System and method for transferring multiple data channels

• US 20070076756A1
• Filed: 08/02/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: PacketVideo Corporation (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Chan, Cheuk, Banham, Mark, Al-Shaykh, Osama, Sherwood, Greg, Anantharaman, Giri
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,591 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/468
• 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 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip

Abstract

A system and a method transfer multiple data channels between a server and a terminal via a stream session over a network. The system and the method utilize a bitstream switching, a fast buffer filling and/or a fast playback start to facilitate a switch from a first data channel and a second data channel. The first data channel and/or the second data channel is delivered to and/or is transferred to the terminal from the server over the network via a streaming session. The server transfers second data of the second data channel to the terminal via one or more tracks which are encoded at more than one bitrate and/or are configured in one or more configurations. The terminal requests a change between the first track and/or the second track without terminating the stream session for the first data channel between the terminal and the server. As a result, the system and/or the method minimizes the delay period of time between requesting the switch to the second data channel and displaying the second data channel.

Claims

1. A system for transferring multiple data channels, the system comprising:

a server storing first data and second data wherein the first data is encoded at a first bitrate and the second data is encoded at a second bitrate wherein the second bitrate is a greater bitrate than the first bitrate;

a terminal electrically connected to the server via a communication network wherein the terminal and the server communicate via the communication network wherein the terminal has a buffer which receives a first portion of the second data wherein the server establishes a streaming session with the terminal via the communication network wherein the server transmits the first data to the terminal at the first bitrate wherein the terminal displays the first data wherein the server transmits the first portion of the second data to the buffer of the terminal at a third bitrate without terminating the streaming session wherein the third bitrate is a greater bitrate than the second bitrate wherein the terminal displays the first portion of the second data from the buffer at the second bitrate.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an output means connected to the terminal wherein the first data and the second data are displayed via the output means.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the steaming session is a unicast streaming session or a multicast streaming session.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication network is wireless.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein a second portion of the second data is transmitted to the terminal from the server at the second bitrate.

6. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a bitstream transmitted from the server to the terminal via the streaming session wherein the portion of the second data fills the buffer of the terminal via the bitstream.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first data and the second data are video frames and audio signals.

8. A method for transferring multiple data channels, the method comprising the steps of:

storing first data and second data in a server wherein the first data is encoded at a first bitrate and the second data is encoded at a second bitrate which is a greater bitrate than the first bitrate wherein a portion of the second data is encoded at a third bitrate wherein the portion of the second data is stored in the server wherein the third bitrate is a greater bitrate than the second bitrate;

connecting a terminal to the server via a communication network wherein the terminal and the server communicate via the communication network wherein the terminal has a buffer which receives the portion of the second data;

transmitting a first bitstream at the first bitrate from the server to the terminal wherein the terminal receives the first data via the first bitstream wherein the terminal displays the first data;

switching from the first data to the second data without terminating communication between the terminal and the server wherein the server transmits the portion of the second data to the terminal at the third bitrate wherein the portion of the second data fills the buffer of the terminal; and

transmitting a second bitstream at the second bitrate from the server to the terminal wherein the terminal receives the second data via the second bitstream wherein the server transmits the second bitstream at the second bitrate after the portion of the second data from the buffer is displayed by the terminal.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

establishing a streaming session between the server and the terminal wherein the terminal receives the first bitstream and the second bitstream.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

transmitting a request from the terminal to the server wherein the request instructs the server to switch from the first bitstream to the second bitstream.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the communication network is wireless.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

initiating a data channel between the server and the terminal wherein the terminal receives the first bitstream or the second bitstream from the server.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of:

initiating playback of the portion of the second data before the buffer is filled with the portion of the second data.

14. The method of claim 8 wherein the buffer of the terminal is a pre-roll buffer or a jitter buffer.

15. A method for transferring multiple data channels, the method comprising the steps of:

establishing a streaming session between a server and a terminal over a communication network wherein the server stores first data and second data wherein the server communicates the first data and the second data to the server via the streaming session wherein the terminal has a buffer which receives a portion the second data;

transmitting a first bitstream at a first bitrate from the server to the terminal wherein the terminal receives the first data from the server wherein the terminal displays the first data;

requesting a second bitstream from the server wherein the terminal receives the second data from the server wherein the second data is encoded at a second bitrate by the server wherein the second bitrate is a greater bitrate than the first bitrate; and

transmitting a portion of the second data from the server to the terminal wherein the portion of the second data is transmitted to the terminal at a third bitrate without terminating the streaming session between the server and the terminal wherein the third bitrate is a greater bitrate than the first bitrate and the second bitrate wherein the buffer of the terminal receives the portion of the second data from the server wherein the terminal displays the portion of the second data from the buffer.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

transmitting the second bitstream at the second bitrate from the server to the terminal wherein the terminal displays the second data from the second bitstream.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

filling the buffer of the terminal with the portion of the second data received from the server at the third bitrate wherein the second data is displayed by the terminal.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

establishing a data channel between the server and the terminal wherein the terminal-receives the first bitstream and the second bitstream.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

switching from the first bitstream to the second bitstream without terminating the streaming session between the server and the terminal.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the communication network is wireless.