ENHANCED BLOCK-REQUEST STREAMING USING COOPERATIVE PARALLEL HTTP AND FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION

• US 20110239078A1
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Wang, Bin, Pakzad, Payam, Vicisano, Lorenzo, Luby, Michael G., Watson, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,209,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/752
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 13/05 using block codes, i.e. a predetermined number of check bits joined to a predetermined number of information bits H03M13/2906 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• 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 21/4621 Controlling the complexity of the content stream or additional data, e.g. lowering the resolution or bit-rate of the video stream for a mobile client with a small screen arrangements for using the results of monitoring on user's side in broadcast systems H04H60/65; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A block-request streaming system provides for improvements in the user experience and bandwidth efficiency of such systems, typically using an ingestion system that generates data in a form to be served by a conventional file server (HTTP, FTP, or the like), wherein the ingestion system intakes content and prepares it as files or data elements to be served by the file server, which might or might not include a cache. A client device can be adapted to take advantage of the ingestion process as well as including improvements that make for a better presentation independent of the ingestion process. In the block-request streaming system, the an ingestion system generates data according to erasure codes and the client device, through various selection and timing of requests for media data and redundant data, can efficiently decode media to provide for presentations.

Claims

1. In a communication system wherein a client device requests media files from a media ingestion system, a method comprising:

constructing, at the media ingestion system, forward error correction (FEC) blocks that correspond to data in media blocks; and

naming, using the media ingestion system, a plurality of files such that media files containing media blocks and FEC files containing FEC blocks are named according to a derivable pattern derivable at a client device, thereby allowing a client device to derive names of corresponding FEC files in order to make requests for those FEC files based on media blocks needed by the client device.

2. A client device that is adapted to receive media blocks from a media ingestion system via a file server that responds to file requests, the client device including a processor and program code in non-transitory computer-readable storage, comprising:

program code for determining which media blocks are needed for a desired presentation;

program code for requesting the media blocks needed for the desired presentation;

program code for determining which forward error correction (FEC) blocks might be used for filling in for missing data in the needed media blocks;

program code for determining file names for FEC files that contain the FEC blocks that might be used, based on the missing data or the needed media blocks; and

program code for requesting the determined FEC files.