SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MANAGING MULTIPLE VIDEO PLAYERS

• US 20090182889A1
• Filed: 01/15/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Move Networks, Inc. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Anderson, David S., Hurst, Krysta L., Hurst, Mark B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,190,760 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/443 OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64753 directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64769 for rate control flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34

Abstract

A system and method are provided for managing multiple video players executing on a client software platform. The method includes the operation of displaying a plurality of video players viewable by an end user. Each video player can have at least one video data stream supplied over a data network. A priority value can be applied to selected video players. In addition, an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players can then be determined. Another operation is calculating whether the selected video players can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold using the determined amount of bandwidth available. This operation can include appropriately apportioning and managing bandwidth and/or processing power allotments between the video players based on the priority assignments when the bandwidth and/or processing power is less than what the video players want to consume A modify playback message may be sent to at least one video player when the video playback rate is not sustainable or has become sustainable again.

Claims

1. A method of managing multiple video players executing on a client software platform in a networked environment, comprising:

displaying a plurality of video players viewable by an end user, each video player having at least one video data stream supplied over a data network;

applying a priority value to video players selected from the plurality of video players;

determining an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players;

calculating whether the selected video players can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold using the determined amount of bandwidth available; and

sending a modify playback message to at least one video player when the video playback rate is not sustainable.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending a modify playback message to at least one video player when the video playback rate is again sustainable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message further comprises the step of sending a playback not sustainable message to an active video player having a lower priority value than a main video player when the video playback rate is not sustainable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message further comprises the step of sending a reduce playback quality message to a video player having a lower priority than a main video player and using a highest profile bandwidth when the video playback rate is not sustainable.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message further comprises the step of sending a reduce playback quality message first to a lowest priority video player until the lowest priority video player is stopped and then to progressively higher priority video players.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a priority ranking further comprises the step of applying an ordinal priority ranking to each of the selected video players.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of applying a priority ranking further comprises the step of applying a greedy flag to one or more video players, wherein the greedy flag defines video players which will not reduce video playback below a minimum defined level.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sharing any remaining bandwidth not used by the plurality of video players having priority values, between one or more non-priority video players.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining an amount of processing power available on a client computer to process and display video for the plurality of video players;

calculating whether the selected video players can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold using the determined amount of bandwidth and processing power available.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message further comprises the step of sending a reduce playback quality message first to a lowest priority video player until the lowest priority video player is reduced to a minimum playback level as limited by a greedy flag and then to progressively higher priority video players which are limited by a greedy flag.

11. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message further comprises the step of sending a reduce playback quality message first to a lowest priority player which gives up a most desired profile selection and then to higher priority players up the priority chain which give up their most desired profile selection until a target bandwidth is reached.

13. A system as in claim 9, further comprising a video player profile for each video player, the video player profile being configured to define a plurality of data rate levels at which video transfer can take place for defined video data blocks.

14. A system as in claim 10, wherein the messaging module is configured to send a stop playback message to an active video player which has a lowest priority value, the message being sent when the video playback rate is not sustainable.

15. A system as in claim 9, wherein the messaging module is configured to send a reduce playback quality message to a video player having a lower priority than a main video player when the video playback rate is not sustainable, in order to reduce the playback quality being requested by the video player.

16. A system as in claim 9, wherein the priority value further comprises the step of applying an ordinal priority ranking to each of the selected plurality of video players.

17. A system as in claim 9, further comprising a greedy flag that is configured to be applied to one or more video players, wherein the greedy flag defines video players which will not reduce video playback below a minimum defined level.

18. A system as in claim 9, further comprising at least one non-priority video player that does not have an assigned priority value.

12. A system for managing multiple video display players, comprising:

a plurality of video players configured to be viewable by an end user, each video player having at least one video data stream supplied over a data network;

a priority value applied to each video player selected from the plurality of video players;

a bandwidth monitoring module configured to determine an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players;

an arbitration module configured to calculate whether the plurality of video players which are active can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold; and

a messaging module in communication with the arbitration module, the messaging module being configured to send a modify playback message to at least one video player when the video playback rate is not sustainable as calculated by the arbitration module.

19. A method of managing multiple video players executing in a software client program in a networked environment, comprising:

displaying a plurality of video players viewable by an end user in the software client program, each video player having at least one video data stream supplied over a data network;

applying a priority value to selected video players;

defining a video player profile for each video player, the video player profile having a plurality of data rate levels that correspond to video streamlet sizes for video transfer and viewing at multiple bit rates;

determining an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players;

calculating whether the plurality of prioritized video players can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold; and

sending a modify quality playback message to at least one active video player having a lower priority than a primary playback window when the video playback rate is not sustainable.

20. A method as in claim 19, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message to at least one active video player having a lower priority further comprises the step of identifying that multiple players at the same lower priority.

21. A method as in claim 20, further comprising the step of combining the video player profiles for each video player with an equal priority value to create a list having a plurality of data rate levels for requesting video streamlets.

22. A method as in claim 21, further comprising the step of sorting the plurality of data rate levels from the video players at the equal priority value based on the data rate levels to form a sorted list from highest data rates to lowest data rates.

23. A method as in claim 22, further comprising the step of reducing the speed of the first video player associated with the first data rate level in the sorted list and then removing the entry from the sorted list when the modify playback message is received.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of sending a modify playback message further comprises the step of sending a reduce playback quality message first to a lowest priority video player and then to progressively higher priority video players which have not given up their preferred profile selection, wherein video players having equal priority have the sorted list treated as a single video player.

25. A method of managing multiple video players executing on a client software platform in a networked environment, comprising:

displaying a plurality of video players viewable by an end user, each video player having at least one video data stream supplied over a data network;

applying a priority value to video players selected from the plurality of video players;

determining an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players;

calculating portions of bandwidth selected video players can receive in order to sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold using the determined amount of bandwidth available; and

distributing the amount of available bandwidth between the prioritized video players based on the calculated amounts that the prioritized video players can received to sustain playback quality.

26. A method of managing multiple video players executing on a client software platform in a networked environment, comprising:

displaying a plurality of video players viewable by an end user, each video player having at least one video data stream supplied over a data network;

applying a priority value to video players selected from the plurality of video players;

determining an amount of bandwidth available from the data network to supply the plurality of video players;

determining an amount of processing power available on a client computer to process and display video for the plurality of video players;

calculating whether the selected video players can sustain a video playback quality above a pre-defined threshold using the determined amount of bandwidth and processing power available; and

sending a modify playback message to at least one video player when the video playback rate is not sustainable.