System and method for embedding a sreaming media format header within a session description message

• US 20030236912A1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Klemets, Anders, Oliveira, Eduardo
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,229 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1043 Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system and method for embedding a streaming media format header within a session description message. The streaming media format header is encapsulated within a session description message as a header attribute. The streaming media format header describes complex relationships between available media streams. The session description message also includes a list of content description attributes storing metadata about the media streams. A media description field in the session description message stores a stream attribute identifying a media stream associated with the media description field.

Claims

1. A data signal having one or more data fields encoded therein for transmission over a communications channel, said data fields comprising content encoded in a streaming media format, said streaming media format comprising a header, said data fields further comprising the header encapsulated therein.

2. The data signal of claim 1, wherein transmission comprises encapsulating the header within the data signal.

3. The data signal of claim 1, wherein transmission comprises forwarding the encapsulated header from a first server to a second server.

4. The data signal of claim 1, wherein the data fields comprise content encoded in an Advanced Streaming Format.

5. The data signal of claim 1, wherein the data fields comprising the header are encoded within the data signal according to a session description protocol.

6. The data signal of claim 1, wherein the data fields comprising the content are encoded within the data signal according to a real-time streaming protocol.

7. The data signal of claim 1, wherein the data fields comprising the content are encoded within the data signal according to a real-time transport protocol.

8. The data signal of claim 1, wherein the streaming media format comprises one or more media streams.

9. The data signal of claim 8, wherein the content comprises audio data and video data encoded as separate media streams.

10. The data signal of claim 8, wherein the content comprises audio data in multiple languages, and wherein the audio data is encoded in separate media streams wherein each of the separate media streams corresponding to one of the multiple languages.

11. The data signal of claim 8, wherein the content comprises video data encoded in a plurality of the media streams with a plurality of bit rates.

12. The data signal of claim 8, wherein the content comprises audio data encoded in a plurality of the media streams with a plurality of bit rates.

13. A method for streaming content encoded in a streaming media format to at least one client as one or more media streams via a streaming protocol, said streaming media format having a header comprising one or more stream identifiers, wherein each of said stream identifiers corresponds to at least one of the media streams, said method comprising:

receiving a description request from the client to describe the content;

transmitting a description message via a description protocol to the client in response to the received description request, said description message comprising the header encapsulated therein;

receiving at least one of the stream identifiers from the client, said received stream identifiers corresponding to the media streams selected by the client for rendering; and

delivering the selected media streams to the client via the streaming protocol in response to the received stream identifiers.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a playback request from the client for delivery of the selected media streams, wherein delivering comprises delivering the selected media streams to the client in response to the received playback request.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting the description message to the client wherein the description message comprises a list of one or more content descriptions describing the media streams.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein said delivering comprises delivering the selected media streams to the client in an Advanced Streaming Format.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein said transmitting comprises transmitting the description message to the client via a session description protocol.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling said delivering via a real-time streaming protocol.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein said delivering comprises delivering the selected media streams to the client via a real-time transport protocol.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein said delivering comprises delivering the selected media streams to the client from one or more computer-readable media.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein said delivering comprises forwarding the selected media streams to the client from a server.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 13.

23. A method for receiving content streamed from a server via a streaming protocol as one or more media streams, said content encoded in a streaming media format having a header comprising one or more stream identifiers, wherein each of said stream identifiers corresponds to at least one of the media streams, said method comprising:

transmitting a description request to the server for a description of the content;

receiving a description message from the server via a description protocol in response to the transmitted description request, said description message comprising the header encapsulated therein;

selecting one or more of the media streams for rendering;

transmitting the stream identifiers corresponding to the selected media streams to the server to notify the server of the selected media streams;

requesting delivery of the selected media streams from the server via the streaming protocol;

receiving the delivered, selected media streams; and

rendering the media streams.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising selecting at least one of the content descriptions that relate to the selected media streams.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein receiving the delivered, selected media streams comprises receiving the delivered, selected media streams in an Advanced Streaming Format.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein receiving the description message from the server comprises receiving the description message from the server via a session description protocol.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein said requesting comprises requesting delivery of the selected media streams from the server, said delivery occurring via a real-time transport protocol.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein said requesting comprises requesting delivery of the selected media streams from the server via a real-time streaming protocol, wherein said real-time streaming protocol controls delivery of the selected media streams.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said transmitting the stream identifiers comprises transmitting uniform resource locators corresponding to the selected media streams to the server to notify the server of the selected media streams.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 23.

31. One or more computer-readable media having stored thereon a data structure representing a description message transmitted by a server to at least one client via a description protocol to describe content encoded in a streaming media format as one or more media streams, said streaming media format comprising a header, said data structure comprising:

a session description field storing a header attribute wherein a value for the header attribute represents an encapsulation of the streaming media format header; and

one or more media description fields, wherein each of said media description fields stores information specific to one or more of the media streams.

32. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the streaming media format is an Advanced Streaming Format.

33. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the description protocol is a session description protocol.

34. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the value for the header attribute represents an encapsulation of the streaming media format header as a uniform resource locator (URL).

35. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the header attribute comprises a type tag identifying the value as representing the streaming media format header.

36. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein each of said media description fields stores a stream attribute, and wherein a value for said stream attribute represents a stream identifier for the one or more of the media streams associated with the media description field.

37. The computer-readable media of claim 31, wherein the session description field further stores at least one content description attribute, wherein a value for the content description attribute references at least one metadata item relating to the media streams.

38. The computer-readable media of claim 37, wherein a value for the content description attribute references at least one metadata item relating to the media streams via a uniform resource locator.

39. The computer-readable media of claim 37, wherein the metadata item represents an encoded bit rate.

40. The computer-readable media of claim 37, wherein the content description attribute represents a language, and wherein the value for the content description attribute references at least one metadata item related to the language.

41. The computer-readable media of claim 37, wherein the content description attribute comprises at least one name field and a corresponding value field, wherein the name field identifies the metadata item, and wherein the value field represents the value for the metadata item identified in the name field.

42. The computer-readable media of claim 41, wherein the content description attribute further comprises a name length field representing a length of the name field.

43. The computer-readable media of claim 41, wherein the content description attribute further comprises a type field identifying the value field as a string.

44. The computer-readable media of claim 43, wherein the type field identifies the value field as a binary string.

45. The computer-readable media of claim 41, wherein the content description attribute further comprises a type field identifying the value field as a numeral.

46. The computer-readable media of claim 41, wherein the content description attribute further comprises a value length field representing a length of the value field.

47. A method for encapsulating data into a description message, said description message transmitted by a server to at least one client via a description protocol, said description message describing content encoded in a streaming media format for streaming via a streaming protocol, said method comprising:

generating a serialized representation of the data; and

converting the serialized representation into a character string.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein converting comprises encoding the serialized representation as a data uniform resource locator.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein generating a serialized representation comprises storing the data in a contiguous buffer.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the streaming media format is an Advanced Streaming Format.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein said generating comprises generating a serialized representation of the data conforming to a UTF-8 character encoding standard.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein said serialized representation comprises one or more characters representing the data, and wherein said converting comprises escaping a plurality of the characters.

53. The method of claim 47, wherein said data comprises one or more characters, and wherein said generating comprises escaping a plurality of the characters.

54. The method of claim 47, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 47.