Patent ID: 8289846

Claim:
A method for centrally generating a multiplex signal for broadcast from a plurality of local broadcast networks, comprising: setting a bandwidth allocation for a national services sub-multiplex and a bandwidth allocation for local services sub-multiplexes such that a total of the bandwidth allocated to the national services sub-multiplex and the bandwidth allocated to the local services sub-multiplexes does not exceed a maximum bandwidth capacity of any one of the plurality of local broadcast networks; determining a bandwidth required for each service to be included in the national services sub-multiplex; determining whether a total of the determined bandwidth required for each service to be included in the national services sub-multiplex exceeds the bandwidth allocated to the national services sub-multiplex; determining whether one or more of the services to be included in the national services sub-multiplex can be further compressed if the total of the determined bandwidth required for each service to be included in the national services sub-multiplex will exceed the bandwidth allocated to the national services sub-multiplex; increasing compression of one or more of the services to be included in the national services sub-multiplex if it is determined that one or more of the services to be included in the national services sub-multiplex can be further compressed; and increasing the bandwidth allocated to the national services sub-multiplex and decreasing the bandwidth allocated to the local services sub-multiplexes if it is determined that one or more of the services to be included in the national services sub-multiplex cannot be further compressed, wherein a total of the increased bandwidth allocated to the national services sub-multiplex and the decreased bandwidth allocated to the local services sub-multiplexes does not exceed the maximum bandwidth capacity of any one of the plurality of local broadcast networks.