Abstract: Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for dynamic rate adjustment to splice video streams. A splicer receives a first compressed video stream of bits and buffers the first video stream of bits in a first buffer. The splicer receives a second compressed video stream of bits to splice into the first compressed video stream. The splicer buffers the second compressed video stream of bits in a second buffer. The splicer determines a departure time for a splice in-point of the second compressed video stream of bits. The splicer adjusts a rate of the first compressed video stream of bits, a rate of the second compressed video stream of bits, or both to achieve the departure time.

Abstract: In one example, multimedia content is requested from a plurality of storage modules. Each storage module retrieves the requested parts, which are typically stored on a plurality of storage devices at each storage module. Each storage module determines independently when to retrieve the requested parts of the data file from storage and transmits those parts from storage to a data queue. Based on a capacity of a delivery module and/or the data rate associated with the request, each storage module transmits the parts of the data file to the delivery module. The delivery module generates a sequenced data segment from the parts of the data file received from the plurality of storage modules and transmits the sequenced data segment to the requester.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques, including methods and systems, including computer program products, for unicast delivery of multimedia content. A broadcast program and a video-on-demand program are ingested by a video delivery module. At least a portion of the broadcast program and at least a portion of the video-on-demand program are stored. The broadcast program, the video-on-demand program, or both are delivered as a unicast video stream to a first single subscriber through a multiplexer connected to a plurality of subscribers.

Abstract: Described herein are techniques, including methods and systems, including computer program products, for a video delivery module. A broadcast program and a video-on-demand program are ingested by a video delivery module. At least a portion of the broadcast program and at least a portion of the video-on-demand program are stored. The broadcast program, the video-on-demand program, or both are delivered as a unicast video stream to a first single subscriber through a multiplexer connected to a plurality of subscribers.

Abstract: The present invention focuses on the aggregation of flows belonging to different classes of non-guaranteed-delay traffic into a single FIFO queue in a downstream stage of the multi-stage switch. These include the guaranteed flows requiring bandwidth reservation, the best-effort flows that require a fair share of the excess bandwidth, and the flows that require both types of guarantee. We disclose a credit-based backpressure scheme which selectively controls the traffic originating from the previous stage of the system while achieving the goal of meeting the requirements of the individual flows. The credit function is maintained for each controlled traffic component in the aggregate session, and its objective is to balance the actual arrival rate of the component with the service rate dynamically granted by the downstream scheduler. The number of flows that can be aggregated is related to the complexity of maintaining the credit functions for the different traffic components.

Abstract: A method to restore the original order of packets in an end-to-end data flow after the flow has been multiplexed over a set of communication or switching paths whose available bandwidth varies significantly over time. To convey the relative path ordering, the method considers all possible path pairs. For each such path pair it enumerates the packet block transmissions, i.e., the sequences of packets transmitted on a selected path of the given path pair which are not interleaved by the packets transmitted on the other path of the same pair. Packet block enumeration for each path pair is performed independently and does not take into account any packets transmitted on the other paths. A packet transmitted on a given path carries a set of packet block identifications for each path pair the given path belongs to. Increasing the range of the packet block enumeration, the robustness of the method can be adjusted to an arbitrary level of packet loss tolerance.

Abstract: A preferred embodiment incorporates a core switching network including a plurality of input and output ports and a plurality of switching paths between the input and output ports. Preferably, a plurality of input controllers and output controllers arc provided, with each of the input controllers being attached to a plurality of the input ports and each of the output controllers being attached to a plurality of the output ports. The core switching network also preferably is configured to receive a first flow of data packets from one of the input controllers and deliver a second flow of data packets to one of the output controllers, and the packet switching system is configured to restore the second flow of data packets despite a loss of information from at least one of the data packets upstream of the one of the output controllers so that the second flow has an order of remaining ones of the data packets corresponding to an order of the data packets in the first flow.