Abstract: There is provided a broadcast router that includes a plurality of input cards, a plurality of output cards, at least one programmable device, and a configuration control card. The plurality of input cards input data into the broadcast router. The plurality of output cards output the data from the broadcast router. The configuration control card stores configuration information for configuring the at least one programmable device to perform a first set of functions. The configuration control card is adapted for removal and replacement by at least one other configuration control card that stores other configuration information for configuring the at least one programmable device to perform a second set of functions having a difference from the first set of functions so as to change a functionality of the broadcast router.

Abstract: There is provided a broadcast router that includes a plurality of input cards (410), a plurality of output cards (460), at least one programmable device (466), and a configuration control card (498). The plurality of input cards input data into the broadcast router. The plurality of output cards output the data from the broadcast router. The configuration control card stores configuration information for configuring the at least one programmable device to perform a first set of functions. The configuration control card is adapted for removal and replacement by at least one other configuration control card that stores other configuration information for configuring the at least one programmable device to perform a second set of functions having a difference from the first set of functions so as to change a functionality of the broadcast router.

Abstract: A method is described for extracting selected time information from a stream of serialized AES digital audio data. A first transition indicative of a first preamble of said stream of serialized AES digital audio data is detected and, upon detection of the transition, a time count initiated. A second transition indicative of a subsequent preamble of said serialized AES digital audio data is subsequently detected and the time count halted. The time separating the first and second transitions is then determined. The separation time, which preferably is determined in the form of a fast clock pulse count, is then transferred to a decoding logic circuit for use in decoding the stream of serialized AES digital audio data.

Abstract: A router, for routing at least one input signal to at least one output, comprises at least one input module and at least one output module. Each of the input and output modules includes at least one clock selector circuit for selecting from among a first and second clock signal, and an oscillator signal, as a common output clock signal for the at least first router, based in part on whether at least one of the first and second clock signals has toggled. The clock selector circuit provides redundancy as well as distribution of clock signals among elements within each module.

Abstract: A broadcast router includes plural input cards, first and second router matrix card and plural output cards. Programmable devices residing on the cards requiring configuration issue a request for configuration to a main controller which resides, with a shared configuration information repository on a configuration control card. After a period of time which allows additional programmable devices to request configuration elapses, the main controller polls the programmable devices residing on the cards to determine which of the programmable devices had requested configuration and, using the configuration information maintained in the shared configuration information repository, configures each programmable device which had requested configuration.

Abstract: A bi-phase decoder suitable for use in a broadcast router and an associated method for extracting subframes of digital audio data from a stream of digital audio data. Logical circuitry within the bi-phase decoder extracts subframes of the digital audio data by constructing a transition window from an estimated bit time, sampling the stream of digital audio data using a fast clock and applying the sampled stream of digital audio data to the transition window to identify transitions indicative of preambles of the subframes of digital audio data.

Abstract: A fault-tolerant router includes first and second router matrix card. The first and second router matrix cards receive a common set of 4n parity encoded input digital audio data streams and respectively generates therefrom, first and second sets of M output digital audio streams. As the first and second sets of data streams propagate along the first and second router matrix cards, respectively, one or more health bits are set whenever an error or other type of fault condition is detected. First and second parity check circuits are configured to detect parity errors and/or assess the relative health of the first and second sets of data streams and one of the two sets of data streams is selected as the output of the fault-tolerant router based upon either the parity error analysis, health analysis or both.

Abstract: There is provided a broadcast router that includes a plurality of input cards, a plurality of output cards, at least one programmable device, and a configuration control card. The plurality of input cards input data into the broadcast router. The plurality of output cards output the data from the broadcast router. The configuration control card stores configuration information for configuring the at least one programmable device to perform a first set of functions. The configuration control card is adapted for removal and replacement by at least one other configuration control card that stores other configuration information for configuring the at least one programmable device to perform a second set of functions having a difference from the first set of functions so as to change a functionality of the broadcast router.