System and method for multiscreen network digital video recording using on-demand transcoding

• US 10,382,798 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2018
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wirick, Kevin S., Casteloes, Michael A., Sun, Wendell
• Primary Examiner(s): Montoya, Oschta I
• Application Number:
  US16/013,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20180302654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1262 with more than one format/standard, e.g. conversion from CD-audio format to R-DAT format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/232 Content retrieval operation locally within server, e.g. reading video streams from disk arrays storage management G06F3/0604; details of querying and searching of video data from a database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4334 Recording operations recording of a television signal H04N5/76; arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4335 Housekeeping operations, e.g. prioritizing content for deletion because of storage space restrictions storage management, e.g. defragmentation G06F3/0604; unloading stored programs G06F9/445; storage management in file systems G06F16/10; buffering arrangements in a network node or in an end terminal in packet networks H04L49/90
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44029 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47214 for content reservation or setting reminders; for requesting event notification, e.g. of sport results or stock market stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services over packet-switching network H04L12/1859; notification of incoming messages in packet switching networks H04L51/224

Abstract

A method is disclosed that includes: receiving, via a network digital video recorder, a request to record requested content; receiving, via a network digital video recorder at a first time, the requested content in a first format and the requested content in a second format; storing, via the network digital video recorder, the requested content in the first format; storing, via the network digital video recorder, the requested content in the second format; deleting, from network digital video recorder, the requested content in the second format after a predetermined time period; and transcoding, via an on demand transcoder, the requested content in the first format to the requested content in a third format after the predetermined time period.

Claims

1. A device for regenerating on demand content, said device comprising one or more processors configured for:

receiving, at a network digital video recorder in a digital video recorder system, a request to record content;

receiving, at the network digital video recorder, the requested content in a plurality of versions, each version having a respective format and a respective resolution;

storing, via the network digital video recorder, the requested content in the plurality of versions from the plurality of stored versions of content, identify a mezzanine content having a first format and a first resolution for retaining in storage;

for a remaining plurality of stored versions other than the mezzanine content;

determine at least one of a threshold of time or a comparison of costs at which to delete each of the remaining plurality of versions;

if determining based on the threshold of time;

determine at least one threshold in time whether to delete assets from storage, and

based on said at least one threshold in time, delete the remaining plurality of versions based on a common time or a respective time for one or more of the plurality of versions;

if determining based on the comparison of costs;

determine a cost for storing each of the remaining plurality of versions over time,

determine a cost to transcode each of the remaining plurality of versions from the mezzanine content;

comparing the cost to store a respective one of the remaining plurality of versions to the cost to transcode from the mezzanine content,

retain versions in storage until at least one of the threshold of time or comparison of costs has been determined;

receiving a request for playback of the requested content to a requesting subscriber'"'"'s device, the request including information related to decoding capabilities of a subscriber'"'"'s device;

determining whether the request may be fulfilled using any stored versions of the requested content having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber'"'"'s device;

if the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber'"'"'s device is stored, deliver the stored version to the requesting subscriber'"'"'s device;

if the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber'"'"'s device is not stored, regenerate from a stored version, having a respective format and resolution, the format and resolution that corresponds to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber'"'"'s device, the regeneration occurring.

2. The device of claim 1,

wherein the remaining plurality of versions have a lower bit rate and lower resolution than that of the mezzanine content.

3. The met device of claim 1, wherein the mezzanine content comprises a highest quality format relative to the remaining plurality of versions.

4. The device of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the remaining plurality of versions has a second format and a second resolution that derived from the mezzanine content.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein said at least one of the remaining plurality of versions has a format that is an adaptive bit rate (ABR) format in at least one of H.264/AVC, SVC and HEVC.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of versions other than the mezzanine content comprise a highest quality format and resolution.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein it is determined based on the threshold of time or the comparison of costs to retain the one of the plurality of versions other than the mezzanine content having the highest quality format and resolution.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein said at least one of the remaining plurality of versions has a format that is an adaptive bit rate (ABR) format in at least one of H.264/AVC, SVC and HEVC.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the threshold of time determined for deletion of assets from storage includes a respective point in time at which to delete each of the remaining plurality of versions.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the determination of the at least one threshold in time whether to delete assets from storage includes determining to retain at least one of the remaining plurality of versions and deleting at least another one of the remaining plurality of versions.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the remaining plurality of versions are deleted at the same time.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein it is determined based on the comparison of costs to delete one or more of the remaining plurality of versions.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein all of the remaining plurality of versions are deleted from content based on at least one of the threshold of time or the comparison of costs, retaining only the mezzanine content.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber'"'"'s device is not stored, regenerating said version from the mezzanine content.