DYNAMIC GENERATION OF MEDIA CONTENT ASSETS FOR A CONTENT DELIVERY NETWORK

• US 20100250773A1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Published: 09/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Mao, Weidong
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,085 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21815 comprising local storage units
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23103 using load balancing strategies, e.g. by placing or distributing content on different disks, different memories or different servers storage management G06F3/0604; allocation of resources considering the load in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/505; techniques for rebalancing the load in a distributed system G06F9/5083; access to distributed or replicated servers, e.g. load balancing, in data networks H04L67/1001
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2312 Data placement on disk arrays data placement in general G06F3/0604
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, methods, and software for using a network to efficiently distributing media content assets from a virtually unlimited content library and/or other storage to a plurality of client devices, as well as bi-directional local content sharing between head ends, and dynamic distribution and generation of media content assets within the network.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a first media content asset;

determining whether the first media content asset is already stored; and

responsive to determining that the first media content asset is not already stored, generating by a computer the first media content asset from a second media content asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first media content asset is a trick file of the second media content asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request indicates a first format of the first media content asset, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second format to the data format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request indicates a first bit rate of the first media content asset, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second bit rate to the first bit rate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request indicates a first data format of the first video resolution, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second video resolution to the first video resolution.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second media content asset is a live media content asset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining comprises determining whether the first media content asset is already stored in any of a plurality of different locations in a network, and wherein generating is performed responsive to determining that the first media content asset is not already stored in any of the plurality of different locations in the network.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions; and

a processor configured to operate in accordance with the computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions are for performing a method, the method comprising;

responsive to receiving a request for a first media content asset, determining whether the first media content asset is already stored, and

responsive to determining that the first media content asset is not already stored, generating the first media content asset from a second media content asset.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first media content asset is a trick file of the second media content asset.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request indicates a first format of the first media content asset, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second format to the first format.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request indicates a first bit rate of the first media content asset, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second bit rate to the first bit rate.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the request indicates a first data format of the first video resolution, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second video resolution to the first video resolution.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second media content asset is a live media content asset.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining comprises determining whether the first media content asset is already stored in any of a plurality of different locations in a network, and wherein generating is performed responsive to determining that the first media content asset is not already stored in any of the plurality of different locations in the network.

15. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing a method, the method comprising:

responsive to receiving a request for a first media content asset, determining whether the first media content asset is already stored; and

responsive to determining that the first media content asset is not already stored, generating the first media content asset from a second media content asset.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the request indicates a first data format of the first media content asset, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second data format to the first data format.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the request indicates a first bit rate of the first media content asset, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second bit rate to the first bit rate.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the request indicates a first data format of the first video resolution, and wherein generating comprises generating the first media content asset by transcoding the second media content asset from a second video resolution to the first video resolution.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second media content asset is a live media content asset.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determining comprises determining whether the first media content asset is already stored in any of a plurality of different locations in a network, and wherein generating is performed responsive to determining that the first media content asset is not already stored in any of the plurality of different locations in the network.