VIDEO-ON-DEMAND DELIVERY SYSTEM AND METHOD

摘要

Methods of delivering IP video content to CPE devices over a network are provided. Customer content-of-interest information is collected from the CPE devices. When a request for an item of content from a requesting one of the CPE devices is received, a determination is made as to whether the requested item of content is of interest to at least a pre-determined minimum number of other CPE devices on the network via analysis of the collected content-of-interest information. The item of content may be multicast over the network if the item of content is of interest to at least the pre-determined minimum number of CPE devices. Alternatively, content indicated as being of interest by at least the pre-determined number of CPE devices may be scheduled for multicast at a low utilization time of the network or at a low priority level. A system for preforming the above methods is disclosed.

主权项

1. A method of delivering video content to a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) device over a network, comprising the steps of:
in a computing device comprising one or more processors communicatively coupled to the network, collecting customer content-of-interest predictor information from a plurality of CPE devices on the network; after said collecting step, receiving a request in a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) communicatively coupled via the network to the computing device and to the plurality of CPE devices, the request being for a pre-determined item of content from a requesting one of the plurality of CPE devices on the network, the pre-determined item of content including Internet Protocol (IP) video content; in the computing device, determining from the customer content-of-interest predictor information collected during said collecting step if the pre-determined item of content requested by said requesting one of the plurality of CPE devices is also of interest to at least a pre-determined minimum number of other of the plurality of CPE devices; and in the CMTS, causing the pre-determined item of content to be multicast over the network if the pre-determined item of content is content-of interest to at least the pre-determined minimum number of other of the plurality of CPE devices.