Apparatus and method for providing streaming content

• US 10,277,660 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2018
• Issued: 04/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant
• 

• Current Assignee: Helios Streaming, LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ideahub, Inc.
• Inventors: Thang, Truong Cong, Lee, Jin Young, Bae, Seong Jun, Kang, Jung Won, Jung, Soon Heung, Park, Sang Taick, Ryu, Won, Kim, Jae Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Bui, Jonathan A
• Application Number:
  US16/228,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20190124132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 131 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

A method and apparatus for an adaptive Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming service using metadata of content are provided. The metadata may include one or more BaseURL elements. Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of segments forming media may be generated based on the BaseURL elements. Additionally, a URL of a segment may be generated by mapping a BaseURL element among the BaseURL elements to a sourceURL attribute of the segment. Segments indicated by generated URLs may be identical to each other.

Claims

1. A method for providing a media content performed by a server or multiple servers, comprising:

receiving, from a client, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) request for a segment of the media content based on metadata of the media content, wherein the metadata comprises multiple BaseURL elements and wherein identical segments are accessible at locations indicated by URLs resolved with respect to the multiple BaseURL elements; and

sending the requested segment of the media content to the client,

wherein the URL of the requested segment is generated based on a selected BaseURL element among the multiple BaseURL elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first BaseURL element among the multiple BaseURL elements is used as a basic Universal Resource Indicator (URI), and BaseURL elements other than the first BaseURL element are used as alternative BaseURL elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the URL is an absolute URL or a relative URL.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata of the media content is a Media Presentation Description (MPD), wherein the MPD is a formalized description of a media presentation related to the media content, wherein the media presentation includes one or more periods, wherein the period includes one or more groups, wherein the group includes one or more representations, and wherein the representation includes one or more segments of the media content.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the MPD level.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the period level.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the group level.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the representation level.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the MPD includes multiple BaseURL elements at the MPD level and multiple BaseURL elements at the period level.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending metadata of the media content to the client.

11. A method of providing a media content performed by a client, comprising:

transmitting, to a server, a request for a segment of the media content based on a metadata, wherein the metadata comprises multiple BaseURL elements and wherein identical segments are accessible at locations indicated by URLs resolved with respect to the multiple BaseURL elements; and

receiving the requested segment of the media content from the server,

wherein the URL of the requested segment is generated based on a selected BaseURL element among the multiple BaseURL elements.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first BaseURL element among the multiple BaseURL elements is used as a basic Universal Resource Indicator (URI), and BaseURL elements other than the first BaseURL element are used as alternative BaseURL elements.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the URL is an absolute URL or a relative URL.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the metadata of the media content is a Media Presentation Description (MPD), wherein the MPD is a formalized description of a media presentation related to the media content, wherein the media presentation includes one or more periods, wherein the period includes one or more groups, wherein the group includes one or more representations, and wherein the representation includes one or more segments of the media content.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the MPD level.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the period level.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the group level.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the multiple BaseURL elements are included at only the representation level.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the MPD includes multiple BaseURL elements at the MPD level and multiple BaseURL elements at the period level.

20. A method for providing a media content performed by a server or multiple servers, comprising:

receiving, from a client, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) request for a segment of the media content based on a metadata of the media content, wherein the metadata comprises a BaseURL element; and

sending the requested segment to the client;

wherein when the metadata does not comprise a sourceURL attribute of the requested segment, the BaseURL element is used to replace the sourceURL attribute, so that the URL is generated.

21. A method for providing a media content performed by a server or multiple servers, comprising:

receiving, from a client, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) request for a segment of the media content based on a metadata, wherein the metadata comprises multiple BaseURL elements; and

sending the requested segment to the client;

wherein when the metadata does not comprise a sourceURL attribute of the requested segment, a BaseURL element among the multiple BaseURL elements is used to replace the sourceURL attribute, so that the URL is generated.