Support for Interactive Playback Devices for Performance Aware Peer-to-Peer Content-on Demand Service

• US 20090202221A1
• Filed: 06/27/2006
• Published: 08/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Mathur, Saurabh, Ramaswamy, Kumar, Guo, Yang
• Granted Patent: US 8,688,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/343
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method and apparatus are described comprising detecting a playback operation, determining a target playback point for the playback operation and detecting a sub-clip type into which the target playback point falls. The method and apparatus also receive a streamed leading sub-clip, determine a set of needed sub-clips, locate one of the set of needed sub-clips and download the located sub-clip.

Claims

1. A method for supporting playback operations for a peer-to-peer content-on-demand service, said method comprising:

detecting a playback operation;

determining a target Playback point for said playback operation; and

detecting a sub-clip type into which said target playback point falls.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a streamed leading sub-clip;

determining a set of needed sub-clips;

locating one of said set of needed sub-clips; and

downloading said located sub-clip.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said peer-to-peer content-on-demand service is performance aware.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein said playback operation is one of jump forward and further comprising:

determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

streaming a sub-clip containing said target playback point;

calculating sub-clip deadlines;

starting playback;

downloading sub-clips following said streamed sub-clip.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said playback operation is one of jump backward and further comprising:

determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

streaming a sub-clip containing a target playback point;

starting playback at a sub-clip containing a target playback point;

calculating sub-clip deadlines; and

downloading sub-clips following said streamed sub-clip.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said playback operation is one of pause and further comprising:

stopping playback;

stopping sub-clip streaming;

stopping sub-clip downloading; and

setting sub-clip deadlines to infinity.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said playback operation is one of resume and further comprising:

calculating new sub-clip deadlines;

resuming sub-clip streaming, if sub-clips were being streamed;

starting playback; and

resuming sub-clip downloading of any sub-clips that were being downloaded when said pause operation was invoked.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein said playback operation is one of fast forward and further comprising:

calculating a sped-up playback rate;

determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

streaming sub-clips;

calculating sub-clip deadlines;

starting playback;

downloading sub-clips following said streamed sub-clip.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein said playback operation is one of fast reverse and further comprising:

calculating a sped-up playback rate;

determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

streaming sub-clips;

starting playback;

calculating sub-clip deadlines; and

downloading sub-clips preceding said streamed sub-clip.

10. An apparatus for supporting playback operations for a peer-to-peer content-on-demand service, comprising:

means for detecting a playback operation;

means for determining a target playback point for said playback operation; and

means for detecting a sub-clip type into which said target playback point falls.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising:

means for receiving a streamed leading sub-clip;

means for determining a set of needed sub-clips;

means for locating one of said set of needed sub-clips; and

means for downloading said located sub-clip.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said peer-to-peer content-on-demand service is performance aware.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said playback operation is one of jump forward and further comprising:

means for determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

means for determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

means for streaming a sub-clip containing said target playback point;

means for calculating sub-clip deadlines;

means for starting playback;

means for downloading sub-clips following said streamed sub-clip.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said playback operation is one of jump backward and further comprising:

means for determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

means for determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

means for streaming a sub-clip containing a target playback point;

means for starting playback at a sub-clip containing a target playback point;

means for calculating sub-clip deadlines; and

means for downloading sub-clips following said streamed sub-clip.

15. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said playback operation is one of pause and further comprising:

means for stopping playback;

means for stopping sub-clip streaming;

stopping sub-clip downloading; and

setting sub-clip deadlines to infinity.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said playback operation is one of resume and further comprising:

means for calculating new sub-clip deadlines;

means for resuming sub-clip streaming, if sub-clips were being streamed;

means for starting playback; and

means for resuming sub-clip downloading of any sub-clips that were being downloaded when said pause operation was invoked.

17. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said playback operation is one of fast forward and further comprising:

means for calculating a sped-up playback rate;

means for determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

means for determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

means for streaming sub-clips;

means for calculating sub-clip deadlines;

means for starting playback;

means for downloading sub-clips following said streamed sub-clip.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said playback operation is one of fast reverse and further comprising:

means for calculating a sped-up playback rate;

means for determining a maximum number of sub-clips to stream;

means for determining an actual number of sub-clips to stream;

means for streaming sub-clips;

means for starting playback;

means for calculating sub-clip deadlines; and

means for downloading sub-clips preceding said streamed sub-clip.