System and method for online multimedia streaming services

• US 10,270,834 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dao, Ngoc-Dung, Li, Xu, Farmanbar, Hamidreza
• Primary Examiner(s): Tokuta, Shean
• Application Number:
  US14/831,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20170054776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

An embodiment method for network optimization includes obtaining a first request to deliver a first data to a node in a network at a first data rate; obtaining a second request to deliver the first data to the node at a second data rate; and determining a flow decision schedule for a streaming session. The determining the flow decision schedule includes: scheduling a steady-state delivery period to deliver the first data at a steady-state data rate in accordance with the first data rate; and performing a best-effort allocation in accordance with the second data rate to determine a schedule for a supplemental delivery period, concurrent with at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period, to deliver the first data at a supplemental data rate.

Claims

1. A method for network optimization comprising:

obtaining a first request to deliver a first data to a node in a network at a first data rate;

obtaining a second request to deliver the first data to the node at a second data rate in accordance with a threshold duration of buffered playback time, wherein the obtaining the second request comprises;

calculating the second data rate in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting for a streaming session for delivering the first data, wherein the QoE setting comprises a desired initial delay level;

determining a first ratio of the threshold duration divided by the desire initial delay level;

determining a first product of the first data rate multiplied by the first ratio;

determining a first difference of the first data rate subtracted from the first product; and

setting the second data rate to a level that is not less than the first difference; and

after obtaining the second request, determining a flow decision schedule for the streaming session, wherein the determining the flow decision schedule comprises;

scheduling a steady-state delivery period to deliver the first data at a steady-state data rate in accordance with the first data rate; and

performing a best-effort allocation in accordance with the second data rate to determine a schedule for a supplemental delivery period based on the QoE setting, the supplemental delivery period being shorter than the steady-state delivery period to deliver the first data at both the steady-state data rate and a supplemental data rate during at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period that is concurrent with the supplemental delivery period, wherein the scheduling comprises scheduling the steady-state delivery period to deliver the first data only at the steady-state data rate during portions of the steady-state delivery period that are not concurrent with the supplemental delivery period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the obtaining the second request comprises determining a total requested data rate in accordance with the QoE setting for a streaming session for delivering the first data, and

the total requested data rate comprises a sum of the first data rate and the second data rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired rate variation level and an objective of decreasing rate variation,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period, and

an end time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as an end time of the steady-state delivery period.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired initial delay level and an objective of decreasing initial delay,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period and a start time for the streaming session, and

the supplemental delivery period comprises a startup period during which a buffer is filled to a playback threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow decision schedule is updated during the steady-state delivery period to update at least one of the steady-state data rate, the steady-state delivery period, the supplemental data rate, and the supplemental delivery period.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired stall delay level, an objective of decreasing stall delay, a desired peak data rate, an objective of increasing peak data rate, a desired average data rate, and an objective of increasing average data rate.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second data rate is a pre-determined integer multiple of the first data rate.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the flow decision schedule occurs after a start time of the streaming session.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental delivery period is determined based on a playback time threshold, the first data rate, and the second data rate.

9. A method for multimedia networking comprising:

sending, by a network node, a request for deliver)'"'"' of a first data from an external media server at a first data rate and in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting comprising at least one of a desired initial delay level and an objective of decreasing initial delay;

after sending the request, receiving, by the network node, the first data in at least one data flow from the external media server during a streaming session, wherein

during a steady-state delivery period, the at least one data flow has a steady-state data rate calculated by at least, one external network component, in accordance with the first data rate, and

during a supplemental delivery period the at least one data flow has a data rate comprising a sum of;

the steady-state data rate; and

a supplemental data rate determined by the at least one external network component in accordance with the QoE setting and a best-effort allocation; and

notifying the external media server that a buffer has filled to a playback threshold at an end of a startup period;

wherein the supplemental delivery period is based on the QoE setting;

wherein the supplemental delivery period is shorter than the steady-state delivery period;

wherein the supplemental delivery period is concurrent with at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period;

wherein during portions of the steady-state delivery period that are not concurrent with the supplemental delivery period, the at least one data flow has only the steady-state data rate;

wherein a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period; and

wherein the supplemental delivery period comprises the startup period during which the buffer is filled to the playback, threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired rate variation level,

and

an end time of the supplemental delivery period that is the same as an end time of the steady-state delivery period.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired stall delay level, an objective of decreasing stall delay, a desired peak data rate, an objective of increasing peak data rate, a desired average data rate, and an objective of increasing average data rate.

12. The method of claim 9,

wherein the QoE setting comprises a desired initial delay level;

and

wherein the sending the request for delivery comprises sending at least one of a threshold duration of buffered playback time and a threshold data size of buffered playback data.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising sending streaming session information to the external media server, wherein the streaming session information comprises at least one of:

an amount of playback time elapsed;

an actual QoE level experienced during playback;

a notification when a playback buffer has sufficiently filled such that streaming playback has begun; and

a notification when a playback buffer has sufficiently filled such that streaming playback has resumed following a stall.

14. A media server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor, the programming comprising instructions to;

receive, from an external network node, a first request to deliver a first data to the external network node at a first data rate and in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting comprising at least one of a desired initial delay level and an objective of decreasing initial delay;

forward the first request to at least one external network component;

after forwarding the first request, receive a flow decision schedule from the at least one external network component, wherein the flow decision schedule comprises;

a steady-state delivery period for delivering the first data at a steady-state data rate in accordance with the first data rate;

a supplemental delivery period based on the QoE setting for delivering the first data at both the steady-state data rate and a supplemental data rate, wherein the supplemental delivery period is shorter than the steady-state delivery period and concurrent with at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period, wherein the steady-state delivery period comprises portions that are not concurrent with the supplemental delivery period, wherein the steady-state delivery period is for delivering the first data only at the steady-state data rate during the portions that are not concurrent with the supplemental delivery period, wherein a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period, and wherein the supplemental delivery period comprises a startup period during which a buffer is filled to a playback threshold;

receive a notification that the buffer has filled to the playback threshold at an end of the startup period; and

deliver the first data to the external network node during a streaming session in accordance with the flow decision schedule.

15. The media server of claim 14, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired rate variation level,

and

an end time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as an end time of the steady-state delivery period.

16. The media server of claim 14, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to:

receive an updated flow decision schedule during the steady-state delivery period to update at least one of the steady-state data rate, the steady-state delivery period, the supplemental data rate, and the supplemental delivery period.

17. The media server of claim 14, wherein the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired stall delay level, an objective of decreasing stall delay, a desired peak data rate, an objective of increasing peak data rate, a desired average data rate, and an objective of increasing average data rate.

18. The media server of claim 14, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to receive the flow decision schedule after a start time of the streaming session.