Abstract: A method and appartus for converting FFE and FBE coefficients from a DOCSIS compatible cable modem termination system upstream equalizer into FFE only coefficients to be sent down to the cable modem which transmitted the training burst which resulted in convergence on the FFE and FBE coefficients. The method involves programming an FBE like conversion structure comprised of an FFE filter and an FBE filter whose outputs are summed with the FFE and FBE coefficients from the CMTS equalizer. The FFE coefficients are stored in the FFE filter of the conversion structure. The FBE coefficients are stored in an FBE filter of the conversion structure. Then, an input vector which simulates the Dirac function (an impulse) is input to the conversion structure to derive coefficients at its output which define the impulse response and transfer function of the conversion structure. These coefficients are the FFE only coefficients which may be used to select a subset of 24 for sending to the cable modem.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for implementing parallelization in deblocking filter used in a an H.264 codec are disclosed. In the preferred embodiment, the process is carried out on a parallel architecture consisting of a plurality of groups, each consisting of eight clusters, wherein each cluster is a separate processor capable of tensor operations in SIMD or MIMD or mode on 4×4 matrix data. All eight clusters of one group are used to simultaneously deblock both luma and chroma vertical and horizontal edges between 4×4 blocks of pixels in a macroblock in a total of eight iterations, utilizing in the best way the data dependency between the edges. Processes to deblock these same luma and chroma edges in more iterations on four cluster and two cluster parallel architectures are also disclosed. A comparison of the maximum parallelization achievable with the invention and the amount of parallelization with various species within the prior art is also disclosed.

Abstract: A genus of motion estimation processes is disclosed which is characterized by the following characteristics which all species in the genus will share 1) a process within this genus does not perform the motion estimation separately for each of the partitions and subpartitions defined in the H.264 standard; 2) a process within the genus computes for each motion vector in the search region the partial costs for all macroblock partitions and sub-partitions, compares them to the best partial costs found so far, and for partitions and sub-partitions having lower costs updates the corresponding best partial costs and records the current motion vectors as the one realizing them.

Abstract: A DOCSIS 2.0 compatible sniffer which can receive legacy DOCSIS 1.x TDMA bursts as well as DOCSIS 2.0 SCDMA bursts. One embodiment uses two cable modems in the sniffer, one to capture downstream data bursts and the other to capture downstream messages and to recover the downstream symbol clock and generate an upstream reference clock which is phase coherent with the recovered downstream symbol clock. The reference clock is used by a cable modem termination system to capture upstream SCDMA DOCSIS 2.0 bursts. DOCSIS 1.x TDMA bursts may also be captured. Other embodiments use a DOCSIS 2.0 compatible modem in the sniffer to lock onto a downstream, register as a cable modem in the system and capture downstream messages in order to derive the correct timing to generate control signals to control burst capture circuitry in the sniffer to capture DOCSIS 1.x and 2.0 upstream bursts.

Abstract: A process for automatically monitoring the packet error rate of a logical channel in a cable television DOCSIS data transmission system and automatically altering the bit rate on the channel or sending a message to a cable operator recommending a change in burst profile and bit rate. The preferred embodiment of the process comprises determining the dominant noise type and SNR of the channel and selecting a set of burst profiles best adapted for the dominant noise type and selecting an initial burst profile based upon the SNR. Then the packet error rate of the channel is monitored and compared to one or more thresholds to decide whether a change in bit rate is required to bring the packet error rate within limits. If a change is bit rate is indicated, automatically selecting a new burst profile with an appropriately changed bit rate and automatically generating and sending a UCD message defining the channel's new burst profile.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for sharing an upstream between multiple downstreams. A automatic discovery process carried out by the CMTS using ranging messages is used to build routing tables that define which cable modems are coupled to each downstream. The downstreams are coordinated in timestamps, MAP messages and UCD messages, and symbol clock frequency if synchronous code division multiplexed bursts are allowed upstream. Also disclosed is a flexible mapper/splitter/combiner that can electronically control switching, combining and splitting as necessary to couple multiple downstreams that share the same upstream onto the same optical nodes or split downstreams that share the same upstream among multiple optical nodes and combine upstreams from multiple HFC systems onto a single upstream input to a CMTS receiver so the CMTS receiver can be fully utilized.

Abstract: A system for bidirectional communication of digital data between a central unit and a remote unit wherein the need for tracking loops in the central unit has been eliminated. The central unit transmitter generates a master carrier and a master clock signal which are used to transmit downstream data to the remote units. The remote units recover the master carrier and master clock and synchronize local oscillators in each remote unit to these master carrier and master clock signals to generate reference carrier and clock signals for use by the remote unit receiver. These reference carrier and clock signals are also used by the remote unit transmitters to transmit upstream data to the central unit. The central unit receiver detects the phase difference between the reference carrier and clock signals from the remote units periodically and adjusts the phase of the master carrier and master clock signals for use by the central unit receiver to receive the upstream data.

Abstract: A system for bidirectional communication of digital data between a central unit and a remote unit wherein the need for tracking loops in the central unit has been eliminated. The central unit transmitter generates a master carrier and a master clock signal which are used to transmit downstream data to the remote units. The remote units recover the master carrier and master clock and synchronize local oscillators in each remote unit to these master carrier and master clock signals to generate reference carrier and clock signals for use by the remote unit receiver. These reference carrier and clock signals are also used by the remote unit transmitters to transmit upstream data to the central unit. The central unit receiver detects the phase difference between the reference carrier and clock signals from the remote units periodically and adjusts the phase of the master carrier and master clock signals for use by the central unit receiver to receive the upstream data.

Abstract: A system for providing video-on-demand service, broadband internet access and other broadband services over T-carrier systems including a pull multiplexer cherrypicker at the head end is disclosed. The pull multiplexer receives upstream requests and cull out MPEG or other compressed video packets, IP packets and other data packet types to satisfy the requests or to send pushed programming downstream. The downstream can be DSL or HFC. Each customer has a cable modem, DSL modem or a gateway which interfaces multiple signal sources to a LAN to which settop decoders, digital phones, personal computers, digital FAX machines, video cameras, digital VCRs etc. can be attached. Each gateway can coupled the LAN to a DSL line or HFC through a cable modem or a satellite dish through a satellite transceiver. A PSTN and conventional TV antenna interface is also provided.

Abstract: A pipelined digital data receiver for a cable TV headend which is capable of receiving DOCSIS 1.0 or 1.1 or advanced PHY TDMA or SCDMA bursts having programmable symbol rates and programmable modulation types as well as a host of other burst parameters such at Trellis code modulation on or off, scrambling on or off, various values for Reed-Solomon T number and codeword length. The receiver has an RF section to filter and digitize incoming RF signals. It also has an input section to detect impulse noise and do match filtering and despread SCDMA bursts. A timing recovery section recovers the symbol clock and detects the start of bursts and collisions. A rotational amplifier and equalizer calculate and track gain, phase and frequency offsets and correct symbols and calculates equalization coefficients. A decoder section decodes TCM and non TCM bursts, and a Reed-Solomon decoder section reconstructs RS codewords and uses them to error correct the payload data.

Abstract: A headend or central office or satellite uplink facility for receiving upstream video-on-demand requests and MPEG transport streams containing video program data and packetizing said video data into TCP/IP or UDP/IP packets and LAN packets and routing them through a switch to one or more cherrypicker multiplexers. Each cherrypicker multiplexer receives LAN packets, depacketizes the MPEG data, partially or fully decompresses the data and recompresses the data to another smaller bandwidth, and repacketizes the data into MPEG packets or TCP/IP or UDP/IP packets. The repacketized TCP/IP or UDP/IP packets are transmitted directly to the customer as TCP/IP or UDP/IP packet data. MPEG packets generated by the cherrypicker multiplexer are, optionally, encapsulated in LAN packets addressed to an IP dewrapper circuit. There, they are depacketized back to MPEG packets and transmitted to the appropriate transmitter or modem for transmitting to a customer.

Abstract: A system for bidirectional communication of digital data between a central unit and a remote unit wherein the need for tracking loops in the central unit has been eliminated. The central unit transmitter generates a master carrier and a master clock signal which are used to transmit downstream data to the remote units. The remote units recover the master carrier and master clock and synchronize local oscillators in each remote unit to these master carrier and master clock signals to generate reference carrier and clock signals for use by the remote unit receiver. These reference carrier and clock signals are also used by the remote unit transmitters to transmit upstream data to the central unit. The central unit receiver detects the phase difference between the reference carrier and clock signals from the remote units periodically and adjusts the phase of the master carrier and master clock signals for use by the central unit receiver to receive the upstream data.

Abstract: Method and apparatus to carry out wideband DOCSIS both upstream and downstream in a point-to-multipoint environment of an HFC system using port trunking concepts. For the downstream, each CMTS has a frame distributor which distributes frames to various transmitters transmitting on downstream channels to be used to transmit downstream data simultaneously to a CM using wideband DOCSIS. The frame distributor adds sequence numbers in some embodiments to guarantee proper order of frames can be restored at the CM, and schedules transmissions according to quality of service considerations to meet guaranteed and committed portions of constant bit rate and variable bit rate flows. The CMTS sends and Extended Channel Enable (ECE) message to wideband capable CMs telling them which downstreams to enable. Each CM has a frame collector to which all frames received on various downstream channels are sent. The frame collector makes sure they are all there, puts them into the proper order and delivers them to a NI.

Abstract: A system for bidirectional communication of digital data between a central unit and a remote unit wherein the need for tracking loops in the central unit has been eliminated. The central unit transmitter generates a master carrier and a master clock signal which are used to transmit downstream data to the remote units. The remote units recover the master carrier and master clock and synchronize local oscillators in each remote unit to these master carrier and master clock signals to generate reference carrier and clock signals for use by the remote unit receiver. These reference carrier and clock signals are also used by the remote unit transmitters to transmit upstream data to the central unit. The central unit receiver detects the phase difference between the reference carrier and clock signals from the remote units periodically and adjusts the phase of the master carrier and master clock signals for use by the central unit receiver to receive the upstream data.

Abstract: A signal distribution system to save on the cost of cable modems for cable TV headend operators who wish to deliver broadband digital data services, DSL, video-on-demand or POTS service over their HFC CATV delivery networks. All species within the genus have a shared cable modem and a filtration and combining circuit comprised of a plurality of diplexer filters or junction boxes or both which mix baseband packet data with analog CATV signals onto coax drop lines coupled to the various subscribers and connect POTS or DSL signals onto twisted pair portions of siamese cables. Various species have the cable modem feeding digital data or packets of DOCSIS or other data or digitized DSL signals sent over the HFC to the cable modem or digitized POTS signals send over the HFC to the cable modem to either a packet switch, a DSL concentrator, a voice-over-IP gateway or some combination of the above.

Abstract: A method of determining when cable modems in a distributed digital data delivery service over cable TV hybrid fiber coaxial cable network have a headroom problem and resolving said problem. The method involves measuring the burst power from each cable modem, and if the burst power is too low, requesting the cable modem whose burst power is too low to increase its transmit power, and keeping track of which modems have been requested to increase their power. If a predetermined number of requests to increase power have not resulted in the cable modem transmitting with sufficient power for reliable reception, the cable modem is listed as having a headroom problem. Subsequent requests for upstream bandwidth from all modems with headroom problems are analyzed to determine if the requested burst size is too large and will result in a headroom problem. If so, a calculation as to the maximum number of spreading codes that each modem with a headroom problem can simultaneously transmit on without a headroom problem.

Abstract: A system for wireless remote control of a gateway and ordering or invocation of services provided by a headend. The remote control includes a video display and user input device or keyboard and can decompress and display compressed streaming video in some embodiments. Some species of the remote control can act as web browsers, appliance control, TIVO function control, an IP telephony telephone, a cellular telephone and/or an MP3 player. In some embodiments, the gateway and/or headend can implement TIVO-like functions under control from a wireless remote of custom design or implemented on a Personal Digital Assistant.

Abstract: A system for bidirectional communication of digital data between a central unit and a remote unit wherein the need for tracking loops in the central unit has been eliminated. The central unit transmitter generates a master carrier and a master clock signal which are used to transmit downstream data to the remote units. The remote units recover the master carrier and master clock and synchronize local oscillators in each remote unit to these master carrier and master clock signals to generate reference carrier and clock signals for use by the remote unit receiver. These reference carrier and clock signals are also used by the remote unit transmitters to transmit upstream data to the central unit. The central unit receiver detects the phase difference between the reference carrier and clock signals from the remote units periodically and adjusts the phase of the master carrier and master clock signals for use by the central unit receiver to receive the upstream data.

Abstract: A system for providing video-on-demand service, broadband internet access and other broadband services over T-carrier systems including a pull multiplexer cherrypicker at the head end is disclosed. The pull multiplexer receives upstream requests and cull out MPEG or other compressed video packets, IP packets and other data packet types to satisfy the requests or to send pushed programming downstream. The downstream can be DSL or HFC. Each customer has a cable modem, DSL modem or a gateway which interfaces multiple signal sources to a LAN to which settop decoders, digital phones, personal computers, digital FAX machines, video cameras, digital VCRs etc. can be attached. Each gateway can coupled the LAN to a DSL line or HFC through a cable modem or a satellite dish through a satellite transceiver. A PSTN and conventional TV antenna interface is also provided.

Abstract: An impulse detector which can detect both low and high levels of impulse noise in a CDMA system is comprised of circuitry to calculate the background noise level in unused codes. Another circuit calculates the average noise power in the unused codes of each spreading interval to output the noise power per spreading interval. This average is continuously averaged over spreading intervals by another circuit which outputs the average background noise power. A comparator compares the noise power in the current spreading interval with the background noise power plus a programmable threshold and generates an erasure indication if the background noise power plus a discrimination threshold is exceeded.