- Number
- 20240098128
- Published
- 2024-03-21
- Filed
- 2022-09-19
- Assignee
- Disney Enterprises, Inc.
- Inventors
- Strein; Michael J. et al.
- CPC
- H04L65/764; H04L69/22; H04L65/65
- Verdict
- Set aside broadcast switching infrastructure, plumbing
- Source
- Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline
Abstract
A switch includes processing hardware and a memory storing software code. The software code is executed to begin receiving a first video stream from a first media source, begin forwarding the first video stream to a video receiver, begin receiving a second video stream from a second media source, receive a switch command to forward the second video stream to the video receiver instead of the first video stream, and detect, within a frame of the first video stream, a switch point in a video packet header of a video packet contained within that frame. The software code begins forwarding, in response to the switch command and at the switch point, the second video stream to the video receiver, and contemporaneously stops forwarding the first video stream to the video receiver, to provide seamless switching from the first video stream to the second video stream.
Background
BACKGROUND
Video distribution environments have typically required clean switching, i.e., the ability to switch from one video source to another without tearing or breakup in the video. Clean switching has been accomplished historically in dedicated video signals having specific formats, from analog Black and White, through analog color and digital formats, up to the current migration to Internet streaming formats, using corresponding dedicated hardware switches.
More recent conventional solutions for achieving clean switching in the Internet Protocol (IP) realm typically require the video receiver to accept two video sources concurrently and to determine the appropriate time for the switch. One major disadvantage of this approach is that double the bandwidth is required in the routing matrix because both video sources must be sent to the receiver for a period of time. Another approach involves sending a proprietary timing signal to the IP switch that matches the frame rate of the source signals being used. Although this approach avoids the double bandwidth problem described above, it has several drawbacks, including the requirement for proprietary hardware configured to receive the proprietary timing signal, the assumption that all video sources use the same video timing format, and the requirement that any sources from external systems delivered with significant latency be re-timed to the same timing source that the switch receives.
Thus, there is a nee
Claims
1. A switch comprising: processing hardware and a memory storing a software code; the processing hardware configured to execute the software code to: begin receiving a first video stream from a first media source, the first video stream including a plurality of frames; begin forwarding the first video stream to a video receiver, begin receiving a second video stream from a second media source; receive a switch command to forward the second video stream instead of the first video stream to the video receiver; detect, within one of the plurality of frames of the first video stream, a switch point for switching from the first video stream to the second video stream, the switch point being in a video packet header of a video packet contained within the one of the plurality of frames; begin forwarding, in response to the switch command and at the switch point, the second video stream to the video receiver; and contemporaneously with beginning forwarding the second video stream to the video receiver, stop forwarding the first video stream to the video receiver, to provide seamless switching from the first video stream to the second video stream for the video receiver. ||
8. A method for use by a switch having processing hardware and a memory storing a software code, the method comprising: begin receiving, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, a first video stream from a first media source, the first video stream including a plurality of frames; begin forwarding, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, the first video stream to a video receiver; begin receiving, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, a second video stream from a second media source; receiving, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, a switch command to forward the second video stream to the video receiver instead of the first video stream; detecting, by the software code executed by the processing hardware within one of the plurality of frames of the first video stream, a switch point for switching from the first video stream to the second video stream, the switch point being in a video packet header of a video packet contained within the one of the plurality of frames; begin forwarding, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, in response to the switch command and at the switch point, the second video stream to the video receiver; and contemporaneously with beginning forwarding the second video stream to the video receiver, stop forwarding, by the software code executed by the processing hardware, the first video stream to the video receiver, to provide seamless switching from the first video stream to the second video stream for the video receiver. ||
15. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions, which when executed by processing hardware, instantiate a method comprising: begin receiving a first video stream from a first media source, the first video stream including a plurality of frames; begin forwarding the first video stream to a video receiver; begin receiving a second video stream from a second media source; receiving a switch command to forward the second video stream to the video receiver instead of the first video stream; detecting, within one of the plurality of frames of the first video stream, a switch point for switching from the first video stream to the second video stream, the switch point being in a video packet header of a video packet contained within the one of the plurality of frames; begin forwarding, in response to the switch command and at the switch point, the second video stream to the video receiver; and contemporaneously with beginning forwarding the second video stream to the video receiver, stop forwarding the first video stream to the video receiver, to provide seamless switching from the first video stream to the second video stream for the video receiver.