Use of simultaneously received videos by a system to generate a quality of experience value

• US 10,356,445 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, University College Dublin
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dunne, Jonathan, French, Paul B., Galvin, Jr., James P., McDonagh, Patrick, O'Sullivan, Patrick J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ekpo, Nnenna N
• Application Number:
  US15/484,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20170223390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 725116, 725 19, 725109, 725146, 725147, 37524027
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/02 for colour television signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/895 in combination with error concealment
• 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 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• 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 21/42615 involving specific demultiplexing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• 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 21/64322 IP
• 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 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10

Abstract

A primary video and a second instance of a reference video can be simultaneously transmitted to a system through at least a first node of a communication network, the second instance of the reference video configured to be compared to a first instance of the reference video stored by the system to generate at least one quality of experience (QoE) value that infers a perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the system. The QoE value can be received from the system. A determination can be made as to whether the QoE value is less than a threshold value. Responsive to determining that the QoE value is less than the threshold value, the perceptual quality of the primary video can be improved by re-routing transmission of the primary video to the system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

simultaneously transmitting a primary video and a second instance of a reference video to a system through at least a first node of a communication network, the second instance of the reference video configured to be compared to a first instance of the reference video stored by the system to generate at least one quality of experience value that infers a perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the system;

receiving from the system the at least one quality of experience value that infers the perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the system;

determining whether the at least one quality of experience value is less than a threshold value; and

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by re-routing transmission of the primary video to the system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary video is re-routed to be transmitted through at least a second node of the communication network in lieu of being transmitted through the first node of the communication network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second node of the communication network provides greater transmission bandwidth than the first node of the communication network.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by implementing an error protection scheme.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by changing an error protection scheme.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second instance of the reference video is compared to the first instance of the reference video on a pixel-by-pixel, frame-by-frame, basis to determine whether each pixel and each frame contained in the first instance of the reference video are contained in the second instance of the reference video.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second instance of the reference video is repeated by looping the second instance of the reference video in a data stream.

8. A first system, comprising:

a processor programmed to initiate executable operations comprising;

simultaneously transmitting a primary video and a second instance of a reference video to a second system through at least a first node of a communication network, the second instance of the reference video configured to be compared to a first instance of the reference video stored by the second system to generate at least one quality of experience value that infers a perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the second system;

receiving from the second system the at least one quality of experience value that infers the perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the second system;

determining whether the at least one quality of experience value is less than a threshold value; and

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by re-routing transmission of the primary video to the second system.

9. The first system of claim 8, wherein the primary video is re-routed to be transmitted through at least a second node of the communication network in lieu of being transmitted through the first node of the communication network.

10. The first system of claim 9, wherein the second node of the communication network provides greater transmission bandwidth than the first node of the communication network.

11. The first system of claim 8, the executable operations further comprising:

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by implementing an error protection scheme.

12. The first system of claim 8, the executable operations further comprising:

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by changing an error protection scheme.

13. The first system of claim 8, the executable operations further comprising:

the second instance of the reference video is compared to the first instance of the reference video on a pixel-by-pixel, frame-by-frame, basis to determine whether each pixel and each frame contained in the first instance of the reference video are contained in the second instance of the reference video.

14. The first system of claim 8, wherein:

the second instance of the reference video is repeated by looping the second instance of the reference video in a data stream.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon, the program code executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

simultaneously transmitting, by the processor, a primary video and a second instance of a reference video to a system through at least a first node of a communication network, the second instance of the reference video configured to be compared to a first instance of the reference video stored by the system to generate at least one quality of experience value that infers a perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the system;

receiving, by the processor, from the system the at least one quality of experience value that infers the perceptual quality of the primary video as received by the system;

determining, by the processor, whether the at least one quality of experience value is less than a threshold value; and

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving, by the processor, the perceptual quality of the primary video by re-routing transmission of the primary video to the system.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the primary video is re-routed to be transmitted through at least a second node of the communication network in lieu of being transmitted through the first node of the communication network.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the second node of the communication network provides greater transmission bandwidth than the first node of the communication network.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by implementing an error protection scheme.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, the method further comprising:

responsive to determining that the at least one quality of experience value is less than the threshold value, improving the perceptual quality of the primary video by changing an error protection scheme.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein:

the second instance of the reference video is compared to the first instance of the reference video on a pixel-by-pixel, frame-by-frame, basis to determine whether each pixel and each frame contained in the first instance of the reference video are contained in the second instance of the reference video.