METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STREAMING MEDIA IN A COMMUNICATION NETWORK

• US 20090138614A1
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tayloe, Daniel R., Chiang, Chih-Ming J.
• Application Number:
  US11/946,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138614A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

A method and apparatus for streaming media content in a communication network (100) is provided. The method includes (304) receiving a request from a plurality of client devices at the content server (102). The method also includes (306) initializing the content server-streaming of the media content to the client device by using at least one of the low Quality of Service (QoS) flow and the high QoS flow.

Claims

1. A method for streaming media content from a content server to a client device in a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a request at the content server from the client device for media content; and

initializing at the content server streaming of the media content to the client device using at least one of a low Quality of Service (QoS) flow and a high QoS flow, wherein the low QoS flow provides a relatively high buffering speed and the high QoS flow provides a relatively low buffering speed.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising using the high QoS flow at the content server after a play-out buffer is captured.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the low QoS flow utilizes maximum available bandwidth in the communication network to stream the media content to the client device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the high QoS flow utilizes a predefined minimum bandwidth to stream the media content to the client device.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the predefined minimum bandwidth is necessary for maintaining a play-out rate for streaming the media content to the client device.

6. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein maximum available bandwidth is more than the predefined minimum bandwidth.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the maximum available bandwidth depends on congestion in the communication network.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein switching from the low QoS flow to the high QoS flow comprises de-allocating the excess bandwidth assigned to the low QoS flow.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein switching from the high QoS flow to the low QoS flow comprises utilizing excess available bandwidth in the communication network.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the high QoS flow and the low QoS flow is de-allocated when the play-out buffer is less than a predefined minimum value anytime during streaming of the media content.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein the at least one of the high QoS flow and the low QoS flow is dynamically allocated to re-capture the play-out buffer.

12. A method for streaming media content from a content server to a client device in a communication network, the method comprising:

receiving a request at the content server from the client device for media content;

providing a low Quality of Service (QoS) flow to initialize streaming of the media content at the client device, the low QoS flow capturing a play-out buffer of the media content and providing a relatively high initial buffering speed and maximum utilization of available bandwidth; and

switching from the low QoS flow to a high QoS flow after the play-out buffer is captured, wherein the high QoS flow provides a relatively low buffering speed and utilizes a predefined minimum bandwidth.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein the at least one of the high QoS flow and the low QoS flow is de-allocated when the play-out buffer is less than a predefined minimum value anytime during streaming of the media content.

14. A content server for providing media content streaming to a client device in a communication network, the content server comprising:

a network interface for receiving a request at the content server from the client device for media content; and

a processing unit, communicatively coupled to the network interface, adapted to;

initialize streaming of the media content to the client device using at least one of a low Quality of Service (QoS) flow and a high QoS flow, wherein the low QoS flow provides a relatively high buffering speed and the high QoS flow provides a relatively low buffering speed.

15. The processing unit as recited in claim 14, further adapted to use the high QoS flow after a play-out buffer is captured.

16. The content server as recited in claim 14, wherein the low QoS flow utilizes maximum available bandwidth in the communication network to stream the media content at the client device.

17. The content server as recited in claim 14, wherein the high QoS flow utilizes a predefined minimum bandwidth to stream the media content at the client device.

18. The content server as recited in claim 17, wherein the predefined minimum bandwidth is necessary for maintaining a play-out rate for streaming the media content.

19. The content server as recited in claim 14, wherein the available bandwidth depends on congestion in the communication network.

20. The content server as recited in claim 14, wherein the switch is a two-way switch for switching between the two the low QoS flow and the high QoS flow.

21. The content server as recited in claim 14, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to allocate and de-allocate the at least one of the high QoS flow and the low QoS flow dynamically.

22. The content server as recited in claim 21, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to allocate the at least one of the high QoS flow and the low QoS flow when the play-out buffer is less than a predefined minimum value anytime during streaming of the media content.