Embodiments disclose systems and methods for testing and determining outages of communication systems. A server can receive signal-reception-related information from set-top boxes (STBs) in a particular geographical region, where a STB: receives signals having a predefined pattern, generates a comparison of the predefined pattern to reference patterns stored on the STB, generates the signal-reception-related information based on the comparison, and sends the signal-reception-related information. The server can determine an outage status for the particular geographical region based on the signal-reception-related information. The server can generate an output based on the outage status. The output is configured to provide information related to the outage status of the particular geographical region and information for possible responses related to the outage status. The server can send the output.

Embodiments disclose systems and methods for testing and determining outages of communication systems. A server can receive signal-reception-related information from set-top boxes (STBs) in a particular geographical region, where a STB: receives signals having a predefined pattern, generates a comparison of the predefined pattern to reference patterns stored on the STB, generates the signal-reception-related information based on the comparison, and sends the signal-reception-related information. The server can determine an outage status for the particular geographical region based on the signal-reception-related information. The server can generate an output based on the outage status. The output is configured to provide information related to the outage status of the particular geographical region and information for possible responses related to the outage status. The server can send the output.

A media system includes a plurality of set-top boxes coupled to a coax network and a controller. The controller displays a first passkey to a user in response to receiving a request from the user to activate playback of a media content on a particular set-top box. The set-top box receives the first passkey from the user and determines whether the user is authorized to activate playback of the media content by comparing the first passkey received from the user with a second passkey obtained from a passkey module on the set-top box. When the user is determined by the set-top box to be authorized to activate playback of the media content, the set-top box determines a radio frequency channel of the coax network according to the first passkey received from the user and begins playback of the media content received on the radio frequency channel on a display device.

A media system includes a plurality of set-top boxes coupled to a coax network and a controller. The controller displays a first passkey to a user in response to receiving a request from the user to activate playback of a media content on a particular set-top box. The set-top box receives the first passkey from the user and determines whether the user is authorized to activate playback of the media content by comparing the first passkey received from the user with a second passkey obtained from a passkey module on the set-top box. When the user is determined by the set-top box to be authorized to activate playback of the media content, the set-top box determines a radio frequency channel of the coax network according to the first passkey received from the user and begins playback of the media content received on the radio frequency channel on a display device.

A system and method are provided that, among other things, can reduce the burden on receiving computers, increase data throughput, reduce system failure, and provide components of a scalable and flexible network architecture. Specifically, the system and method provide a multichannel-multicast network environment for use in dynamically assigning data to channels. This configuration is particularly useful in a trading network environment, as it effectively performs channel reassignments in a way not to disturb the receipt of the underlying data. While the example embodiments described herein pertain to electronic trading, the principles of the present invention may be equally applied in other environments where the advantages presented herein are beneficial.

A system and method are provided that, among other things, can reduce the burden on receiving computers, increase data throughput, reduce system failure, and provide components of a scalable and flexible network architecture. Specifically, the system and method provide a multichannel-multicast network environment for use in dynamically assigning data to channels. This configuration is particularly useful in a trading network environment, as it effectively performs channel reassignments in a way not to disturb the receipt of the underlying data. While the example embodiments described herein pertain to electronic trading, the principles of the present invention may be equally applied in other environments where the advantages presented herein are beneficial.

A MIMO basestation for a cellular communications system comprises a remote indoor processing facility coupled to an outdoor RF tower via optical fibers. The remote indoor processing facility includes a bank of RF modulators to modulate signal streams; a remote MIMO transmitting processor that includes a remote digital beam-forming network to transform the modulated signal streams into transmit beam signals; a pre-processor to perform a wavefront multiplexing transform on the transmit beam signals to generate wavefront multiplexed beam signals, each of the wavefront multiplexed beam signals being a linear combination of the transmit beam signals; and RF-to-optical drivers to perform optical modulating functions on the wavefront multiplexed beam signals to generate optical waveform streams.

A MIMO basestation for a cellular communications system comprises a remote indoor processing facility coupled to an outdoor RF tower via optical fibers. The remote indoor processing facility includes a bank of RF modulators to modulate signal streams; a remote MIMO transmitting processor that includes a remote digital beam-forming network to transform the modulated signal streams into transmit beam signals; a pre-processor to perform a wavefront multiplexing transform on the transmit beam signals to generate wavefront multiplexed beam signals, each of the wavefront multiplexed beam signals being a linear combination of the transmit beam signals; and RF-to-optical drivers to perform optical modulating functions on the wavefront multiplexed beam signals to generate optical waveform streams.

A method for detecting and distributing alert data based upon both receiving alert data encoded in a terrestrial television broadcast transmission and receiving an identification of a location of a device includes receiving, by a first device in a plurality of devices in a mesh network, a terrestrial broadcast signal including at least one datacast packet. A second device in the plurality of devices receives a satellite transmission identifying a location of the second device. The method includes confirming, by a notification engine executed by a third device in the plurality of devices in the mesh network, receipt of both the satellite transmission and alert data encoded in the terrestrial broadcast signal. The method includes activating, by the notification engine, at least one alert module in the mesh network, upon confirmation of the receipt of both the satellite transmission and the alert data encoded in the terrestrial broadcast signal.

A method for detecting and distributing alert data based upon both receiving alert data encoded in a terrestrial television broadcast transmission and receiving an identification of a location of a device includes receiving, by a first device in a plurality of devices in a mesh network, a terrestrial broadcast signal including at least one datacast packet. A second device in the plurality of devices receives a satellite transmission identifying a location of the second device. The method includes confirming, by a notification engine executed by a third device in the plurality of devices in the mesh network, receipt of both the satellite transmission and alert data encoded in the terrestrial broadcast signal. The method includes activating, by the notification engine, at least one alert module in the mesh network, upon confirmation of the receipt of both the satellite transmission and the alert data encoded in the terrestrial broadcast signal.