Methods and apparatus for proactive multi-path routing

• US 10,104,141 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Inventors: Muhlestein, Herrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Ibrahim, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US14/145,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0835 One way packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices are described to proactively adapt media streaming by a number of media player clients over the Internet or another data network. Each media player requests segments of an adaptive media stream for playback to a viewer. In some implementations, some or all of the media players in the system are able to measure packet loss or other indicia of issues with the data transmission. This indicia can be used to adapt subsequent requests for additional segments of the media stream. Moreover, some implementations could provide the measured packet loss or other indicia back to the server as feedback. The server, in turn, can use the feedback from the players (along with any other additional information) to formulate business rules that can be subsequently delivered to some or all of the players in the system. The media players can therefore adapt their segment request based upon locally measured data and/or based upon business rules that reflect system-wide conditions.

Claims

1. A method executable by a first media player device to proactively request segments of a first media stream from a server over a network, the method comprising:

placing requests from the first media player device for segments of the first media stream to be delivered to the media device via the network by the server;

measuring, via a processor provided within the first media player device, a local error rate of data received at the first media player device via the network;

reporting the local error rate measured by the first media player device to the server;

in response to reporting the local error rate to the server, receiving business rules from the server that are formulated utilizing the local error rate and a plurality of other error rates reported by additional media player devices communicating with the server via the network; and

proactively adapting subsequent requests placed by the first media player device for segments of the first media stream based upon the local error rate and the business rules such that the first media player device is more likely to request lower bandwidth segments of the first media stream from the server, even when the local error rate measured by the first media player device is low, if the plurality of other error rates reported by the additional media player devices are undesirably high.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the measuring comprises tracking, by the first media player device, a variance in an amount of data received in response to the requests.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring comprises monitoring a rate of packet loss by tracking retransmit requests sent from the first media player device to the server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the business rules instruct the first media player device to request lower bandwidth segments of the first media stream from the server when at least some of the plurality of other error rates reported by the additional media player devices exceed a threshold value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the business rules further instruct the first media player device to avoid a congested network path in placing additional requests for segments of the first media stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the business rules further instruct the first media player device to withhold requests from the server for additional segments of the first media stream for a specified period of time.

7. A media player device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing software instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the media player device to;

place requests for segments of a media stream to be delivered to the media player device by a server via a network;

measure, with the processor, a local error rate of data received via the network;

report the local error rate to the server;

in response to reporting the local error rate to the server, receive business rules from the server that are formulated in response to the local error rate and other error rates reported by a plurality of additional media player devices, which further communicate with the server via the network; and

proactively adapt subsequent requests for the segments of the first media stream placed by the media player device based upon the local error rate and the business rules such that the local media player device request is more likely to request lower bandwidth segments from the server, even when the local error rate is low, if the other error rates reported by the plurality of additional media player devices are undesirably high.

8. The media player device of claim 7, wherein the media player device is configured to measure the local error rate by tracking a variance in an amount of data received in response to the requests.

9. The media player device of claim 7, wherein the software instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the media player device to monitor a rate of packet loss by tracking retransmit requests sent from the first media player device to the server.

10. The media player device of claim 7, wherein the business rules instruct the media player device to request lower bandwidth segments of the first media stream from the server when at least some of the plurality of other error rates reported by the additional media player devices exceed a threshold value.

11. The media player device of claim 7, wherein the business rules further instruct the media player device to avoid a congested network path in placing additional requests for segments of the media stream.

12. The media player device of claim 7, wherein the business rules instruct the media player device to withhold requests for additional segments of the media stream from the server for a specified period of time.

13. A network server comprising:

a processor;

a storage device; and

an interface to a network;

wherein the processor is configured to;

transmit data to a plurality of media player devices communicating with the server via the network;

receive, and store within the storage device, reports from at least some of the plurality of media player devices, the reports indicating error rates of the data transmissions received at the media player devices providing the reports;

formulate a set of business rules based upon the reports; and

transmit the set of business rules to the plurality of media player devices;

wherein the set of business rules instructs at least a first media player device included in the plurality of media player devices to request lower bandwidth segments of streaming media content, even when a local error rate measured by the first media player device is low, if at least some of the error rates reported by the plurality of media players devices are undesirably high.

14. The network server of claim 13, wherein the formulating comprises using randomness to distribute client behavior of the media player devices.

15. The network server of claim 13, wherein the business rules further specify that a percentage of the media player devices that are currently communicating with the network server should withhold requests for a period of time.