Patent ID: 7010265

Claim:
A home satellite receiving system comprising: a satellite receiver to receive multiple data signals from one or more satellites; a transmodulating unit positioned proximate to the satellite receiver and coupled to receive the multiple data signals therefrom, wherein the transmodulating unit includes: a switch adapted to receive the multiple data signals, a plurality of tuners coupled to the switch and operative to select ones of the multiple data signals as outputs of the tuners, a plurality of demodulators adapted to demodulate the multiple data signals as selected by the tuners and to recover data packets from the selected data signals, a plurality of demultiplexers adapted to receive the data packets and to select ones of the data packets based on a program identifier associated with the data packets, means for timestamping the selected data packets, a plurality of respective queues adapted to queue the selected data packets, a multiplexer configured to aggregate the queued data packets into a single data bitstream, a remodulator adapted to remodulate the single data bitstream for local transmission over a single cable, a processor adapted to direct command signals at least to the tuners, the demodulators, the demultiplexers, the multiplexer, and the remodulator; and a decoding unit connected by the single cable to receive the remodulated single data bitstream, wherein the decoding unit includes a demodulator adapted to demodulate the single data bitstream as received from the transmodulating unit, and wherein the decoding unit is further adapted to decode the remodulated single data bitstream.