PLAYLISTS FOR REAL-TIME OR NEAR REAL-TIME STREAMING

• US 20120311075A1
• Filed: 09/02/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pantos, Roger, Biderman, David, May, William Jr., Flick, Christopher, Bushell, John Samuel, Calhoun, John Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,586 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• 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 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4431 characterized by the use of Application Program Interface [API] libraries
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4825 using a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4856 for language selection, e.g. for the menu or subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A content streaming system, such as an HTTP streaming system, can use a variant audio playlist that identifies different audio playlists, such as one playlist in English and one playlist in Spanish, for the same program such as a video program which is specified by a video playlist which can be separate from the variant audio playlist. A client can use the variant audio playlist to select a particular audio content for the same program, and the particular audio content can be referred to by one URL in the variant audio playlist, among a set of alternative URLs, in the variant audio playlist, for alternative audio content.

Claims

1. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a variant audio playlist for a program, the variant audio playlist containing a set of URLs for different audio content for the program, each of the URLs in the set of URLs referring to an audio playlist corresponding to one of the different audio content for the program;

selecting a first URL of the set of URLs for one of the different audio content, the first URL referring to a first playlist;

transmitting the first URL which refers to the first playlist;

receiving the first playlist; and

processing the first playlist to retrieve audio content for the program.

2. The medium as in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

determining an audio preference; and

wherein the selecting of the first URL is based on the audio preference which is set by a user preference.

3. The medium as in claim 2, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a video playlist for the program, the video playlist containing URLs for video content for the program, each of the URLs for the video content referring to a portion in time of the video content.

4. The medium as in claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

switching between URLs, for audio content, in the variant audio playlist, wherein the switching is performed independently of playback of the video playlist.

5. The medium as in claim 4, wherein the first playlist and the video playlist are processed concurrently by a first software component and by a second software component respectively, wherein the first software component retrieves audio content referred to by URLs in the first playlist and wherein the second software component retrieves video content referred to by URLs in the video playlist, and wherein the first software component and the second software component operate independently to retrieve their respective content.

6. The medium as in claim 4, wherein timestamps in the audio content retrieved through the first playlist and timestamps in the video content retrieved through the video playlist specify the same period of time.

7. The medium as in claim 4, wherein each of the URLs in the set of URLs refer to different audio content, and wherein each of the different audio content comprise timestamps which specify the same time period, and wherein the variant audio playlist and the video playlist are received in response to a single request for the program.

8. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving a variant audio playlist for a program, the variant audio playlist containing a set of URLs for different audio content for the program, each of the URLs in the set of URLs referring to an audio playlist corresponding to one of the different audio content for the program;

selecting a first URL of the set of URLs for one of the different audio content, the first URL referring to a first playlist;

transmitting the first URL which refers to the first playlist;

receiving the first playlist; and

processing the first playlist to retrieve audio content for the program.

9. The method as in claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

determining an audio preference; and

wherein the selecting of the first URL is based on the audio preference which is set by a user preference.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a video playlist for the program, the video playlist containing URLs for video content for the program, each of the URLs for the video content referring to a portion in time of the video content.

11. The method as in claim 10, wherein the method further comprises:

switching between URLs, for audio content, in the variant audio playlist, wherein the switching is performed independently of playback of the video playlist.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein the first playlist and the video playlist are processed concurrently by a first software component and by a second software component respectively, wherein the first software component retrieves audio content referred to by URLs in the first playlist and wherein the second software component retrieves video content referred to by URLs in the video playlist, and wherein the first software component and the second software component operate independently to retrieve their respective content.

13. The method as in claim 11, wherein timestamps in the audio content retrieved through the first playlist and timestamps in the video content retrieved through the video playlist specify the same period of time.

14. The method as in claim 11, wherein each of the URLs in the set of URLs refer to different audio content, and wherein each of the different audio content comprise timestamps which specify the same time period, and wherein the variant audio playlist and the video playlist are received in response to a single request for the program.

15. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving a variant audio playlist for a program, the variant audio playlist containing a set of URLs for different audio content for the program, each of the URLs in the set of URLs referring to an audio playlist corresponding to one of the different audio content for the program;

means for selecting a first URL of the set of URLs for one of the different audio content, the first URL referring to a first playlist;

means for transmitting the first URL which refers to the first playlist;

means for receiving the first playlist; and

means for processing the first playlist to retrieve audio content for the program.

16. A machine readable non-transitory storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

transmitting, in response to a request, from a device, for a program, a variant audio playlist containing a set of URLs for different audio content for the program, each of the URLs in the set of URLs referring to an audio playlist corresponding to one of the different audio content for the program;

receiving from the device a first URL in the set of URLs and transmitting, in response to receiving the first URL, a first audio playlist to the device, the first URL referring to the first audio playlist.

17. The medium as in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, in response to the request from the device, a video playlist for the program, the video playlist containing URLs for video content for the program, each of the URLs for the video content referring to a portion in time of the video content.

18. The medium as in claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from the device, a second URL in the set of URLs for different audio content;

transmitting, in response to receiving the second URL, a second audio playlist, wherein the second URL refers to the second audio playlist and wherein the second audio playlist provides alternative audio content for the program.

19. The medium as in claim 18, wherein timestamps in the audio content retrieved through the first audio playlist and timestamps in the alternative audio content specify the same period of time.

20. A machine implemented method comprising:

transmitting, in response to a request, from a device, for a program, a variant audio playlist containing a set of URLs for different audio content for the program, each of the URLs in the set of URLs referring to an audio playlist corresponding to one of the different audio content for the program;

receiving from the device a first URL in the set of URLs and transmitting, in response to receiving the first URL, a first audio playlist to the device, the first URL referring to the first audio playlist.

21. The method as in claim 20, wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting, in response to the request from the device, a video playlist for the program, the video playlist containing URLs for video content for the program, each of the URLs for the video content referring to a portion in time of the video content.

22. The method as in claim 21, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from the device, a second URL in the set of URLs for different audio content;

transmitting, in response to receiving the second URL, a second audio playlist, wherein the second URL refers to the second audio playlist and wherein the second audio playlist provides alternative audio content for the program.

23. The method as in claim 22, wherein timestamps in the audio content retrieved through the first audio playlist and timestamps in the alternative audio content specify the same period of time.

24. A data processing system comprising:

means for transmitting, in response to a request, from a device, for a program, a variant audio playlist containing a set of URLs for different audio content for the program, each of the URLs in the set of URLs referring to an audio playlist corresponding to one of the different audio content for the program;

means for receiving from the device a first URL in the set of URLs and transmitting, in response to receiving the first URL, a first audio playlist to the device, the first URL referring to the first audio playlist.