Video streaming parameter optimization and QoS

• US 20060136597A1
• Filed: 12/08/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qognify Ltd. (PSBU Midco SARL)
• Original Assignee: Nice Systems Limited (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Lorman, Guy, Shabtai, Mordechai, Levi, Daphna
• Granted Patent: US 7,587,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64792 Controlling the complexity of the content stream, e.g. by dropping packets intermediate media network packet handling H04L65/765; proxy provisioning conversion or adaptation for reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data H04L67/5651; negotiation of resources in wireless networks H04W28/16

Abstract

A data streaming system comprises: one or more streaming sources, one or more streaming clients, a network connecting said streaming sources and said clients, and a level of service selector able for each data stream to monitor the network, the respective streaming source and the respective streaming client to control streaming to the respective streaming client to define a level of service of the data stream. For a video stream the level of service may define the frame rate, the resolution, the overall quality or a level of masking used.

Claims

1. A data streaming system comprising:

a streaming source,

at least one streaming client,

a network connecting said streaming source and said client, and

a level of service selector configured to monitor said network, said streaming source and said at least one streaming client to control streaming to said at least one streaming client by said streaming source to define a level of service of said streaming.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said level of service selector further comprises:

a viewer preference holding unit for holding viewer end preferences of said at least one streaming client;

a resource unit for holding resource availability details of said streaming source, said network and said at least one streaming client; and

an optimizer, associated with said resource unit, and said viewer preference unit for optimizing said level of service for said viewer end streaming preferences and for resource availability levels.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said network has an available capacity and wherein said optimizing comprises using said available capacity up to a level at which a maximum level of service defined by said viewer end preferences is met.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said resource availability details comprise resources of any one of said streaming source, a connection, an intermediate server, a streaming channel, said network, processing capacity at said at least one streaming client and viewing capacity at said at least one streaming client.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said resource availability details comprise resources of any two of said streaming source, a connection, an intermediate server, a streaming channel, said network, processing capacity at said at least one streaming client, and viewing capacity at said at least one streaming client.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein said resource availability details comprise resources of each of said streaming source, a connection, a streaming channel, said network, processing capacity at said at least one streaming client, and viewing capacity at said at least one streaming client.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said level of service parameters comprise any one of frame rate, overall quality, compression level, masking level, masking formula, frame resolution, delay and inclusion or exclusion of metadata.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said data is 4CIF video data comprising two fields, and said level of service parameters comprise a selection between streaming one field and streaming both fields.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said data comprises separatable video and metadata, and said level of service parameters comprise a parameter for streaming or not streaming said metadata with said video.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein said data is a live video stream from a user controllable camera, and wherein said optimization comprises minimizing a delay parameter at the expense of other level of service parameters.

11. The system of claim 2, wherein said viewer end preferences are predetermined for said at least one streaming client.

12. The system of claim 2, wherein said viewer end preferences are set with predetermined starting values and a user override for user controlled dynamic modification.

13. The system of claim 2, wherein said viewer end preferences are dynamically set during streaming via a modification algorithm.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said dynamic modification algorithm is set to use cues from content of said data to modify said preferences.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said modification algorithm is set to modify said preferences in response to triggers derived from sensors associated with a video source.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said dynamic modification algorithm is set to use changes in channel capacity to modify said preferences.

17. The system of claim 2, wherein said viewer end preferences comprise predetermined starting values and are dynamically changed during streaming via a modification algorithm.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said level of service selector is configured to manage a plurality of data streams to a plurality of streaming clients and to set a level of service independently for each data stream.

19. A method of managing a data stream being streamed from a streaming source to a client via a network, the method comprising:

determining client preferences for a level of service of said data stream,

determining client capacity limitations for processing said data stream,

determining network limitations for streaming said data,

determining capacity limitations at the streaming source for processing said data stream, and

optimizing said streaming to provide a level of service that fulfils said client preferences within at least one of said client, network, and streaming source capacity limitations.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising altering said streaming dynamically as said client preferences and said client, said network, and streaming source capacity limitations change.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said altering is carried out in response to cues from content of said data streaming.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said altering is carried out in response to feedback from a user.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said streaming is video streaming and said optimizing comprises changing at least one of:

frame rate,

resolution,

overall image quality, and

a mask for masking less significant data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein changing said frame rate comprises skipping frames.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein said data is encoded as a low resolution and at least one high resolution field and said changing resolution comprises changing between sending and not sending said at least one high resolution field.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein said data is encoded at a predetermined resolution and said changing said resolution comprises decoding said data and re-encoding at a requested new resolution.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein changing said mask comprises providing a new mask, decoding said streaming data and re-encoding said streaming data using said new mask.

28. The method of claim 19, comprising altering a required level of service dynamically, detecting changes in available channel capacity and reoptimizing said streaming accordingly.