MULTIMEDIA FILE SHARING METHOD AND SYSTEM THEREOF

• US 20130138736A1
• Filed: 02/09/2012
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Wang, Chun-Yu, Lin, Hsu-Cheng, Tsai, Chia-Ying, Liu, Jian-Hong
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,051 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

A multimedia file sharing method and a system thereof are provided herein, which applies the virtual file technology to achieve near real time multimedia sharing and transparent receiving functions. In the method, an interface software system is established through a network to speed up playing of multimedia files by different multimedia players. The interface software provides a speeding up and near real time multimedia playing effect for sharing multimedia through the network, by which for different transmissions of multimedia files or for playing multimedia files with different formats, the multimedia player is not necessary to modify or add the software of the players to meet the streaming protocols or container. In addition, the interface software is capable of providing the effect of playing the multimedia files by the players with satisfied quality and near real time performance.

Claims

1. A multimedia file sharing method, comprising:

establishing a virtual multimedia file system at a sharing device;

performing, by the virtual multimedia file system, a multimedia file transmission training process, to create a multimedia transmission training file;

when a multimedia file is to be shared, generating a corresponding metafile according to the multimedia transmission training file, and slicing the multimedia file into a plurality of slices; and

transferring the metafile to one or more shared devices so as to enable the one or more shared devices to sequentially obtain the plurality of slices of the multimedia file according to the metafile.

2. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 1, wherein the multimedia file transmission training process comprises:

analyzing, by the virtual multimedia file system, a read behavior of multiple multimedia players on a plurality of multimedia formats to generate the multimedia transmission training file;

establishing a multimedia sharing transmission process according to the multimedia transmission training file; and

storing, by the sharing device, contents of the multimedia files to be shared in a storage medium of the one or more shared devices according to the multimedia transmission process.

3. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 2, wherein a method for generating the multimedia transmission training file comprises:

reading a file extension-name list of the multimedia formats which are intended to be supported, and a step setting of a slice size;

respectively reading, according to the list, at least one multimedia file and a slice size thereof which meets each of the multimedia formats, and slicing multimedia files corresponding to each of the multimedia formats according to the slice size; and

starting the multimedia players which are preset to be supported, recording a read sequence of the sliced slices of the multimedia files while playing the multimedia files, and creating the read sequence,

wherein the multimedia transmission training file comprises the multimedia formats, the slice size and the read sequence corresponding to each of the multimedia formats.

4. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 1, wherein the metafile comprises a length of the multimedia file to be shared, the number of the slices after being sliced, an offset value of each of the slices in the multimedia file, and a file name of the slice and a length thereof.

5. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 1, wherein a method for transferring the slices to the one or more shared devices comprises:

detecting a transmission bandwidth between the sharing device and the one or more shared devices by using an algorithm; and

determining the number of the slices to be transmitted to the one or more shared devices and a transmission sequence thereof according to the detected transmission bandwidth by using a residual bandwidth and a ratio thereof, and then forwarding, by part of the shared devices that have received the slices, the slices to the other shared devices that have not received the slices.

6. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 5, wherein the method for transferring the slices to the one or more shared devices further comprises:

determining which part of the slices of the multimedia file to be shared are read first in part of the shared devices; and

reserving the residual bandwidth with a priority for the part of the slices that are read first for transmission.

7. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining, by the one or more shared devices, a part of the slices according to the metafile through the virtual multimedia file system; and

playing the obtained part of slices and synchronously obtaining the other slices corresponding to the multimedia file.

8. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 7, further comprising obtaining, by the one or more shared devices, the slices according a read sequence in the metafile.

9. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 1, wherein

after receiving the metafile of the multimedia file to be shared from the sharing device, a name and a size of the multimedia file to be shared currently is shown in a directory structure of the virtual multimedia file system, and the multimedia file is directly played by player software;

and

when part of the slices of the multimedia file is found absent, the one or more shared devices directly request for the slices from the sharing device according to the contents of the metafile.

10. The multimedia file sharing method according to claim 1, wherein

after receiving the metafile of the multimedia file to be shared, one of the shared devices sequentially receives the slices corresponding to the multimedia file and transferred from the sharing device;

and

the one shared device determines whether to forward the received slices to the other shared devices.

11. A multimedia file sharing system, comprising:

a first device, comprising a first virtual multimedia file system and a first storage medium, wherein the virtual multimedia file system performs a training process to create a multimedia transmission training file, and stores the multimedia transmission training file in the first storage medium, the first virtual multimedia file system generates a metafile corresponding to a shared multimedia file according to the multimedia transmission training file, and slices the multimedia file into multiple slices; and

a second device, comprising a second virtual multimedia file system and a second storage medium, wherein the second device communicates with the first device through a network, wherein while playing the multimedia file, the second device obtains the corresponding slices sequentially according to the metafile, and temporarily stores the slices in the second storage medium of the second device, and then sequentially displays the slices according to the metafile through the second virtual multimedia file system.

12. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, wherein the generating of the multimedia transmission training file by the first device comprises:

reading a file extension-name list of multimedia formats which are preset to be supported, and a step setting of a slice size;

respectively reading, according to the list, at least one multimedia file and a slice size thereof which meets each of the multimedia formats, and slicing multimedia files corresponding to each of the multimedia formats according to the slice size; and

starting multimedia players which are intended to be supported, recording a read sequence of the slices of the multimedia files while playing the multimedia files, and creating the read sequence;

wherein the multimedia transmission training file comprises the multimedia formats, the slice size and the read sequence corresponding to each of the multimedia formats.

13. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, wherein the meta data comprises a length of the multimedia file to be shared, the number of the slices after being sliced, an offset value of each of the slices in the multimedia file, and a file name of the slice and the length thereof.

14. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, wherein the first device detects a transmission bandwidth by using an algorithm, and determines the number of the slices to be transmitted and a transmission sequence thereof according to the detected transmission bandwidth by using a residual bandwidth and a ratio thereof.

15. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, wherein after the second device receives the metafile of the multimedia file to be shared from the first device, a name and a size of the multimedia file to be shared currently is shown in a directory structure of the second virtual multimedia file system, and the multimedia file is directly played by a player software, wherein when part of the slices of the multimedia file is found absent, the second device requests for the slices according to the contents of the metafile.

16. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, wherein the second device obtains part of the slices according to the metafile through the second virtual multimedia file system, respectively plays the obtained part of slices, and synchronously obtains the other part of the slices corresponding to the multimedia file.

17. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 16, wherein the second device obtains the slices according a read sequence in the metafile.

18. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, wherein after the second device receives the metafile of the multimedia file, the second device sequentially receives the slices corresponding to the multimedia file and transferred from the first device, and the second device determines whether to forward the received slices.

19. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a third device, comprising a third virtual multimedia file system and a third storage medium, wherein the third device communicates with the first device and the second device through a network, wherein while playing the multimedia file, the third device obtains the corresponding slices from the first device or the second device according to the metafile, temporarily stores the slices in the third storage medium, and then sequentially obtains the corresponding slices by the third virtual multimedia file system.

20. The multimedia file sharing system according to claim 19, wherein the first device detects a transmission bandwidth by using an algorithm, and determines the number of the slices to be transmitted and a transmission sequence thereof according to the detected transmission bandwidth by using a residual bandwidth and a ratio thereof, determines which part of the slices of the multimedia file are read first in the second device or the third device and preferentially reserves the residual bandwidth for the part of the slices that are read first for transmission.

21. A multimedia file sharing system, comprising:

a sharing device, comprising a first virtual multimedia file system, wherein the virtual multimedia file system performs a training process to create a multimedia transmission training file, the first virtual multimedia file system generates a metafile corresponding to a shared multimedia file according to the multimedia transmission training file, and slices the multimedia file into multiple slices; and

multiple shared devices, wherein each of the shared devices comprises a second virtual multimedia file system and a storage medium, wherein the shared devices communicate with the sharing device through a network, wherein when any one of the shared devices plays the multimedia file, the shared device sequentially obtains the corresponding slices from the sharing device or the other shared devices in a sequence according to the metafile, and temporarily stores the slices in the storage medium.