PLAYLISTS FOR REAL-TIME OR NEAR REAL-TIME STREAMING

• US 20100169303A1
• Filed: 06/05/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Batson, James David, Biderman, David, Tseng, Alan, May, William JR., Pantos, Roger
• Application Number:
  US12/479,735
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169303A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/34 ensuring sequence integrity, e.g. using sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234363 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for clients with a lower screen resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• 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
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for real-time or near real-time streaming of content using transfer protocols such as an HTTP compliant protocol. In one embodiment, a method includes dividing a stream of data, representing the contiguous time based content of a program (e.g. a live video broadcast), into a plurality of distinct media files, and generating a playlist file having a plurality of tags and Universal Resource Indicators (URIs) indicating an order of presentation of the plurality of distinct media files. The plurality of media files and the playlist file can be made available for transmission to a client device which can retrieve the media files using the playlist file.

Claims

1. A computer readable storage medium for use with an electronic device, the medium to store data in a digital, random access format that is configured to provide a playlist file having a plurality of tags and a plurality of URIs, each of the URIs indicating a respective media file, wherein the media files provide segments of a single contiguous presentation such that when played in order the media files provide playback of the single contiguous presentation, the order of the URIs in the playlist file indicating an order of retrieval by the electronic device of the media files through a network using a non-streaming hypertext transfer protocol and the order of the URIs in the playlist indicating an order of playback for the media files, the tags in the playlist providing information related to playback of the media files.

2. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the playlist file comprises a tag that indicates an approximate duration of a media file that follows the tag in the playlist file.

3. The storage medium of claim 2 wherein the tag comprises an EXT-X-TARGETDURATION tag.

4. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the playlist file comprises a tag that indicates a unique sequence number for a first media file indicated by the playlist file.

5. The storage medium of claim 4 wherein the tag comprises an EXT-X-MEDIA-SEQUENCE tag.

6. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the playlist file comprises a tag that indicates a location of an encryption key used to encrypt at least one of the media files.

7. The storage medium of claim 6 wherein the tag comprises an EXT-X-KEY tag.

8. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the playlist file comprises a tag that associates a beginning of a media file, that follows the tag, with a date and time.

9. The storage medium of claim 8 wherein the tag comprises an EXT-X-PROGRAM-DATE-TIME tag.

10. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the playlist file comprises a tag to indicate whether a client device may store a media file after playback.

11. The storage medium of claim 10 wherein the tag comprises an EXT-X-ALLOW-CACHE tag.

12. The storage medium of claim 1 wherein the playlist file comprises a tag that indicates a location of a subsequent playlist file that follows the tag.

13. The storage medium of claim 12 wherein the tag comprises an EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag.

14. A computer readable storage medium for use with an electronic device, the medium to store data in a digital, random access format that is configured to provide a variant playlist file having a plurality of tags and a plurality of URIs, each of the URIs indicating a respective media playlist file, wherein each of the media playlist files specify segments of a single contiguous presentation such that when played in order the segments provide playback of the presentation, the order of the URIs in each of the media playlist files indicating an order of playback for the segments, the tags in the variant playlist file providing information related to a connection bandwidth for each of the URIs indicating a respective media playlist file.

15. The storage medium of claim 14 wherein the variant playlist file comprises a tag proceeding each URI that indicates a respective media playlist file wherein each tag indicates a program identifier, wherein the program identifier is the same for each of the URIs indicating a respective media playlist file, and wherein the program identifier identifies the single contiguous presentation.

16. The storage medium of claim 15 wherein at least one of the tags comprises an identifier of a CODEC.

17. The storage medium of claim 16 wherein corresponding segments from each media playlist file contain the same audio encoding.

18. The storage medium of claim 16 wherein a tag in the variant playlist file comprises an EXT-X-STREAM-INF tag.

19. A machine readable storage medium containing executable instructions which, when executed by a first processing system, cause the first processing system to perform a method comprising:

determining from a tag in a text file that the text file specifies a plurality of URIs (Universal Resource Indicators) of a plurality of segments of a time based stream to be received at the first processing system through a network, wherein the plurality of segments form a single contiguous media presentation;

determining from the text file a duration of at least one of the segments;

retrieving from the text file each of the plurality of URIs to cause the first processing system to retrieve each of the plurality of segments, wherein the plurality of segments are retrieved in the order of the plurality of URIs in the text file, wherein the retrieving allows the first processing system to present the segments in the order of the plurality of URIs in the text file.

20. The medium as in claim 19, the method further comprising:

determining from a tag in the text file a location of a decryption key to decrypt at least one of the segments; and

determining when to reload the text file.

21. The medium as in claim 20, the method further comprising:

determining from a tag in the text file that the end of the time based stream has been reached.

22. A computer readable storage medium for use with an electronic device, the medium storing a file comprising:

a first identifier in the file, the first identifier indicating that the file specifies a plurality of URIs (Universal Resource Indicators) of a plurality of segments of a time based stream to be received by the electronic device through a network, wherein the plurality of segments form a single contiguous presentation; and

at least one second identifier that indicates a duration of at least one of the segments;

wherein the plurality of URIs provide addresses for each of the segments, wherein the plurality of segments are retrieved in the order of the plurality of URIs in the file and wherein the segments provide playback of the single contiguous presentation when the segments are played back in the order of the plurality of URIs in the file.

23. The medium as in claim 22 further comprising:

at least one third identifier which specifies a URI of a decryption key to decrypt at least one of the segments.

24. The medium as in claim 23 further comprising:

a tag indicating that the single contiguous presentation has ended.