Abstract: A method by at least one network node is disclosed for controlling setup of calls through a communication system. Information is received for a call request that comprises a network address of an origination device of the call request and a virtual identifier associated with a destination device to which the incoming call is directed. A user call profile is retrieved from among a plurality of user call profiles in a user call profile repository using the virtual identifier to identify the user call profile. The user call profile includes a plurality of rules defined by the user for controlling setup of calls to the destination device. Setup of a call path between the origination device and the destination device is controlled responsive to the user call profile.

Abstract: A system and method for providing VOD/NPVR content in a switched digital video network using unicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming. In one implementation, upon receiving a notification from a back office pursuant to the VOD session request from a subscriber station (e.g., a set-top box or STB), a bandwidth pipe modeling process is operative to model a bandwidth pipe corresponding to each edge QAM device configured to support VOD sessions for selecting a particular edge QAM device that can best accommodate the requested VOD session. Bitrates of UABR streams of existing VOD sessions of the selected edge QAM device may be adjusted in order to accommodate a particular UABR stream at a chosen bitrate for the requested VOD session. UABR allocations of the selected edge QAM's bandwidth pipe may be effectuated for the existing VOD sessions and the requested VOD session as needed.

Abstract: A scheme for providing targeted advertisements in a multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming environment. In one implementation, ads specific to a subscriber's demographic profile and relevant to the genre of a tuned MABR media channel may be downloaded in a gateway (GW) or into a network storage system. In another implementation, multicast ABR streams of ads may be triggered at specific points (e.g., insertion markers in a multicast ABR media channel) that can be selectively joined by a GW node based on demographics and channel genre. In yet another implementation, continuously streaming multicast ad channels may be switched at suitable points in a multicast ABR media channel based on targeting parameters.

Abstract: Apparatuses and methods control communication of content streams through a content distribution network. A data repository is accessed to retrieve information which identifies a group of user equipment nodes that are registered with one of a plurality of subscriber accounts and which further identifies weight values that are associated with the group of the user equipment nodes. Communication bit rates that are provided by a weighted fair queuing scheduler node to individual ones of a group of the content streams within bandwidth allocated to a virtual pipe for carrying the group of the content streams through the content distribution network to the group of the user equipment nodes, are regulated responsive to the weight values associated with the group of the user equipment nodes. Weighted fair queuing scheduling can thereby be provided at a virtual pipe level and, furthermore, at a user equipment node level.

Abstract: A streaming policy management system and method wherein bandwidth may be allocated based on external device information received from a streaming client device connected to one or more external audio/video (A/V) devices. When a streaming network back office receives a request from the streaming client device for delivery of a particular content, wherein the request includes external device information of one or more external A/V devices connected to the streaming client device, a bandwidth is determined for streaming the particular content to the streaming client device and a request may be made to a content delivery network to create a distribution pipe having the bandwidth to accommodate the delivery of the particular content. A manifest file is provided to the streaming client device that includes one or more pointers that point to content segments of the particular content.

Abstract: A method of operating a content delivery network includes assigning priority levels to push and pull content requests, respectively, for a communication link connecting a first server and a second server in the content delivery network and allocating a push portion of outgoing bandwidth from the first server to the second server for push content requests and a pull portion of the outgoing bandwidth from the first server to the second server for pull content requests based on the priority levels assigned to the push and pull content requests for the communication link, respectively.

Abstract: Methods of operating a network server device are provided. The methods may include establishing a session with a client device. The methods may also include transmitting a first base segment providing first base content for a first time segment to the client device. The methods may additionally include transmitting a second base segment providing second base content for a second time segment to the client device. The methods may further include transmitting an additive segment including additive content for the second time segment to the client device. Also, the additive content may be synchronized with the second base content. Related methods of operating client devices are also described, as are related network server devices and related client devices.

Abstract: Live streaming video content is processed and stored for real-time delivery of the content, future VoD viewing of the content, and time-shifted viewing of the content, by manipulating a common manifest or playlist. Previously stored content may be reordered and/or recombined in order to provide a personalized content viewing experience.

Abstract: A data communications system has a plurality of nodes connected by a plurality of links. A subset of the links and nodes forms a worker path for carrying worker data through the communications system, and a further subset of links and nodes provides a protection path for carrying other data in the absence of a fault in the worker path and for providing an alternative path for the worker data in the event of a fault in the worker path. The alternative path is predetermined prior to the detection of a fault in the worker path.

Abstract: A scheme for providing targeted advertisements in a multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming environment. In one implementation, ads specific to a subscriber's demographic profile and relevant to the genre of a tuned MABR media channel may be downloaded in a gateway (GW) or into a network storage system. In another implementation, multicast ABR streams of ads may be triggered at specific points (e.g., insertion markers in a multicast ABR media channel) that can be selectively joined by a GW node based on demographics and channel genre. In yet another implementation, continuously streaming multicast ad channels may be switched at suitable points in a multicast ABR media channel based on targeting parameters.

Abstract: A system and method for pre-provisioning ABR assets in a content delivery network (CDN). In an example, historical delivery patterns of one or more ABR assets downloaded at respective content delivery nodes of the CDN are monitored. For each content delivery node, one or more delivery rules may be determined based on statistical distributions of the ABR assets delivered over a period of time. When a particular content is determined to become popular at a specific content delivery node, a pre-provisioning policy may be modulated such that only certain representations or adaptation sets of the particular content's assets that pass the delivery rules are pre-provisioned for the specific content delivery node.

Abstract: Techniques for minimizing packet loss of multicast traffic stream when a failure occurs are described herein. In one embodiment of the invention, a network element separately joins a multicast group through a first and second path respectively. During uninterrupted operation, the network element processes the packets of the multicast traffic stream it receives through the first path and drops the packets of the equivalent multicast traffic stream it receives through the second path. Upon an interruption of the packets of the multicast traffic stream being received through the first path, the network element transitions to processing the packets of the equivalent multicast traffic stream it receives through the second path. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.

Abstract: A first Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Internet Protocol (IP) data network transmits data to a second MPLS IP network via a legacy network, which would not otherwise be able to handle the required user network interface (UNI) protocol by configuring the legacy network and its connection computing apparatus (CCA) so that they emulate an MPLS network. When a firt network element (NE) receives a connection (UNI) request from the MPLS network under a UNI protocol, the UNI request is passed to the CCA, which then sets the required connection across the legacy network via a second network element (NE) to an NE of the second network. Once the connection has been set, the CCA instructs the NE to send a return signal to the requesting network indicating that the connection has been successfully set. Data packets may then be transmitted across the network.

Abstract: A scheme for managing bandwidth in a multi-client environment including one or more ABR clients and, optionally, one or more non-ABR clients. When an ABR client enters a sleep phase of its duty cycle, phantom tokens may be issued to simulate full capacity of the network link, wherein phantom packets are used for ABR bandwidth calculation. Any extra bandwidth that would have been used by another ABR client to artificially inflate its video quality may be optionally allocated to a non-ABR client engaged in a progressive download session in the same bandwidth pipe.

Abstract: A method is implemented by a computing device to provide traffic-aware virtual machine (VM) placement onto physical servers of a data center where the placement takes incremental VM job arrival and physical server heterogeneity into consideration. The method forms a graph including a new VM node, an existing VM node, and an edge between the nodes, where the edge is assigned a weight that represents a traffic demand. The method marks the existing VM node as belonging to one of the physical servers, adds dummy VM nodes to the graph, adds pseudo VM nodes to the graph, connects nodes belonging to a same physical server using an infinite weight pseudo edge, runs a balanced minimum k-cut problem algorithm on the graph to thereby divide the graph into sub-graphs, and maps the new VM to one of the physical servers based on the division of sub-graphs.

Abstract: A scheme for managing conflict resolution in an ABR streaming environment with respect to a bandwidth pipe serving a customer premises. In one aspect, when a session request is received from a new ABR client launched in the customer premises that includes one or more existing ABR clients having corresponding streaming sessions, a bandwidth forecasting module is configured to forecast bandwidth requirements with respect to the corresponding ABR streaming sessions after accounting for a bandwidth requirement for the new ABR client's session request. A conflict condition may be detected if any of forecasted bandwidth requirements violates a bitrate threshold policy relative to the corresponding ABR streaming sessions and/or the new session being requested. If there is a conflict, an interactive session may be launched with one or more clients for facilitating user selection of one or more options relative to the impending conflict condition.

Abstract: Cancelling crosstalk between at least one transmitter chain and a receiver chain in a wireless communication node makes use of a single feedback path from the transmitter chain that is shared between processing of transmit signals (x) in the transmitter chain and reception signals (s) received in the receiver chain. Information in the shared feedback is used in a crosstalk model to cancel crosstalk in the reception signals.

Abstract: A system and method for managing adjacent channels in an adaptive streaming environment. One or more adjacent channels may be defined for a client device relative to a current streaming channel, wherein the client device is configured to pre-fetch metadata and initialization information for the defined adjacent channels based on bandwidth conditions, buffer conditions, etc. When a channel is changed, the client device is operative to use the pre-fetched data to quickly obtain encoded media content for rendering.

Abstract: A system and method that utilize a learning system to maintain a set of geographical locations indicating an area where network data coverage is poor. When it is determined that a client device is moving towards such an area, the client is forced or instructed to switch to a lower delivery bitrate for video segments in order to force the client's Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) playback buffer to fill itself with enough low-quality video segments to enable the client to cross the area without video playback interruption. Thus, the client mobile device may be preemptively forced to choose the lowest bitrate specified in a manifest file for the delivered video segments as the bitrate for downloading video segments when approaching the poor coverage area. Hence, the client device can maintain a minimum level of Quality of Service (QoS) when moving through network areas with poor data coverage.

Abstract: In one embodiment of a network pipe optimization method, a network element may obtain at least one of a push pipe utilization report and a pull pipe utilization report from each distribution node of the content delivery network. Based on the utilization reports, the network element may determine new push pipe weights and new pull pipe weights for distribution pipes associated with each distribution node of the content delivery network. Using at least one of the new push pipe weights and new pull pipe weights, a network pipe utilization model associated with the content delivery network may be simulated. Responsive to determining that the simulated network pipe utilization model yields an improved utilization of the content delivery network, the new push pipe weights and new pull pipe weights may be distributed to each distribution node in the content delivery network.