Patent ID: 7215648

Claim:
A portable satellite uplink for use in connection with a webcasting system for capturing live media content at a first location and webcasting the live media content to a second location, said webcasting system including a satellite communication link having a transmission propagation delay, a communication satellite, an encoder encoding the live media content into a first digital webcast format at the first location, said first digital webcast format being sensitive to the transmission propagation delay and requiring at least one transmission acknowledgement signal, the portable satellite uplink comprising: a control processor receiving the live media content in the first digital webcast format and providing the at least one transmission acknowledgement signal to the encoder, said control processor converting the live media content to a second digital webcast format having a characteristic such that the second digital webcast format is insensitive to the transmission propagation delay; a satellite communication signal converter receiving the live media content in the second digital webcast format, said satellite communications signal converter converting the live media content received in the second digital webcast format to a satellite transmission signal compatible with the satellite communication link; and a satellite uplink transceiver receiving the satellite transmission signal and transmitting the satellite transmission signal to the satellite over the satellite communication link wherein the satellite downlinks the satellite transmission signal for reception on the earth at the second location, said satellite uplink transceiver comprising: an antenna for directing the satellite transmission signal; at least one motor for positioning the antenna; an antenna controller responsive to a global positioning satellite system and an electronic compass for estimating a direction to a satellite and providing a motor command corresponding to the estimated direction, said motor being responsive to the motor command for positioning the antenna to direct the satellite transmission signal in the estimated direction, said antenna controller further being configured for, after estimating the direction, measuring a signal strength of the communications link established with the satellite and providing the motor command to position the antenna for optimizing reception of the transmission signal at the satellite; and wherein the portable satellite uplink is responsive to a teleport for setting a transmitter center frequency and data rate, said center frequency and data rate defining a bandwidth for transmissions to the satellite to manage transmissions from a plurality of portable satellite uplinks to the satellite and wherein the portable satellite uplink adjusts the power with which the satellite transmission signal is transmitted in response to input from the teleport.