SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DELIVERING CONTENT

• US 20100070608A1
• Filed: 09/10/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Ripcode Incorporated (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Hosur, Prabhudev I.
• Granted Patent: US 9,473,812 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/43 Querying
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/85406 involving a specific file format, e.g. MP4 format
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

A method for delivering media content includes receiving a request identifying a requested media file. The method also includes, in response to receiving the request, accessing the requested media file. The requested media file includes media content in a first format. The method further includes generating a modified media file based on the requested media file. The modified media file includes media content in a second format. Additionally, the method includes generating an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file. The auxiliary file includes a plurality of content records associated with different portions of the media content in the modified media file and indicating a location of the associated portion. Each content record includes information to facilitate transmission of the associated portion of the media content to a remote client prior to the modified media file being completely generated.

Claims

1. A method for processing media content, comprising:

receiving a request identifying a requested media file;

in response to receiving the request, accessing the requested media file, wherein the requested media file comprises media content in a first format;

generating a modified media file based on the requested media file, wherein the modified media file comprises media content in a second format; and

while generating the modified media file, generating an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file, the auxiliary file comprising a plurality of content records, each content record associated with a portion of the media content in the modified media file and indicating a location of the associated portion of the media content in the modified media file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each content record includes information to facilitate transmission of an associated portion of the media content to a remote client prior to the modified media file being completely generated.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each content record further comprises dropped content information for an associated portion of the media content, wherein the dropped content information indicates an amount of content dropped during transcoding.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary file indicates a frame rate associated with the modified media file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary file indicates a bit rate associated with the modified media file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary file indicates a codec associated with the modified media file.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a first portion of the modified media file to a remote client while generating the modified media file.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

storing the modified media file in a content store;

receiving a second request identifying the requested media file;

in response to the second request, retrieving the modified media file from the content store; and

transmitting the modified media file to a second remote client.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request identifying the requested media file comprises:

receiving the request transmitted from a remote client; and

in response to receiving the request, selecting one of a plurality of a transcoding elements to access the requested media file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the requested media file comprises:

determining whether the requested media file is stored in a first content store in the second format; and

in response to determining that the requested media file is not stored in the content store in the second format, transmitting a request to the first content store, the request identifying the requested media file; and

receiving the media file from the first content store in the first format.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein transmitting a request to the first content store comprises:

transmitting a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request identifying the media file to the first content store.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified media file comprises a 3GP file.

13. An apparatus for processing media content, comprising:

a memory operable to store processor instructions;

a processor operable to execute the processor instructions and, while executing the processor instructions, operable to;

receive a request identifying a requested media file;

in response to receiving the request, accessing the requested media file, wherein the requested media file comprises media content in a first format;

generate a modified media file based on the requested media file, wherein the modified media file comprises media content in a second format; and

while generating the modified media file, generate an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file, the auxiliary file comprising a plurality of content records, each content record associated with a portion of the media content in the modified media file and indicating a location of the associated portion of the media content in the modified media file.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to generate the auxiliary file by generating an auxiliary file wherein each content record includes information to facilitate transmission of an associated portion of the media content to a remote client prior to the modified media file being completely generated.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to generate the auxiliary file by generating an auxiliary file wherein each content record further comprises dropped content information for an associated portion of the media content, wherein the dropped content information indicates an amount of content dropped during transcoding.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to generate the auxiliary file by generating an auxiliary file wherein the auxiliary file indicates a frame rate associated with the modified media file.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to generate the auxiliary file by generating an auxiliary file wherein the auxiliary file indicates a bit rate associated with the modified media file.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to generate the auxiliary file by generating an auxiliary file wherein the auxiliary file indicates a codec associated with the modified media file.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to transmit a first portion of the modified media file to a remote client while generating the modified media file.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor is further operable to:

store the modified media file in a content store;

receive a second request identifying the requested media file;

in response to the second request, retrieve the modified media file from the content store; and

transmit the modified media file to a second remote client.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to receive the request identifying a media file by:

receiving the request transmitted from a remote client; and

in response to receiving the request, selecting one of a plurality of a transcoding elements to access the requested media file.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable to access the requested media file by:

determining whether the requested media file is stored in a first content store in the second format; and

in response to determining that the requested media file is not stored in the content store in the second format, transmitting a request to the first content store, the request identifying the requested media file; and

receiving the media file from the first content store in the first format.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor is operable to transmit a request to the first content store by:

transmitting a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request identifying the media file to the first content store.

24. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the modified media file comprises a 3GP file.

25. A method for delivering media content, comprising:

receiving a media file comprising media content;

accessing an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file, the auxiliary file comprising a plurality of content records, each content record associated with a particular portion of the media content;

determining a location of a first portion of the media content within the modified media file, based on the content record associated with the first portion of the media content; and

transmitting the first portion of the media content to a remote client.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein transmitting the first portion of the media content comprises transmitting the first portion of the media content to the remote client while additional media content is being written to the media file.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

determining locations of additional portions of the media content within the media file, based on additional content records associated with each of the additional portions of the media content; and

transmitting the additional portions of the media content to the remote client.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein transmitting the first portion of the media content to the remote client comprises:

transmitting a notification to the remote client indicating that at least the first portion of the media content is available for transmission, wherein the notification includes a streamer identifier;

receiving, at a streamer associated with the streaming identifier, a request from the remote client to begin transmitting media content from the media file to the remote client; and

in response to the request from the remote client, transmitting at least the first portion of the media content to the remote client, while determining the location of additional portions of the media content within the media file.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein:

the streamer identifier comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) address associated with the streamer; and

receiving the request from the remote client to begin transmitting media content comprises receiving the request at the URL address.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the remote client comprises a first remote client, and further comprising:

receiving a request from a second remote client to begin transmitting the modified media file to the second remote client; and

while transmitting media content from the media file to the first remote client, transmitting media content from the media file to the second remote client.

31. An apparatus for delivering media content, comprising:

a memory operable to store processor instructions;

a processor operable to execute the processor instructions and, while executing the processor instructions, operable to;

receive a media file comprising media content;

access an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file, the auxiliary file comprising a plurality of content records, each content record associated with a particular portion of the media content;

determine the location of a first portion of the media content within the modified media file, based on the content record associated with the first portion of the media content; and

transmit the first portion of the media content to a remote client.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor is further operable to transmit the first portion of the media content by transmitting the first portion of the media content to the remote client while additional media content is being written to the media file.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor is further operable to determine the location of additional portions of the media content within the media file, based on additional content records associated with each of the additional portions of the media content;

and

transmit the additional portions of the media content to the remote client.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the processor is operable to transmit the first portion of the media content to the remote client by:

transmitting a notification to the remote client indicating that at least the first portion of the media content is available for transmission, wherein the notification includes a streamer identifier;

receiving, at a streamer associated with the streaming identifier, a request from the remote client to begin transmitting media content from the media file to the remote client; and

in response to the request from the remote client, transmitting at least the first portion of the media content from the streamer to the remote client.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein:

the streamer identifier comprises a uniform resource locator (URL) address associated with the streamer; and

the processor is operable to receive the request from the remote client to begin transmitting media content comprises receiving the request at the URL address.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the remote client comprises a first remote client, and the processor is further operable to:

receive a request from a second remote client to begin transmitting the modified media file to the second remote client; and

while transmitting media content from the media file to the first remote client, transmit media content from the media file to the second remote client.

37. A system for managing media content, comprising:

a transcoder comprising;

a memory operable to store processor instructions for the transcoder; and

a processor operable, when executing the processor instructions for the transcoder, to;

receive a request identifying a requested media file;

in response to receiving the request, accessing the requested media file, wherein the requested media file comprises media content in a first format;

generate a modified media file based on the requested media file, wherein the modified media file comprises media content in a second format; and

while generating the modified media file, generate an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file, the auxiliary file comprising a plurality of content records, each content record associated with a portion of the media content in the modified media file and indicating a location of the associated portion of the media content in the modified media file; and

a streamer comprising;

a memory operable to store processor instructions for the streamer; and

a processor operable, when executing the processor instructions for the streamer, to;

receive the modified media file and the auxiliary file;

based on a first content record in the auxiliary file, determine a location of a first portion of the media content in the modified media file associated with the first content record;

transmit the first portion of the media content in the modified media file to a remote client, while the transcoder is generating the modified media file.