSC tuner  25  and the MPEG2 decoder  21  from the HDTV  22 .  
         [0021]     Additional NIU functions that may need to be supplied in the network  20  are the Conditional Access function, possibly the EPG function and the User Interface function. The service provider may apply different compression techniques to the additional programs in its service mix in order to conserve bandwidth. To accommodate this in the network  20 , a decoder function such as the decoder  23  must be supplied as described above. The decoder  23  is in the form of an additional “different compression” decoder connected to the DVI input of the HDTV  22 .  
         [0022]     As a result, new ATSC MPEG2 pay services may be delivered using a server  24  having an NIU without the need for a tuner, decoder, etc., because such functions already in the HDTV  22 . As such, the server  24  can comprise a CPU, memory and a 1394 input (1394 I/O device). Power can provided to the server  24  from the 1394 bus, from the HDTV  23 , etc. This type of service delivery has a considerable economic advantage over competitors services delivered by conventional STB type IRDs.  
         [0023]      FIG. 3  shows an example functional architecture of another network  100 , such as a home network, that implements an embodiment of the present invention. The network  100  comprises a thin server  120  according to the present invention that can include an NIU as a source of encoded digital satellite services, a computer  121 , sink devices  130  (e.g., HDTV), and optional interface  140  that connects the network  10  to the Internet  150 , the web server  160  and the web browser  170 .  
         [0024]     The network  100  further includes a decoder  135  that decodes signals from a source device  120  for a sink device  130 . The sink and source devices can implement a client-server protocol, using e.g. HTTP protocol and XHTML (Extended HTML) for communication therebetween. In one example, the sink and source devices can communicate via the TCP/IP network protocol in a 1394 network.  
         [0025]     The network  100  further allows addition of a second decoder  145  to decode other signals from the thin server  120  for a sink device  130 . For example, if the decoder  135  is designed for decoding MPEG2 format signals and the server  120  beings to provide MPEG4 format signals, then the decoder  145  which is capable of MPEG4 format signals can be added to the network  100 , rather than replacing the decoder  135  with another decoder that also provides MPEG4 decoding. A method of providing multiple incremental enhancements is described in commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 10/921,693, filed on Aug. 18, 2004, titled: “A method and System for Transparent Addition of Features to Network Devices,” incorporated herein by reference.  
         [0026]     Then, when the server  120  provides MPEG2 encoded signals, the decoder  135  is used to decode the MPEG2 signals for the sink  130 , and when the server  120  also provides MPEG4 encoded signals, the decoder  145  is used to decode the MPEG4 signals for the sink  130 . The sink device  130  is effectively upgraded to also decode the MPEG4 encoded services. This provides costs savings and ease of use. The system is distributed and new functionality (e.g. MPEG4 decoding) is added incrementally as needed without the need for inclusion of such addition needed functionality (e.g., MPEG4 decoding) in the server  120 . Further, where the sink device  130  comprises a TV (e.g., TV  22  in  FIG. 2 ), the tuner in the TV is used instead of the need for a tuner in the server  120 .  
         [0027]      FIG. 4  shows another example embodiment of a network  200  according to the present invention, utilizing the IEEE 1394 network protocol, comprising a service NIU thin server  210  as a source of digital satellite services that provides MEPG2 and MPEG4 coded signals, an HDTV  220  that includes a tuner  232  and an MPEG2 decoder  230  for decoding the MPEG2 coded signal from the NIU  210 , and an MPEG4 decoder  240  that has been connected to the DVI port of the HDTV  220  to decode the MPEG4 signals from the NIU  210 .  
         [0028]     The 1394 network digital interface is used to connect the NIU  210  to the HDTV  220 . The interface provides digital signals in a manageable compressed form and can include digital networking protocols that allow components to communicate back and forth to simplify the operation of the entire network with minimum commands from users.  
         [0029]     The HDTV  220  includes a digital video interface (DVI) port to which the MPEG4 decoder  240  is attached. DVI is a digital port designed to relay uncompressed digital signals from the NIU  210  to the HDTV  220  for display. An enhanced form of DVI is high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) used between any audio/video source, such as a set-top box, DVD player, or A/V receiver, and an audio or video monitor, such as a HDTV. HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high-definition video, and multi-channel digital audio on a single cable. An advantage of HDMI is that when the individual devices are enabled, a single remote control can operate devices in a home network. HDMI covers the conversion of video formats such that signals on a PC can be properly relayed for display on a TV monitor, for example. As such, the HDTV  220  can include an HDMI port to which the MPEG4 decoder  240  is connected.  
         [0030]     The MPEG4 decoder  240  has been added to provide new service user interface for the MPEG4 signal from the NIU  210 , as if the MPEG4 decoder  240  were internally placed and connected to the NIU  210 . Because the MPEG2 system level transport is the same or similar to MPEG4, the NIU  210  remains the same device that delivers MPEG2 services, and now also delivers MPEG4 services.  
         [0031]     The switching between the external MPEG4 decoder  240  and the internal MPEG2 decoder  230  (based on the type of signal to be decoded) is handled transparently by matching device capabilities from the NIU source  210  to proper decoder (decoder  230  or decoder  240 ) in a network connection manager built into the HDTV  220 . This allows incrementally improving functionality of the network rather than requiring the NIU  210  to include such additional functionality (e.g., MPEG4 decoding).  
         [0032]     In this example, the HDTV  220  utilizes the XHT protocol (XHTML 1.0 The Extensible HyperText Markup Language) to transparently add features to the HDTV  220 . The NIU  210  can be configured (or include a controller  250 ) to perform the switching by sending the MPEG4 signals to the MPEG4 decoder  240  that is attached to the DVI port (e.g., HDMI port) of the HDTV  220  for decoding. The XHT protocol services the user interface for the MPEG4 decoder  240  as necessary.  
         [0033]     In an example, a DSS signal is received by a receiver  251  in the NIU  210 , wherein the DSS signal is sent from the NIU  210  to the HDTV  220  via the 1394 network for display. If the DSS signal is in MPEG2 format, then the MPEG2 signal is sent to the MPEG2 decoder  230  in the HDTV 1394 network for decoding the MPEG2 encoded signal and display by the HDTV  220 . However, if the DSS signal is in MPEG4 format, then that signal is sent to the MPEG4 decoder  240  over the 1394 network to the MPEG4 decoder  240  for decoding, wherein the decoded signal is provided from the MPEG4 decoder to the HDTV  220  for display via the DVI port of the HDTV  220 .  
         [0034]     The DVI (or HDMI) input of the HDTV  220  allows adding additional processing devices to the HDTV  220  via the DVI port, wherein the NIU  210  is informed of the new processing. The NIU  210  can selectively switch (route) source signals from the NIU  210  to the MPEG4 decoder  240  for decoding, wherein the decoded signal is provided to the HDTV  220  by the MPEG4 decoder  240  via the DVI port of the HDTV  220 . The recognition and switching can also implemented in the HDTV  220  or other network devices.  
         [0035]     The switching of the HDTV  220  to receive decoded signals from the MPEG2 decoder  230  or the MPEG4 decoder  240 , can be performed by the NIU  210  through a connection to switch the signal input to the HDTV from the 1394 network input to the DVI port of the HDTV  220  (preferably, transparent to the user of a HDTV  220 ).  
         [0036]     Because the service NIU  210  is usually the device that provides the Electronic Program Guide (EPG) Data and tracks the correspondence between the data stream Program Identifiers (PIDs) for Audio and Video and the actual service channel (e.g., CNN Headline News), the NIU  210  has easy access to the data that indicates how the data channels are compressed (e.g., MPEG2, MPEG4, etc.). The NIU  210  can switch the HDTV  220  between the output of the MPEG4 decoder  240 , and the output of the MPEG2 decoder  230  internal to the HDTV  220  using the CEA-931-B Select A/V Input Function command with the proper 1-byte argument that is established at setup time. The argument of that command is an unsigned byte value in the range 0 to 255. The exact values that the NIU  210  should use is a function of how the output of the MPEG4 decoder  240  is connected to the HDTV  220 . Usually this will be either by DVI or by (Y, Pr, Pb). A one time dialog will generally be required at setup to establish the proper switching values. Subsequently, the switching happens automatically and will be transparent to the user.  
         [0037]     The recognition and switching can be implemented e.g. in software or firmware as an XHT recognition application that is running on the NIU  210 . An application that would perform a control function from one device to another using CEA-931-B HTTP commands is described in the CEA-2027 and CEA-931-B specifications (known by those skilled in the art). The XHT controller  250  is capable of appearing as an overlay on top of both DVI sourced video and 1394 sourced video and generally independent from the video source.  
         [0038]     While this invention is susceptible of embodiments in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the broad aspects of the invention to the embodiments illustrated. The aforementioned example architectures above according to the present invention, can be implemented in many ways, such as program instructions for execution by a processor, as logic circuits, as ASIC, as firmware, etc., as is known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the example embodiments described herein.  
         [0039]     The present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof; however, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein.