Patents Assigned to General Instrument Corporation
  • Publication number: 20140380376
    Abstract: A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for a CPT stream to a client device via an HTTP live streaming (HLS) protocol having a plurality of HLS media files is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises generating an HLS playlist specifying a plurality HLS media files before generating any of the HLS media files, wherein each of the plurality of HLS media files has a unique name, transmitting the HLS playlist to the client device, after generating the HLS playlist, transcoding the CPT stream into at least a subset of the plurality of HLS media files, and providing at least one of the subset of plurality of HLS media files to the client device, wherein the at least one of the plurality of HLS media files is a client-requested media file selected from the HLS playlist.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Mark S. Schmidt, Paul Moroney, Arjun Ramamurthy
  • Patent number: 8908765
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a system and method for performing motion estimation associated with an encoder, e.g., a H.264/MPEG-4 AVC compliant encoder. For example, the method selects a motion vector centering for a current block in a search area of at least one reference picture. The method calculates a matching cost for each of a plurality of candidate motion vectors derived from the search area, and outputs at least one of the plurality of candidate motion vectors based on the matching cost associated with each of the plurality of candidate motion vectors to a main coding loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Krit Panusopone, Chanchal Chatterjee, Robert O. Eifrig, Ajay K. Luthra, Limin Wang
  • Patent number: 8904425
    Abstract: A media content broadcast blackout control method, comprising receiving a retune message requesting a blackout of a primary media content broadcast in specific regions, generating a playlist for each region comprising a content key wrapped in a region-specific media key, wherein the content key in the playlists for regions that are not subject to the blackout is configured to access the primary media content broadcast, and the content key in the playlists for regions that are subject to the blackout is configured to access an alternate media content broadcast, providing the playlists to client devices within each region, providing the primary media content broadcast to client devices whose region-specific media key unwraps the content key for the primary media content broadcast, and providing the alternate media content broadcast to client devices whose region-specific media key unwraps the content key for the alternate primary media content broadcast.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Niranjan R. Samant, Erik J. Elstermann, Robert E. Mack, Erik C. Metz, Lawrence D. Vince
  • Publication number: 20140344894
    Abstract: A method of granting a client device remote access to a media server after receiving a port request from a remote client device at a residential gateway through an intermediate remote access control server by opening one or more wide area network ports temporarily mapped to local area network ports, such that the remote client device can communicate with the media server through the wide area network ports, transmitting a list of the one or more wide area network ports to the remote client device through the remote access control server, receiving a media content request from the remote client device and passing the media content request to the media server through the one or more wide area network ports, and passing media content from the media server to the remote client device through the one or more wide area network ports according to one or more restriction lists.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Moroney, Jay W. Strater
  • Publication number: 20140344893
    Abstract: A method of granting a client device remote access to a media server after receiving a remote access request at a remote access control server from a remote client device over a wide area network by receiving an opened port list at the remote access control server from the media server over the wide area network, the opened port list describing one or more wide area network ports opened at a residential gateway operating a local area network to which the media server is connected, and transmitting the opened port list and a network address of the residential gateway to the remote client device from the remote access control server, such that the remote client device can communicate with the media server on the local area network through the one or more wide area network ports opened at the residential gateway.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Paul Moroney, Jay W. Strater
  • Patent number: 8891021
    Abstract: A video processing device is provided that includes a buffer, a luminance component, a maximum threshold component, a minimum threshold component and a flagging component. The buffer can store frame image data for a plurality of video frames. The luminance component can generate a first luminance value corresponding to a first frame image data and can generate a second luminance value corresponding to a second frame image data. The maximum threshold component can generate a maximum indicator signal when the difference between the second luminance value and the first luminance value is greater than a maximum threshold. The minimum threshold component can generate a minimum indicator signal when the difference between the second luminance value and the first luminance value is less than a minimum threshold. The flagging component can generate a flagged signal based on the maximum indicator signal and the minimum indicator signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Renxiang Li, Faisal Ishtiaq
  • Publication number: 20140337411
    Abstract: A method for preparing streaming media content to be rendered by a media player employs a proxy for the media player. The proxy sends a request over a network to a content server. In response, a rolling manifest file is received by the proxy. The manifest file includes a sequence of media segment URLs indicating an ordering of the media segments that create a representation of a portion of the content stream. The URLs follow a predefined naming convention that allows URLs occurring prior to and subsequent to the URLs included in the manifest file to be predicted. The proxy predicts additional URLs that occur prior to and/or subsequent to the URLs included in the manifest file. The manifest file is modified by inserting the additional media segment URLs into the manifest file. The additional URLs are sequentially located before or after the URLs included in the manifest file.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Krishna Prasad Panje, William P. Franks, Praveen N. Moorthy, Paul Moroney, Murali Sahasranaman
  • Publication number: 20140334800
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a self-correcting DVR record pipeline may provider for simpler, lower cost transport producer hardware elements. A free running transport pipeline producer may fill transport buffers without waiting for feedback from the data consumer that data has been completely processed. The pipeline data consumer independently detects transport buffers that are overwritten before processing on the buffer content is complete. The pipeline data consumer drops or deletes any invalid content or stream data to recover from the data overflow condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Ernest G. Schmitt, Faisal Anwar, Surya P. Maheswaram, Manu Shrot
  • Publication number: 20140337927
    Abstract: A method for authorizing media content transfer between a home media server and a client device and provisioning DRM credentials on the client device, the method comprising receiving a service authorization credential at a client authorization server from a PKI provisioning server, wherein the service authorization credential is associated with a client device, and sending a validation response from the client authorization server to the PKI provisioning server if the client authorization server determines that the service authorization credential was previously provided by the client authorization server to the client device, wherein the validation response releases the PKI provisioning server to send DRM credentials to the client device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Publication date: November 13, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Medvinsky, Jay Strater
  • Patent number: 8885823
    Abstract: A method for delivering encrypted content to a subscriber terminal on-demand through a communication network is provided. The method begins when SRM receives a request for content from the subscriber terminal. In response to the request, the SRM directs a video server to transmit the content as an unencrypted transport stream to an encryptor. The packets in the unencrypted transport stream include a header with a destination address associated with the subscriber terminal. The encryptor encrypts the content in the unencrypted transport stream to generate an encrypted transport stream. The encryptor also inserts in the packet headers of the packets in the encrypted transport stream the destination address associated with the subscriber terminal obtained from the packet headers in the unencrypted transport stream. Finally, the encrypted transport stream is transmitted to the subscriber terminal over the communication network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher Poli, Joseph M. Amorese, Robert Mack, Lawrence D. Vince, Charles A. Zimmerman
  • Patent number: 8885728
    Abstract: A decoding apparatus includes at least one data input terminal receiving a program transport stream from an external set-top box. A decoder decodes the program transport stream and a data output terminal outputs the decoded content to an external device. The program transport stream is the same transport stream received by the external set-top box from a service provider.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventor: Paul A. Clancy
  • Patent number: 8875202
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method receives packets including video data that was encoded or decoded. The packets are dynamically routed through processing elements in different routes and some of the packets include signatures from processing elements that processed each respective packet. The method then determines a plurality of captures each including a set of packets and determines for each capture, a set of processing elements that processed the set of packets. The set of processing units inserted respective signatures into a user data section of the packets that is defined by a standard used to encode or decode the video data. The determined set of processing elements are analyzed for each capture to determine a processing element in the set of processing elements that is considered to be causing a performance degradation. Then, the method performs a remedial action associated with the processing element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 28, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventor: John Sanders
  • Publication number: 20140314335
    Abstract: A system includes a data storage configured to store a model human visual system, an input module configured to receive an original picture in a video sequence and to receive a reference picture, and a processor. The processor is configured to create a pixel map of the original picture using the model human visual system. A first layer is determined from the pixel map. A weighting map is determined from a motion compensated difference between the original picture and the reference picture. A processed picture is then determined from the original picture using the weighting map and the first layer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Sean T. McCarthy, Vijay Kamarshi, Amit Tikare
  • Publication number: 20140313677
    Abstract: A radio frequency shield is disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2013
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas A. Jung, Shr-Min Chen, Yung Chun Lu, Wayne C. Weeks
  • Patent number: 8869223
    Abstract: In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a resonance restricting material in communication with a bypass line of a cable television tap. The bypass line generates resonances at a defined frequency in response to RF parameters in the tap and the resonances increase insertion losses at the defined frequency and precludes bandwidth of the tap being increased above the defined frequency. The resonance restricting material may attenuate the resonances generated by the bypass line at the defined frequency (e.g., approximately 1.2 GHz) and reduce insertion losses at the defined frequency and enable the bandwidth of the tap to be increased (e.g., from 1.0 GHz to 1.8 GHz).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2014
    Assignee: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Rudolph J. Menna, Philip Miguelez
  • Publication number: 20140307773
    Abstract: A sampling filter process is provided for scalable video coding. The process provides for re-sampling using video data obtained from an encoder or decoder process of a base layer (BL) in a multi-layer system using adaptive phase shifting to improve quality in Scalable High efficiency Video Coding (SHVC). In order to compensate for phase offsets introduced by downsampling an appropriate phase offset adjustment is made for upsampling in SHVC with an appropriate offset included for proper luma/chroma color space positions. In one approach the luma/chroma phase offset is specified and a filter is selected to apply the appropriate phase change.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Koohyar Minoo, David M. Baylon, Ajay K. Luthra
  • Publication number: 20140307774
    Abstract: A sampling filter process is provided for scalable video coding. The process provides for re-sampling using video data obtained from an encoder or decoder process of a base layer (BL) in a multi-layer system using adaptive phase shifting to improve quality in Scalable High efficiency Video Coding (SHVC). In order to compensate for phase offsets introduced by downsampling an appropriate phase offset adjustment is made for upsampling in SHVC with an appropriate offset included for proper luma/chroma color space positions. In one approach, an adaptive filter is signaled with its phase offset adjusted to account for the luma/chroma offset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Koohyar Minoo, David M. Baylon, Ajay K. Luthra
  • Publication number: 20140310605
    Abstract: Methods and systems for displaying information in a hierarchical structure are disclosed. An embodiment provides a method for displaying HFC network monitoring information and alarms in a hierarchical, topological fashion within a network monitoring system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 16, 2014
    Applicant: GENERAL INSTRUMENT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Brian M. Basile, David B. Bowler
  • Publication number: 20140301488
    Abstract: A method for determining a resampling filter for resampling a video signal used in scalable video coding includes estimating a set of row filters based on a video signal. The video signal has a base resolution that is resampled to provide an output signal that enables more efficient coding of the video signal with an enhanced resolution higher than a base resolution. The set of row filters is applied to the video signal to generate a first output signal having rows that are interpolated to the enhanced resolution. A set of column filters is estimated based on the first output signal for resampling the columns in the video signal. The set of column filters is applied to the first output signal to generate a second output signal having columns as well as rows that are interpolated to the enhanced resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: David M. Baylon, Ajay K. Luthra, Koohyar Minoo
  • Publication number: 20140301482
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a method determines buffer parameter settings for a plurality of layers in a scalable video stream for a video. Each layer includes a respective buffer parameter setting. Then, the method applies respective buffer parameter settings to individual buffers for respective layers in the plurality of layers. The respective layers are buffered in the individual buffers according to the respective buffer parameter settings where the respective layers are combined after the buffers to form a combined bitstream including the respective layers for decoding.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2014
    Publication date: October 9, 2014
    Applicant: General Instrument Corporation
    Inventors: Mandayam A. Narasimhan, Ajay K. Luthra