Bitrate selection for video streaming

• US 10,194,188 B1
• Filed: 12/04/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kum, Sang-Uok, John, Sam, Foucu, Thierry, Yang, Lei, Converse, Alexander Jay, Benting, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Jeffery A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Young, Patricia I
• Application Number:
  US15/831,163
• Time in Patent Office: 421 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• 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 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/01 Conversion of standards , e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level

Abstract

Videos associated with video resolutions may be received. A first bitrate for each of the video resolutions may be identified based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point. The upscaling of the first video resolution may correspond to converting the videos from the first video resolution to the second video resolution at a client device. The identified corresponding first bitrate may be assigned to each of the video resolutions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of videos associated with a plurality of video resolutions;

identifying, by a processing device, a first bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point, the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponding to converting the videos from the first video resolution to the second video resolution at a client device;

assigning the identified corresponding first bitrate to each of the video resolutions; and

providing a video of the plurality of videos based on the first bitrate assigned to one of the video resolutions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponds to converting video data of a corresponding video at the first video resolution to a higher resolution corresponding to the second video resolution after the corresponding video at the first video resolution is transmitted to the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the first bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the first bitrate point of each of the videos.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, a request for one of the videos;

identifying an achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

transmitting a transcoding of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the first bitrate for one of the video resolutions.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the achievable bitrate of the client device is between the first bitrate and a second bitrate for the one of the video resolutions and the achievable bitrate is based on video processing and bandwidth capabilities associated with the client device, wherein the second bitrate is higher than the first bitrate.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the transmitting of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the first bitrate and a second bitrate for one of the video resolutions comprises identifying the transcoding of the requested video at a particular video resolution associated with the first bitrate and the second bitrate.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a change in the achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

switching the transmitting of the requested video from the transcoding to a second transcoding based on the change in the achievable bitrate of the client device.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of videos associated with a plurality of video resolutions;

identifying, by the processing device, a first bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point, the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponding to converting the videos from the first video resolution to the second video resolution at a client device;

assigning the identified corresponding first bitrate to each of the video resolutions; and

providing a video of the plurality of videos based on the first bitrate assigned to one of the video resolutions.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponds to converting the first video resolution to a higher resolution corresponding to the second video resolution after a corresponding video at the first video resolution is transmitted to the client device.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identifying of the first bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the first bitrate point of each of the videos.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the client device, a request for one of the videos;

identifying an achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

transmitting a transcoding of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the first bitrate for one of the video resolutions.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the achievable bitrate of the client device is between the first bitrate and a second bitrate for the one of the video resolutions and the achievable bitrate is based on video processing and bandwidth capabilities associated with the client device, wherein the second bitrate is higher than the first bitrate.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the transmitting of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the first bitrate and a second bitrate for one of the video resolutions comprises identifying the transcoding of the requested video at a particular video resolution associated with the first bitrate and the second bitrate.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

identifying a change in the achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

switching the transmitting of the requested video from the transcoding to a second transcoding based on the change in the achievable bitrate of the client device.

15. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor, operatively coupled with the memory, to;

receive a plurality of videos associated with a plurality of video resolutions;

identify a first bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point, the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponding to converting the videos from the first video resolution to the second video resolution at a client device;

assign the identified corresponding first bitrate to each of the video resolutions; and

provide a video of the plurality of videos based on the first bitrate assigned to one of the video resolutions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponds to converting the first video resolution to a higher resolution corresponding to the second video resolution after a corresponding video at the first video resolution is transmitted to the client device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the identifying of the first bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the first bitrate point of each of the videos.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the processing device is further to

receive, from the client device, a request for one of the videos;

identify an achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

transmit a transcoding of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the first bitrate for one of the video resolutions.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the achievable bitrate of the client device is between the first bitrate and a second bitrate for the one of the video resolutions and the achievable bitrate is based on video processing and bandwidth capabilities associated with the client device, wherein the second bitrate is higher than the first bitrate.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the transmitting of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the first bitrate and a second bitrate for one of the video resolutions comprises identifying the transcoding of the requested video at a particular video resolution associated with the first bitrate and the second bitrate.