Real-time audio-visual quality monitoring in a network

• US 20070047542A1
• Filed: 08/30/2005
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thukral, Vivek
• Application Number:
  US11/215,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20070047542A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• 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 21/44209 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 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for real-time audio-visual quality monitoring in a network. In one implementation, a system displays an IPTV network in a user interface as a tree consisting of the nodes and the links between nodes of the IPTV network. When a user selects one or more test points, such as one of the links, the system displays a real-time rendering of the audio-visual stream flowing at the link or at each of the endpoints of the link so that the user can make a visual assessment or comparison of the audio-visual quality of the rendered audio-visual content.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

representing at least part of an Internet Protocol television (IPTV) network as a tree in a user interface;

receiving a user-selection of a point on the tree representing a corresponding point in the IPTV network; and

rendering an audio-visual (AV) stream in the user interface, wherein the AV stream is associated with an Internet Protocol (IP) address corresponding to the selected point in the network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the rendered AV stream displays a visual quality corresponding to a quality of video frames in the AV stream at the selected point in the network.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the representing comprises enabling collapsibility of the tree such that the user can collapse inferior parts of the tree representing inferior parts of a hierarchical organization of the IPTV network into related superior parts of the tree representing superior parts of the hierarchical organization of the IPTV network.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising discovering a path of a channel of the IPTV network, wherein the representing displays the path as the tree.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving user-selection of multiple points on the tree and the rendering comprises rendering an AV stream in the user interface for each selected point.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising displaying the multiple AV streams side-by-side in the user interface for a visual comparison of respective AV qualities of the multiple rendered AV streams.

7. The method as recited in claim 5, further comprising displaying transport attributes of each of the multiple rendered AV streams in the user interface.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the transport attributes include one of a packet count, a packet discontinuity count, a video frame rate, a video frame count, and/or a video frame discontinuity count.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising displaying nodes of the IPTV network on the tree and color coding each link between two of the nodes according to an AV quality of the AV stream associated with each link.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising receiving a user-selection of one of the links and rendering side-by-side in the user interface an AV stream for each of the endpoints of the link.

11. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising regularly monitoring the AV quality of each link and updating the color coding of each link.

12. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising propagating an indication of an AV quality problem in one of the links to higher nodes of the tree being displayed in a collapsed state of the tree, wherein successive expansions of the tree at the indicated nodes eventually display the link that has the AV quality problem.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, further comprising troubleshooting an AV quality problem on the network by collapsing and expanding the tree and performing visual comparisons of AV qualities associated with different displayed links of the tree.

14. A method, comprising:

displaying an IPTV network in a user interface as a tree of links between nodes of the IPTV network;

regularly monitoring an audio-visual quality of video frames carried by a flow of IP data packets at each of the links;

dynamically color coding each of the links in the tree according to the monitored audio-visual quality of the video frames at each link;

receiving a user-designation of one of the links; and

displaying side-by-side real-time renderings of the video frames carried by the respective flows of IP data packets at the endpoints of the designated link.

15. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising displaying transport attributes of each of the side-by-side real-time renderings of the video frames.

16. The method as recited in claim 14, further comprising displaying the tree as user-collapsible, wherein the user can collapse sub-branches of the tree connected to each node in the tree.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein an audio-visual quality problem detected in one of the links by the regular monitoring is indicated for a chain of nodes and links in the tree, wherein during a user-collapse of the tree a visual indication of the problem persists to an un-collapsed node in the chain.

18. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein an audio-visual quality problem detected in one of the links by the regular monitoring automatically displays a portion of the tree related to the link that has the problem.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the audio-visual quality problem detected in one of the links by the regular monitoring automatically displays side-by-side real-time renderings of the video frames carried by the respective flows of IP data packets at the endpoints of the link that has the problem.

20. A system, comprising:

means for displaying an IPTV network in a user interface as a tree of links between nodes of the IPTV network;

means for receiving a user-designation of one of the links; and

means for displaying renderings of the video frames carried by the respective flows of IP data packets at the endpoints of the designated link.