EFFICIENTLY STORING TRANSPORT STREAMS

• US 20100189122A1
• Filed: 01/23/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Verivue Incorporated (Akamai Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dandekar, Shirish, Frink, Craig, Krishnan, Santosh, Xu, Weidong, Zhu, Qin-Fan
• Granted Patent: US 8,750,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/90 Buffering arrangements
• 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 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for efficiently storing transport streams. A first sequence of one or more packets associated with the first transport stream is received, the first sequence comprising one or more data packets. A storage packet is generated by selecting one or more packets from the first sequence, the storage packet comprising a packet header and the one or more data packets. One or more null packet insertion locations are identified in a second sequence of one or more packets associated with a second transport stream. Null packet insertion information is generated based on the one or more null packet insertion locations, the information including data indicative of a reconstruction parameter related to reconstructing the second sequence from the storage packet by inserting one or more null packets that are not stored in the storage packet, wherein the packet header includes the null packet insertion information. The storage packet is stored.

Claims

1. A computerized method for storing a first transport stream, the method comprising:

receiving a first sequence of one or more packets associated with the first transport stream, the first sequence comprising one or more data packets;

generating a storage packet by selecting one or more packets from the first sequence, the storage packet comprising a packet header and the one or more data packets;

identifying one or more null packet insertion locations in a second sequence of one or more packets associated with a second transport stream;

generating null packet insertion information based on the one or more null packet insertion locations, the information including data indicative of a reconstruction parameter related to reconstructing the second sequence from the storage packet by inserting one or more null packets that are not stored in the storage packet, wherein the packet header includes the null packet insertion information; and

storing the storage packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is received as one or more transport packets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying comprises comparing a size of the first sequence to a predetermined size of a constant bit rate packet.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first sequence further comprises one or more null packets in a packet order; and

generating the storage packet further comprises removing one or more of the one or more null packets from the selected packets.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the first transport stream is a constant bit rate transport stream; and

the one or more null packet insertion locations are based on the one or more removed null packets from the selected packets.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the packet header is part of a storage packet header; and

the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises the one or more null packet insertion locations in the second sequence based on the packet order.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the second sequence preserves a packet order of the first sequence; and

the second transport stream preserves a sequence of the first transport stream.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising, inserting the packet header at a location in the storage packet based on the packet order and the one or more null packet insertion locations, wherein the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises a number of removed null packets at the location.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising inserting the packet header at an end of the storage packet, wherein the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises a number of the one or more null packets removed from the first sequence.

10. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the packet header is part of a storage packet header; and

the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises a number of the one or more null packets removed from the first sequence.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading the packet header;

determining one or more null packets to insert into the second sequence associated with the second transport stream based on the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter;

reconstructing the second sequence by inserting the one or more null packets into the second sequence; and

transmitting the second sequence.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises the one or more null packet insertion locations based on a packet order; and

reconstructing comprises inserting the one or more null packets into the second sequence based on the one or more null packet insertion locations.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the packet header is read from a location in the storage packet, wherein the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises a number of removed null packets at the location; and

reconstructing comprises inserting the number of removed null packets from the one or more null packets into the second sequence at the location.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the packet header is read from an end of the storage packet, the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprising a number of the one or more null packets removed from the first sequence; and

reconstructing comprises inserting the number of the one or more null packets into the second sequence at the end of the second sequence.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the data indicative of the reconstruction parameter comprises a number of the one or more null packets removed from the first sequence; and

reconstructing comprises inserting the one or more null packets at an end of the second sequence.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first transport stream is a constant bit rate stream or a variable bit rate stream; and

the second transport stream is a constant bit rate stream.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reconstructing a third sequence of one or more packets associated with a third transport stream without inserting null packets; and

transmitting the third sequence.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first transport stream is a constant bit rate stream or a variable bit rate stream; and

the third transport stream is a variable bit rate stream.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein storing comprises storing the storage packet in one or more storage blocks.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein storing comprises:

storing a first packet header and a first portion of the storage packet in a first storage block; and

storing a second packet header and a second portion of the storage packet in a second storage block.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein storing comprises storing the storage packet in a persistent memory.

22. A system for storing a transport stream, the system comprising:

a data storage device; and

a processor in communication with the data storage device, the processor being configured to;

receive a first sequence of one or more packets associated with the first transport stream, the first sequence comprising one or more data packets;

generate a storage packet by selecting one or more packets from the first sequence, the storage packet comprising a packet header and the one or more data packets;

identify one or more null packet insertion locations in a second sequence of one or more packets associated with a second transport stream;

generate null packet insertion information based on the one or more null packet insertion locations, the information including data indicative of a reconstruction parameter related to reconstructing the second sequence from the storage packet by inserting one or more null packets that are not stored in the storage packet, wherein the packet header includes the null packet insertion information; and

store the storage packet in the data storage device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the data storage device comprises a hard drive, a flash memory system, a data buffer, a transient data buffer, a queueing system, a dynamic random access memory device, or any combination thereof.

24. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer readable medium, the computer program product including instructions being operable to cause a data processing apparatus to:

receive a first sequence of one or more packets associated with the first transport stream, the first sequence comprising one or more data packets;

generate a storage packet by selecting one or more packets from the first sequence, the storage packet comprising a packet header and the one or more data packets;

identify one or more null packet insertion locations in a second sequence of one or more packets associated with a second transport stream;

generate null packet insertion information based on the one or more null packet insertion locations, the information including data indicative of a reconstruction parameter related to reconstructing the second sequence from the storage packet by inserting one or more null packets that are not stored in the storage packet, wherein the packet header includes the null packet insertion information; and

store the storage packet.

25. A system comprising:

means for;

receiving a first sequence of one or more packets associated with the first transport stream, the first sequence comprising one or more data packets;

generating a storage packet by selecting one or more packets from the first sequence, the storage packet comprising a packet header and the one or more data packets;

identifying one or more null packet insertion locations in a second sequence of one or more packets associated with a second transport stream; and

generating null packet insertion information based on the one or more null packet insertion locations, the information including data indicative of a reconstruction parameter related to reconstructing the second sequence from the storage packet by inserting one or more null packets that are not stored in the storage packet, wherein the packet header includes the null packet insertion information; and

means for storing the storage packet.