WO2016174550A1

WO2016174550A1 - Switching matrix and method for distributing contents

Info

Publication number: WO2016174550A1
Application number: PCT/IB2016/052244
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giuseppe SPANO'; Roberto PARODI
Original assignee: Datacast S.R.L.
Priority date: 2015-04-29
Filing date: 2016-04-20
Publication date: 2016-11-03

Abstract

The invention relates to a switching matrix (13) for audio and/or video contents, comprising control and processing means (131) adapted to control the operation of said matrix (13), communication means (133) adapted to receive contents from at least one source (11) and to transmit said contents to at least one destination (15, 17) through at least one packet switching network (12), memory means (132) storing at least switching information defining the destination (15, 17) to which at least a portion of a content received through said communication means (133) must be transmitted, and wherein the control and processing means (131) are configured for selecting said at least one destination on the basis of at least said switching information.

Description

TITLE: "Switching matrix and method for distributing contents"

DESCRIPTION:

The present invention relates to a switching matrix, in particular a switching matrix used for transmitting audio and/or video contents from a source to at least one destination, as well as to a method for distributing audio and/or video contents.

As is known, entities that transmit radio-television contents through the air (the so- called broadcasters) are increasingly engaged in a competition with entities propagating contents through the Internet network. In fact, the entities that propagate audio and/or video contents through the Internet network (such as, for example, informative sites, web TV/radio sites, or the like) can count on a large number of people who can contribute to producing and spreading contents (such as audio, video, text, or the like) in various ways: by acquiring videos via mobile terminals, by writing comments on suitable web pages, by publishing news in social networks, or otherwise. Because of this, a user of informative services very often gets to know about important news first through an Internet information service and only afterwards through an information service provided by a broadcaster. In order to be able to compete with entities operating only through the Internet and benefitting from contributions of a large number of people, broadcasters need to increase the production and transmission of topical audio and/or video contents, i.e. contents referring to events that occurred at most one or two hours before the program.

For this purpose, fast broadcasting of such contents must be ensured, during or right after their acquisition. In particular, contents must be rapidly transferred to the broadcaster's site, so that they can be prepared (e.g. through a video editing phase) for television broadcasting as soon as possible. This is necessary because television contents must meet requirements imposed by regulations defined and enforced by a surveillance authority (AGCOM in Italy), which requirements may impose that some contents (e.g. including minors and/or violent and/or nude images) should not be broadcast in certain time slots without properly censoring those images which are considered to be inappropriate for a specific time slot.

Once they have been acquired by means of suitable devices (e.g. professional cameras), television contents are very often dumped to a memory medium (e.g. a magnetic or solid-state one) and transported to a broadcaster's site, where the content is prepared and then broadcast. This transportation phase is time-consuming and reduces the broadcaster's competitiveness against Internet-based entities.

Instead, when it is necessary to broadcast live contents acquired outside one of the broadcaster's sites, the broadcaster usually makes use of systems and networks specially dedicated to this purpose (e.g. satellite channels, microwave transmission systems, or the like). Such systems require a rather time-consuming preparation, which makes the live or quasi-live broadcasting of a television content quite complex and costly.

Broadcasters are therefore at a disadvantage against entities only using the Internet because, although the broadcasters' contents are acquired in digital format by means of professional acquisition devices, transmitting such contents to the production and broadcasting site is a resource-intensive task that reduces the quantity of topical contents that can be produced and broadcast by the broadcaster.

The present invention aims at solving these and other problems by providing a switching matrix.

The basic idea of the present invention is to configure a switching matrix in such a way that it will receive, from a packet switching network, at least one television signal transmitted by a source, and will re-transmit said signal to at least one destination through said network and/or another network.

This will allow exploiting the capillarity of packet switching networks for transmitting contents to and from a broadcaster's site, so that the quantity of topical contents produced by a broadcaster can be increased. This is due to the use of technologies already employed for transmitting on-demand contents, which are typically offered by entities (providers of social networks, informative sites, or the like) operating on public computer networks, such as, for example, the Internet, so that television contents can be broadcast via any broadband Internet connection, which connections, as is known, are widespread on the territory and cost much less than satellite connections and microwave bridges.

Furthermore, the use of packet switching networks allows reducing the dimensions and simplifying the architecture of a switching matrix, because it allows reducing the number of cables connected to said matrix, since data transmission infrastructures can be exploited (e.g. networks based on the IEEE 802.3 standard), which, the transmission capacity being equal, have much smaller physical dimensions than other transmission systems typically used by broadcasters (such as, for example, systems that transmit the signal via satellite or through microwave bridges, or the like).

Further advantageous features of the present invention will be set out in the appended claims.

These features as well as further advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof as shown in the annexed drawings, which are supplied by way of non-limiting example, wherein:

- Fig. 1 shows a television production system comprising a switching matrix according to the invention;

- Fig. 2 is a block diagram that shows the parts comprised in the switching matrix of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 3 shows the switching matrix of Figs. 1 and 2 in an operating condition;

- Fig. 4 shows a configuration screen through which switching information used by the switching matrix according to the invention can be modified;

- Fig. 5 shows a flow chart representing a first mode of modifying the switching information used by the switching matrix of Figs. 1-3;

- Fig. 6 shows a flow chart representing a second mode of modifying the switching information used by the switching matrix of Figs. 1-3.

Any reference to "an embodiment" in this description will indicate that a particular configuration, structure or feature is comprised in at least one embodiment of the invention. Therefore, the phrase "in an embodiment" and other similar phrases, which may be present in different parts of this description, will not necessarily be all related to the same embodiment. Furthermore, any particular configuration, structure or feature may be combined in one or more embodiments in any way deemed appropriate. The references below are therefore used only for simplicity's sake and do not limit the protection scope or extent of the various embodiments.

With reference to Fig. 1, an audio and/or video production system 1, preferably a television one, comprises the following parts: - one or more acquisition means 11 (e.g. microphones and/or cameras) for acquiring audio and/or video contents and transmitting them, preferably through a COFDM or IEEE 802.11 or 802.3 network interface, to at least one recipient over a packet switching network 12, preferably a public one (such as, for example, the Internet); - a switching matrix 13 according to the invention, configured for receiving, through the network 12, the packets transporting the contents acquired by the acquisition means 11 and for transmitting, through the network 12 or another network (e.g. a private packet switching network, preferably of the Ethernet or MPLS type or the like, to a recipient identified on the basis of switching information that will be further described below;

- supervision and/or control means 14 (e.g. a touchscreen, a personal computer or the like) in signal communication (directly and/or through the Internet) with the switching matrix, allowing an operator to know the operating state of the matrix 13 and/or to display or modify the switching information via a user interface, preferably a graphic one;

- collection means 15 (e.g. a video server) configured for receiving, from the switching matrix 13, the contents that said matrix has received (as packets) from the acquisition means 11, and wherein said collection means 15 may also (optionally) be configured for modifying (e.g. by means of an audio/video editing program) the contents received from said matrix 12;

- transmission means 16 (e.g. one or more television relay stations) in signal communication with the collection means 15 and configured for transmitting the contents received from (and optionally modified by) the collection means 15 to the content users (i.e. the viewers), preferably in DVB-T, DVB-T2, DVB-S2 format or the like.

Also with reference to Fig. 2, an embodiment of the switching matrix 13 according to the invention comprises the following components:

- control and processing means 131, e.g. one or more CPUs, controlling the operation of said matrix 13, preferably in a programmable manner, through the execution of suitable instructions;

- memory means 132, preferably a Flash memory or the like, in signal communication with the control and processing means 131, wherein said memory means 132 store at least the switching information and/or the instructions that can be read by the control and processing means 131 when the matrix 13 is in an operating condition;

- communication means 133, preferably one or more network interfaces operating in accordance with a standard of the IEEE 802.3 (also known as Ethernet) and/or IEEE 802.11 (also known as WiFi) and/or 802.16 (also known as WiMax) families and/or an interface for a GSM/GPRS/UMTS/LTE data network, which allow the matrix 13 to communicate with the acquisition means 11, the collection means 15 and, optionally, the supervision and/or control means 14 (the latter being further described below);

- a video adapter 134 in signal communication with the control and processing means 131, and configured for receiving at its input display instructions generated by the control and processing means 131 and for outputting a video signal, which can, for example, be displayed by the supervision and/or control means 14; wherein the video signal may also be a static image;

- input/output (I/O) means 135, which may be used, for example, for connecting said matrix 13 to peripherals (e.g. a touchscreen or external mass storage units or a switchboard with source/destination buttons) or to a programming terminal configured for writing instructions (which the processing and control means 131 will have to execute) and/or switching information into the memory means 132; such input/output means 135 may comprise, for example, a USB, Firewire, RS232, IEEE 1284 adapter or the like;

- a communication bus 136, allowing the exchange of information among the control and processing means 131, the memory means 132, the communication means 133, the video adapter 134, and the input/output means 135.

As an alternative to using the communication bus 136, the control and processing means 131, the memory means 132, the communication means 133, the video adapter 134 and the input/output means 135 can be connected by means of a star architecture. When the matrix 13 is in an operating condition, said matrix 13 executes instructions that implement a method for distributing contents which comprises the following phases:

a. a reception phase, wherein the communication means 133, which preferably comprise a first and a second network interface, receive, preferably through said first network interface, at least a first data packet containing at least a portion of an audio and/or video content, wherein said packet comprises a header specifying communication information that preferably comprise a sender address (e.g. an IP address of one of the cameras 11) and/or a recipient address (e.g. an IP address of one of the network interfaces of the matrix 13) of the packet;

b. a recipient determination phase, wherein the control and processing means 131 determine, on the basis of at least a part of the communication information, the recipient to which at least a part of the portion of the audio and/or video content contained in the packet received during the reception phase a. must be transmitted; c. a transmission phase, wherein at least a part of the portion of the audio and/or video content contained in the packet received during the reception phase a. is transmitted, through the communication means 133, preferably through the second network interface, to the recipient determined during the recipient determination phase b..

It must be pointed out that the phases can be carried out in a way not strictly sequential, i.e. phase b. can start when phase a. has not yet been completed, and phase c. can start when phase a. and/or phase b. have not yet been completed.

As aforementioned, the packet switching network 12 can be a public network such as the Internet, i.e. a wide area network, and therefore the communication means 133 can be configured for receiving and transmitting audio and/or video contents through said wide area network 12. Thus, the produced contents can be transmitted over long distances (at low cost) without requiring dedicated infrastructures, so that the production of topical contents can be increased.

Also with reference to Fig. 3, when the matrix 13 is in an operating condition and executes instructions that implement the above-described method for distributing contents, said matrix can receive a number n of input data streams INl,IN2,...,Inn and produce a number m of output data streams OUTl,OUT2,...,OUTm, through which at least a part of the content of each input stream is re-transmitted to one or more destinations 15, 17 selected on the basis of the switching information.

More in detail, the control and processing means 131 are configured for establishing, through the communication means 133, at least one connection (e.g. when the TCP protocol is used) and/or one stream (e.g. when the UDP protocol is used) for each selected destination. The switching matrix 13 according to the invention can thus be made to operate also in a wide area network (e.g. the Internet), not only in a local area network (e.g. an Ethernet network); as a matter of fact, in a wide area network multicast transmissions might not be possible (as is the case over the Internet), because the various connectivity providers might not make this option available due to different reasons (protection against Denial of Service attacks, optimization of the available band, or the like). In this manner, the produced contents can be transmitted over long distances (at low cost) without requiring dedicated infrastructures, so that the production of topical contents can be increased.

It must be pointed out that the recipients may comprise, in addition to the collection server 15, also decoders 17, wherein each decoder 17 can generate an audio and/or video stream on the basis of a content transported by one of the data streams OUT2- OUTn, wherein said video stream can be reproduced by a television set and/or by an audio reproduction system (not shown in the annexed drawings).

It should also be highlighted that the number n of input streams may be different from the number m of output streams, because the matrix 13 may be configured, by using suitable switching information, for transmitting an input data stream INl-INn to more than one recipient, thereby broadcasting the content; also, the matrix 13 may also be configured for transmitting two or more input data streams INl-INn to a single recipient, e.g. by configuring said matrix 13 for grouping two or more audio and/or video streams into a single MPEG Transport Stream or for creating, starting from two or more video streams, a new video stream in which each frame comprises the frames of the two or more original video streams, represented in distinct parts of the new frame and preferably having smaller dimensions than the frames of the original streams, thus obtaining a so-called "multiview" effect or a "multiplexer".

It must be pointed out that the input video streams INl-INn and the output video streams OUTl-OUTm are preferably transmitted from the acquisition means 11 to the matrix 13 and from the matrix 13 to the recipients 15,17 by using the UDP (User Datagram Protocol) transport protocol together with the RTP (Real-time Transport Protocol) application protocol.

Instead of the UDP/RTP protocols, the man skilled in the art may nevertheless use an alternative protocol, without however departing from the teachings of the present invention.

In addition, the control and processing means 131 of the matrix 13 may also be configured for making, on the basis of conversion information, a modification (e.g. a format conversion or the like) to at least a portion of the content received through the communication means 133, before said modified portion is transmitted to said at least one destination 15,17 through said communication means 133. This conversion information, preferably contained in the memory means 132, defines the type of modifications that must be made to the contents flowing through the matrix 13, according to their source and/or destination.

In this way, the matrix 13 can speed up the production of topical contents, because it will no longer be necessary to decode the received content and then encode it into another format (e.g. in order to reduce the signal resolution, change the colour mapping, or the like) prior to broadcasting that content, thus allowing the broadcaster to advantageously increase the production of topical contents.

As already described above, the switching information allows the control and processing means 131 to determine the destination of a packet, which has been received through the communication means 133, on the basis of at least a part of the switching information contained in said packet. One example of switching information can be represented by means of the following illustrative table:

According to the switching information shown in the first row of the above table, the switching matrix 13 is configured for transmitting to the IP address 172.1.12.252 all of the audio and/or video contents received, preferably on the UDP port 3000, from the acquisition apparatus identified by the IP address 2.4.6.133. When also the switching information shown in the second and third rows is used, the matrix 13 is also configured for transmitting to the IP address 172.1.12.251 and to the IP address corresponding to the one returned upon interrogation of a DNS server with the string "www.myremotebroadcaster.it" the contents received, preferably on the UDP ports 4000 and 5000 of the matrix 13, respectively from the acquisition apparatuses identified by the IP addresses returned upon interrogation of a DNS server with the strings "cameral .myremoteservice.it" and "camera2.myremoteservice.it".

As an alternative to or in combination with the above, another example of switching information can be represented by means of the following illustrative table:

According to the switching information contained in the above table, the switching matrix 13 is configured for transmitting to the IP addresses 172.2.23.252 and 172.2.23.251 the contents received, respectively, via the network interfaces ethO (first network interface) and ethl (second network interface), whereas the contents received via the network interface eth2 (third network interface) are transmitted to the IP address corresponding to the one returned upon interrogation of a DNS server with the string " www. myremotebroadcaster2. it" .

As an alternative to or in combination with the above, a further example of switching information can be represented by means of the following illustrative table: Listening UDP port Destination

5000 172.2.23.122:4700

6000 172.2.23.122:4701

8000 www.myremotebroadcaster3.it: 9000

According to the switching information shown in the above table, the switching matrix 13 is configured for transmitting to the UDP sockets listening on the ports 4700 and 4701 of the machine identified by the IP address 172.2.23.122 the contents received from the UDP sockets respectively listening on the ports 5000 and 6000 of the switching matrix 13, whereas the contents received through the UDP socket listening on the port 8000 of the matrix 13 are transmitted to the UDP socket listening on the port 9000 of the machine identified by the IP address corresponding to the one returned upon interrogation of a DNS server with the string "www.myremotebroadcaster3.it".

It must be pointed out that the UDP sockets that are active in the switching matrix 13 can receive and/or transmit data in unicast or multicast mode; such UDP sockets can, for example, receive data from the acquisition means 11, which operate in unicast mode, and also from a source operating in multicast mode, thus making the acquisition and transmission of contents simpler. In fact, the multicast transmission mode allows reducing the band necessary for producing a topical content, thus simplifying the network infrastructure and allowing the broadcaster to advantageously increase the quantity of topical events that can be produced.

As aforementioned, the supervision and/or control means 14 may comprise a personal computer, which is preferably configured for accessing an HTML page, e.g. via a web browser, wherein said HTML page is stored in the memory 132 of the matrix 13, updated by the control and processing means 131, and made accessible by a web server application, the instructions of which are executed by said control and processing means 131.

As an alternative to or in combination with the above-described supervision and/or control means 14, said means 14 may also comprise a touchscreen (e.g. like the one shown in fig. 4), which is in signal communication with the matrix 13 via the video adapter 134 and/or the input/output means 135, and/or a switchboard with source/destination buttons (not shown in the annexed drawings), which is in signal communication with the matrix 13, preferably via the input/output means 135 of said matrix 13.

Therefore, the user of the matrix 13 can monitor and/or configure said matrix 13 (e.g. by modifying the switching information) via the web page displayed in the browser of the personal computer or via the interface displayed on the touchscreen, or switch between the video sources via the button-equipped switchboard.

Fig. 3 shows the supervision and/or control means 14 displaying a screen that comprises the images of four video contents, wherein each one of them is transported by one of the input streams INl-INn in said matrix 13. This allows an audio/video operator not having specific skills in the transmission of audio/video contents via IP, to verify whether one or more contents have reached the matrix 13 or not, so as to be able to quickly diagnose a possible unsuccessful transmission of contents to the final destination, i.e. to understand if the problem lies upstream or downstream of the matrix 13. The broadcaster can thus advantageously increase the quantity of topical contents produced, because this feature will avoid the need for analyzing (e.g. by means of a network traffic analysis program, i.e. a so-called "sniffer") whether the packets that should have been transmitted by the acquisition means 11 have reached or not the matrix 13.

Optionally, a part of the touchscreen 14 may be positioned inside the matrix 13, so that said matrix 13 can be supervised and/or controlled from the same place where it is located. In this manner, an operator not particularly skilled in packet communication networks will be able to verify and/or modify the operation of said matrix 13 without using any software tools (e.g. remote control programs or the like), so that the production of topical contents can be advantageously increased, because said matrix 13 can be used right away by an operator accustomed to prior-art television matrices.

Also with reference to Fig. 4, the following will describe a user interface 141 displayed by the supervision and/or control means 14 when the user of the matrix 13 needs to modify the switching information (e.g. when he/she needs to switch between two video streams coming from the outside because the content being broadcast live has to be changed).

This user interface 141 comprises a group of source buttons 142 and a group of destination buttons 143 that can be activated/deactivated by touching the touchscreen and/or by making a selection with a pointer controlled by a mouse or another HID (Human Interface Device) peripheral.

The group of source buttons comprises a plurality of buttons 142a,142b,..., 1421, each one of which is associated with specific acquisition means 11 (e.g. a specific camera in a television studio or an external camera); the group of destination buttons 143 comprises a plurality of buttons 143a,143b,..., 143x, each one of which is associated with a specific destination 15,17.

The associations of the acquisition means 11 with the buttons 142a-1421 and of the destinations 15,17 with the buttons 143a-143x can be made during an initial configuration phase, wherein an operator associates, preferably in a static manner (i.e. so that it will not change during the normal operation of the matrix 13), specific acquisition means 11 or one of the destinations 15, 17 with a particular button 142a- 1421, 143a-143x, e.g. by setting, for each source button, the listening UDP port, and, for each destination button, the pair consisting of the IP address (or DNS name) and the UDP port that identifies a particular acquisition means 11 or a particular destination 15, 17. It must be pointed out that this initial configuration phase must be repeated every time new acquisition means 11 or new destinations need to be added, or whenever any existing acquisition means 11 or destinations 15, 17 need to be removed, with which respective buttons 142a-1421,143a-143x have already been associated. In this initial configuration phase, the operator may also decide to associate with each button 142a- 1421, 143a-143x a particular string of characters that will identify it, which will preferably be shown within the area of the button or, alternatively, above or under said button.

As previously described, the user of the matrix 13 can modify the switching instructions via the interface 141. In particular, the user can associate a particular source with a destination 15,17 by pressing the buttons 142a-1421,143a-143x in a particular order. Also, the interface 141 can be used for showing to the user of the matrix 13 the switching information currently being used by said matrix 13 (e.g. by highlighting in a different colour than the other buttons the buttons associated with those acquisition means 11 and destinations 14, 15 that have been coupled together). In Fig. 4 one can see that the matrix 13 is configured for transmitting the contents acquired by the acquisition means associated with the button identified by the string "4 PARIS-FIBER4" to the destination associated with the button identified by the string "0 Decodl TA DB1".

The matrix 13 and/or the supervision and/or control means 14 are configured for highlighting the buttons associated with the acquisition means 11 or with the destinations 15, 17 on the basis of the button 143a-143x pressed by the user. More in detail, when the user of the matrix 13 wants, for example, to display the switching information relating to the acquisition means associated with one of the buttons 142a- 1421, said user can press the button associated with said acquisition means, so that the interface 141 will highlight the buttons 143a-143x associated with the destination(s) to which the contents acquired by the acquisition means 11 associated with the button pressed by the user are to be sent.

As an alternative to or in combination with the above, the matrix 13 and/or the supervision and/or control means 14 may be configured in a manner such that, when the user of the matrix 13 wants, for example, to display the switching information relating to one of the destinations associated with one of the buttons 143a-143x, said user can press the button associated with said destination, so that the interface 141 will highlight the button 142a- 1421 associated with the acquisition means from which the contents transmitted to the destination associated with the button pressed by the user are received.

As an alternative to or in combination with the above, the matrix 13 and/or the supervision and/or control means 14 may also be configured for modifying the switching information upon activation of the buttons associated with the acquisition means 11 or with the destinations 15,17. This can be done, for example, by pressing one or more buttons 142a-1421 associated with particular acquisition means 11 simultaneously with one or more buttons 143-143x associated with one or more destinations 15, 17. In this manner, the matrix 13 will be configured for transmitting the contents acquired by particular acquisition means associated with the button being pressed to one or more destinations associated with the button(s) being pressed. This way of displaying and modifying the switching information is similar to that of a matrix according to the prior art, so that a user of the matrix 13 with no particular knowledge of packet switching networks will be able to display and modify the switching information without having to use dedicated programs or a text command line console (also referred to as "shell"). In this way, the quantity of topical contents produced by a broadcaster can thus advantageously be increased, because the benefits of packet switching networks (which are available nearly everywhere) are attained without however requiring the users of the matrix 13 to know how such networks and the communication protocols used therein work.

In addition to the above, the interface 141 may also comprise a confirmation button 144 that must be pressed whenever the switching information needs to be modified. When the user decides to change the coupling information by pressing a button 143a- 143x associated with a particular destination and a button 142a- 1421 associated with a source, the modification made to the switching information will only become effective when the confirmation button 144 is pressed (whether simultaneously with or after the other buttons), so that the probability of errors will be reduced (e.g. broadcasting a content that should not be broadcast in that time slot, etc.). This will reduce the probability that a broadcaster might infringe some communications regulation and might therefore suffer sanctions that would reduce the quantity of topical contents that the broadcaster will be allowed to produce. This will advantageously increase the quantity of topical contents that the broadcaster will be able to produce in a given time unit, because the risk of errors when broadcasting contents will be diminished; in fact, such errors would certainly waste time, since they would reduce the time usable for broadcasting topical contents.

Also with reference to Fig. 5, another possible mode of modifying the switching information, different from the one described above, is represented by means of a finite- state machine; said mode of operation can be implemented through software which is then executed by the control and processing means 131 and/or by a programmable hardware component (e.g. a CPLD or a FPGA or the like) or a specially developed one. The finite-state machine comprises the following states:

- a wait state SI, in which the matrix 13 waits for instructions from the user, while continuing to perform its normal functions as described above;

- a source highlighting state S2, in which one or more buttons 142a- 1421 are highlighted which are associated with the source(s) 11 that acquire the contents that will then be transmitted to the destination associated with the button 143a-143x pressed by the user;

- a new source selection state S3, in which one or more buttons 142a- 1421 selected by the user are highlighted, which are associated with new sources from which the user wants to acquire contents to be transmitted to the destination associated with the button 143a-143x pressed by the user;

- a switching state S4, in which the switching information modified as specified by the user via the interface 141 is stored into the memory means 132, so that the contents acquired by the new acquisition means 11 selected by the user will be transmitted to the destination associated with the button 143a-143x pressed by the user.

When the matrix 13 is on and the supervision and/or control means 14 are used for modifying the switching information, said matrix 13 goes into the state SI, in which it will stay until the user selects one of the buttons 143a-143x associated with a particular destination 15,17; when this occurs, the matrix 13 will enter the state S2. When another one of the source-associated buttons 142a-1421, which is different from those already active, is selected, the apparatus will switch from the state S2 to the state S3, in which it will stay for a predefined time interval, preferably 2 to 8 seconds, more preferably 5 seconds, and/or until the confirmation button 144 is activated. If the confirmation button 144 is not pressed by the user and the time spent in the state S3 is longer than or equal to the predefined time interval, the matrix 13 will go again into the wait state SI, or, in one possible variant, into the state S2; if, on the contrary, the confirmation button 144 is pressed by the user before the time spent in the state S3 becomes equal to or exceeds the predefined time interval, then the matrix 13 will enter the switching state S4. When the modification to the switching information is complete, the matrix 13 will go again into the state SI for a new operation cycle.

Also with reference to Fig. 6, one possible mode of modifying the switching information, which is alternative to the one described above with reference to Fig. 5, is represented by means of a finite-state machine that comprises the same states S1-S4 as previously described for the preceding mode. The only difference lies in the way in which the switching information change is confirmed; in other words, the difference between this mode and the preceding one lies in the conditions that allow the transition from the state S3 to the state S4. In this variant, in fact, the transition from the state S3 to the state S4 will only occur when the user presses for the second time, preferably within a predefined time interval, one or more of the buttons 142a- 1421 that caused the transition from the state S2 to the state S3.

Both of these modes of modifying the switching information allow reducing the probability of errors (e.g. broadcasting a content that should not be broadcast in that time slot, etc.), thus reducing the risk that the broadcaster might infringe some communications regulation and might therefore suffer sanctions that would reduce the quantity of topical contents that the broadcaster will be allowed to produce. This will advantageously increase the quantity of topical contents that the broadcaster will be able to produce in a given time unit, because the risk of making mistakes when broadcasting contents will be diminished; in fact, such mistakes would certainly imply a waste of time, since they would reduce the time usable for broadcasting topical contents.

The present description has tackled some of the possible variants, but it will be apparent to the man skilled in the art that other embodiments may also be implemented, wherein some elements may be replaced with other technically equivalent elements. The present invention is not therefore limited to the explanatory examples described herein, but may be subject to many modifications, improvements or replacements of equivalent part and elements without departing from the basic inventive idea, as set out in the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Switching matrix (13) for audio and/or video contents,

characterized in that it comprises

- control and processing means (131) adapted to control the operation of said matrix (13),

- communication means (133) in signal communication with the control and processing means (131) and configured for receiving contents from at least one source (11) and for transmitting said contents to at least one destination (15,17) through at least one packet switching network (12),

- memory means (132) in signal communication with the control and processing means (131), wherein said memory means (132) store at least switching information defining the destination (15, 17) to which at least a portion of a content received through said communication means (133) must be transmitted,

wherein the control and processing means (131) are configured for selecting said at least one destination on the basis of at least said switching information.

2. Switching matrix (13) according to claim 1, said packet switching network (12) being of the wide area type, wherein the communication means (133) are configured for receiving and transmitting the audio and/or video contents through said wide area network (12).

3. Switching matrix (13) according to claim 2, wherein the control and processing means (131) are configured for establishing, through the communication means (133), at least one connection and/or one stream for each selected destination.

4. Matrix (13) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control and processing means (131) are also configured for modifying, at least on the basis of conversion information, at least a portion of the content received through the communication means (133) before said modified portion is transmitted to said at least one destination (15, 17).

5. Matrix (13) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising a video adapter (134) in signal communication with the control and processing means (131) and configured for receiving display instructions generated by the control and processing means (131) and for outputting a supervision and/or control video signal displayable by supervision and/or control means (14).

6. Matrix (13) according to claim 5, wherein the supervision and/or control video signal comprises a video stream that represents at least a part of the audio and/or video contents received by said matrix through the communication means (133).

7. System for producing audio and/or video contents (1), comprising a switching matrix (13) according to claims 5 or 6 and supervision and/or control means (14) adapted to display the supervision and/or control signal, wherein said signal is generated in a manner such that said supervision and/or control means (14) will display a user interface (141) comprising a plurality of source buttons (142a-1421), each one of which being associated with a source, and a plurality of destination buttons (143a-143x), each one of which being associated with a destination, and wherein said supervision and/or control means (14) are configured for displaying and/or modifying the switching information on the basis of the activation or deactivation of said buttons (142a-1421, 143a-143x).

8. System (1) according to claim 7, wherein the supervision and/or control means (14) are in signal communication with the control and processing means (131) of the matrix (13), and wherein the activation of at least one of said buttons (142a-1421, 143a- 143x) allows displaying the switching information through said supervision and/or control means (14).

9. System (1) according to claims 7 or 8, wherein the user interface (141) comprises a confirmation button (144), and wherein the control and processing means (131) and/or the supervision and/or control means (14) are configured for modifying the switching information when said confirmation button (144) is activated after the activation of at least one of the destination buttons (143a-143x) and at least one of the source buttons (142a-1421).

10. System (1) according to claim 9, wherein the control and processing means (131) and/or the supervision and/or control means (14) are also configured for modifying the switching information only if the confirmation button (144) is activated within a time interval having a predetermined duration starting from the activation of at least one of the source buttons (142a-1421).

11. System (1) according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the control and processing means (131) and/or the supervision and/or control means (14) are configured for modifying the switching information when, after the activation of at least one of the destination buttons (143a-143x) and at least one of the source buttons (142a-1421), said at least one source button (142a-1421) is activated for the second time.

12. System (1) according to claim 11, wherein the control and processing means (131) and/or the supervision and/or control means (14) are also configured for modifying the switching information only if said at least one source button (142a- 1421) is activated for the second time within a time interval having a predetermined duration starting from the activation of at least one of the source buttons (142a- 1421).

13. Method for distributing audio and/or video contents, comprising

a. a reception phase, wherein, through communication means (133), at least a first data packet is received which contains at least a portion of an audio and/or video content, wherein said packet comprises a header specifying communication information,

b. a recipient determination phase, wherein, through control and processing means (131), one or more recipients are determined, on the basis of at least a part of the communication information, whereto at least a part of the portion of the audio and/or video content contained in the packet received during the reception phase a. must be transmitted;

c. a transmission phase, wherein at least a part of the portion of the audio and/or video content contained in the packet received during the reception phase a. is transmitted, through the communication means (133), to the recipient(s) determined during the recipient determination phase b..

14. Computer program product which can be loaded into the memory of an electronic computer, and which comprises portions of software code for executing the phases of the method according to claim 13.