System and method for adapting content delivery

• US 10,051,024 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Charter Communications Operating LLC (Charter Communications Incorporated)
• Inventors: DuBose, Kreig
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahman, S M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Dae
• Application Number:
  US13/803,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20140280744A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,979 Days
• Field of Search: 709219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2225 Local VOD servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18

Abstract

A system, method and apparatus for opportunistically transcoding requested content streams into one or more formats to provision thereby one or more content storage libraries.

Claims

1. A method, performed by an apparatus comprising a processor, comprising:

receiving a request from a client device for a content title not stored in a plurality of local content libraries, said client device comprising one of at least two client device types within a group of client devices capable of requesting content titles, wherein each client device type is associated with a respective encoding format;

causing a streaming of the requested content title toward the client device from a remote content library; and

if the request conforms to a business rule, contemporaneous to the streaming of the requested content toward the client device performing a batch-based transcoding of the streaming requested content title to provide a respective plurality of content title streams of different encoding formats selected in accordance with expected client devices including the requesting client device, and for subsequent storage of respective transcoded content in all or selected libraries of the plurality of local content libraries;

wherein the business rule comprises a popularity associated with the requested content title exceeding a threshold level.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transcoding the requested content title to a format compatible with the requesting client device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising transcoding the requested content title to a format compatible with a transport network providing services to the requesting client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said transcoding is performed by a plurality of real-time transcoders, each transcoder adapted for transcoding the requested content title according to a respective video stream format.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said video stream formats are selected in accordance with any of a client device capability, transport network capability and desired quality of content stream associated with an intended other local content library.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content title popularity is determined using at least one of a number of content title requests and a rate of content title requests.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said business rule further comprises a rating associated with the requested content title exceeding a threshold level.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said content title rating is determined using one or more of a release date, viewer reviews, a suggested audience, a content seasonality indication, and a geographic appeal indication.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein said content title rating is determined directly using viewer rating responses.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said content title rating is derived indirectly from user interaction with a content distribution system.

11. An apparatus, comprising a processor configured for:

receiving a request from a client device for a content title not stored in a plurality of local content libraries, said client device comprising one of at least two client device types within a group of client devices capable of requesting content titles, wherein each client device type is associated with a respective encoding format;

causing a streaming of the requested content title toward the client device from a remote content library; and

if the request conforms to a business rule, contemporaneous to the streaming of the requested content toward the client device performing a batch-based transcoding of the streaming requested content title to provide a respective plurality of content title streams of different encoding formats selected in accordance with expected client devices including the requesting client device, and for subsequent storage of respective transcoded content in all or selected libraries of the plurality of local content libraries;

wherein the business rule comprises a popularity associated with the requested content title exceeding a threshold level.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said processor is further configured for:

if the requested content title is not encoded in a format compatible with the requesting client device, transcoding the requested content title to a format compatible with the requesting client device;

if the requested content title is not encoded in a format compatible with a transport network providing services to the requesting client device, transcoding the requested content title to a format compatible with a transport network providing services to the requesting client device.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said transcoding is performed by a plurality of real-time transcoders, each transcoder adapted for transcoding the requested content title according to a respective video stream format.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said video stream formats are selected in accordance with any of a client device capability, transport network capability and desired quality of content stream associated with an intended other local content library.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the content title popularity is determined using at least one of a number of content title requests and a rate of content title requests.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said business rule further comprises a rating associated with the requested content title exceeding a threshold level, said content title rating being determined using one or more of a release date, viewer reviews, a suggested audience, a content seasonality indication, and a geographic appeal indication.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said content title rating is determined using one or both of viewer rating responses and user interaction with a content distribution system.

18. A non-transitory computer program product wherein computer instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable memory, when processed by a computer, adapt the operation of the computer to provide a method, comprising:

receiving a request from a client device for a content title not stored in a plurality of local content libraries, said client device comprising one of at least two client device types within a group of client devices capable of requesting content titles, wherein each client device type is associated with a respective encoding format;

causing a streaming of the requested content title toward the client device from a remote content library; and

if the request conforms to a business rule, contemporaneous to the streaming of the requested content toward the client device performing a batch-based transcoding of the streaming requested content title to provide a respective plurality of content title streams of different encoding formats selected in accordance with expected client devices including the requesting client device, and for subsequent storage of respective transcoded content in all or selected libraries of the plurality of local content libraries;

wherein the business rule comprises a popularity associated with the requested content title exceeding a threshold level.

19. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

if the requested content title is not encoded in a format compatible with the requesting client device, transcoding the requested content title to a format compatible with the requesting client device;

if the requested content title is not encoded in a format compatible with a transport network providing services to the requesting client device, transcoding the requested content title to a format compatible with a transport network providing services to the requesting client device.

20. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein said transcoding is performed by a plurality of real-time transcoders, each transcoder adapted for transcoding the requested content title according to a respective video stream format.

21. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 20, wherein said video stream formats are selected in accordance with any of a client device capability, transport network capability and desired quality of content stream associated with an intended other local content library.

22. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein the content title popularity is determined using at least one of a number of content title requests and a rate of content title requests.

23. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein said business rule further comprises a rating associated with the requested content title exceeding a threshold level, said content title rating being determined using one or more of a release date, viewer reviews, a suggested audience, a content seasonality indication, and a geographic appeal indication.

24. The non-transitory computer program product of claim 18, wherein said content title rating is determined using one or both of viewer rating responses and user interaction with a content distribution system.