Media quality information signaling in dynamic adaptive video streaming over hypertext transfer protocol

• US 10,284,612 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2014
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Futurewei Technologies Incorporated (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Shaobo, Wang, Xin
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US14/256,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20140317308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• 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 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A media representation adaptation method comprising obtaining an media presentation description (MPD) that comprises instructions for retrieving a plurality of media segments and their quality information, sending a quality information request, receiving the quality information that comprises a plurality of quality segments, selecting a media segment based on the quality information, sending a media segment request that requests the media segment, and receiving the media segment. A computer program product that when executed by a processor causes a network device to obtain an MPD that comprises instructions for retrieving a media content stream and quality information, determine a quality level threshold, request a quality information associated with the media content stream, receive the quality information, select a media segment with a corresponding quality segment that is greater than the quality level threshold, send a media segment request that requests the media segment, and receive the media segment.

Claims

1. A media representation adaptation method comprising:

requesting a media presentation description (MPD);

receiving the MPD in response to the requesting, wherein the MPD comprises information for retrieving a plurality of media segments and their metadata information;

sending a metadata information request in response to the MPD and in accordance with the information, wherein the metadata information request requests metadata information that corresponds to one or more of the media segments;

receiving the metadata information independently of receiving the MPD and in response to the metadata information request, wherein the metadata information comprises quality information, and wherein the quality information comprises at least one of a quality value, a bit rate, a size, and a duration;

selecting a first media segment from the media segments based on the metadata information;

sending a media segment request that requests the first media segment; and

receiving the first media segment in response to the media segment request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving bitrate information associated with the media segments.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising using a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection to send the metadata information request and to receive the metadata information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata information can be accessed independent of the media segments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata information comprises a plurality of metadata segments.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata information comprises a plurality of metadata segments with a one-to-one association with the media segments.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein one or more of the metadata segments are associated with one or more of the plurality of media segments.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising deriving the metadata segments from a metadata representation, wherein the metadata representation is associated with a media representation that comprises the media segments.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata information further comprises power consumption information.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises elements, attributes, or both elements and attributes.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata information comprises one or more metadata metrics of the media segments.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata information is time varying.

13. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to;

receive from a client a request for a media presentation description (MPD);

send the MPD to the client in response to the request, wherein the MPD comprises information for retrieving a plurality of media segments and their metadata information;

receive a metadata information request in response to the MPD and in accordance with the information, wherein the metadata information request requests metadata information that corresponds to one or more of the media segments;

send the metadata information independently of sending the MPD and in response to the metadata information request, wherein the metadata information comprises quality information, and wherein the quality information comprises at least one of a quality value, a bit rate, a size, and a duration;

receive a media segment request that requests a first media segment based on the metadata information; and

send the first media segment in response to the media segment request.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the metadata information comprises a plurality of metadata segments with a one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of media segments.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the metadata information comprises a plurality of metadata segments, and wherein each of the metadata segments corresponds with two or more of the media segments.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the metadata information further comprises bitrate information associated with the media segments.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the metadata information comprises one or more metadata metrics of the media segments.

18. A method for media representation adaption comprising:

requesting a media presentation description (MPD);

receiving the MPD in response to the requesting, the MPD comprises information for retrieving a plurality of timed metadata segments from one or more timed metadata representations;

sending a timed metadata segment request for one or more of the timed metadata segments in response to the MPD and in accordance with the information; and

receiving the timed metadata segment independently of receiving the MPD and in response to the time metadata segment request,

wherein the timed metadata segments comprise metadata information associated with one or more media segments,

wherein the metadata information comprises quality information, and

wherein the quality information comprises at least one of a quality value, a bit rate, a size, and a duration.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the metadata information further comprises power consumption information.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the timed metadata segments can be accessed independent of the media segments.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the timed metadata segments have a one-to-one association with the media segments.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein one or more of the timed metadata segments are associated with one or more of the media segments.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the timed metadata representations are associated with a second representation.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the second representation is a media representation.