INCREMENTAL PREPARATION OF VIDEOS FOR DELIVERY

• US 20140006950A1
• Filed: 06/29/2012
• Published: 01/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chetlur, Malolan, Kalyanaraman, Shivkumar, Devi, Umamaheswari, Kokku, Ravindranath, Korgaonkar, Kunal
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/719
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0631 Item recommendations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/251 Learning process for intelligent management, e.g. learning user preferences for recommending movies details of learning user preferences for the retrieval of video data in a video database G06F16/739; computer systems using learning methods G06N3/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand

Abstract

Methods and arrangements for video delivery preparation. A video, being accessible online, is displayed at an interface in response to a user request. A relative probability of video access by the user with respect to at least two other online-accessible videos is qualitatively determined. An ordered prediction set is created with respect to the other videos. The other videos are prepared incrementally based on the prediction set, so that the user is able to access and view the videos. The preparing includes preparing a first one of the other videos over a first time period and a second one of the other videos over a second time period, wherein at least a portion of the first time period is coincident with at least a portion of the second time period. An element is displayed at the interface which provides a connection to at least one of the other videos.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a video at an interface in response to a user request, the video being accessible online;

quantitatively determining a relative probability of video access by the user with respect to at least two other videos that are accessible online;

creating an ordered prediction set with respect to the at least two other videos;

preparing the at least two other videos incrementally based on the prediction set, so that the user is able to access and view the at least two videos;

said preparing comprising preparing a first one of the at least two other videos over a first time period and a second one of the at least two other videos over a second time period, wherein at least a portion of the first time period is coincident with at least a portion of the second time period; and

displaying at the interface an element which provides a connection to at least one of the at least two other videos.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining is performed in realtime.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said creating comprises making use of a weight-defined order.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said creating comprises consulting a network-wide priority order.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said creating comprises dynamically assigning weights to the at least two other videos in response to said determining of a relative probability.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein:

the relative probability derives from a probability of access to a video based on at least one currently active video; and

the weights derive from the probability of access to a video based on at least one currently active video.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising cancelling preparation of at least one of the at least two other videos in response to at least one prompt.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one prompt includes at least one prompt selected from the group consisting of:

a user click on a different video object; and

elapse of a predetermined time period.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said preparing comprises employing solely spare network and processing resources.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein said incremental preparing comprises:

employing weighted round robin scheduling across the at least two other videos; and

undertaking incremental preparation of each of the at least two other videos in accordance with the weighted round robin scheduling.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith and executable by the at least one processor, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to display a video at an interface in response to a user request, the video being accessible online;

computer readable program code configured to quantitatively determine a relative probability of video access by the user with respect to at least two other videos that are accessible online;

computer readable program code configured to create an ordered prediction set with respect to the at least two other videos;

computer readable program code configured to prepare the at least two other videos incrementally based on the prediction set, so that the user is able to access and view the at least two videos;

computer readable program code configured to prepare a first one of the at least two other videos over a first time period and a second one of the at least two other videos over a second time period, wherein at least a portion of the first time period is coincident with at least a portion of the second time period; and

computer readable program code configured to display at the interface an element which provides a connection to at least one of the at least two other videos.

12. A computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to display a video at an interface in response to a user request, the video being accessible online;

computer readable program code configured to quantitatively determine a relative probability of video access by the user with respect to at least two other videos that are accessible online;

computer readable program code configured to create an ordered prediction set with respect to the at least two other videos;

computer readable program code configured to prepare the at least two other videos incrementally based on the prediction set, so that the user is able to access and view the at least two videos;

computer readable program code configured to prepare a first one of the at least two other videos over a first time period and a second one of the at least two other videos over a second time period, wherein at least a portion of the first time period is coincident with at least a portion of the second time period; and

computer readable program code configured to display at the interface an element which provides a connection to at least one of the at least two other videos.

13. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to determine the relative probability in realtime.

14. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to create the ordered prediction set via making use of a weight-defined order.

15. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to create the ordered prediction set via consulting a network-wide priority order.

16. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to dynamically assign weights to the at least two other videos in response to the determining of a relative probability.

17. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to cancel preparation of at least one of the at least two other videos in response to at least one prompt.

18. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to employ solely spare network and processing resources in preparing the at least two videos.

19. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein said computer readable program code is configured to prepare incrementally via:

employing weighted round robin scheduling across the at least two other videos; and

undertaking incremental preparation of each of the at least two other videos in accordance with the weighted round robin scheduling.

20. A method comprising:

displaying an active video at an interface in response to a user request, the active video being accessible online;

learning, in realtime, probabilities of the user accessing at least two other videos that are accessible online;

creating a prediction set comprising the at least two other videos;

establishing functional pointers between the active video and the at least two other videos in the prediction set;

displaying at the interface at least one element which triggers the functional pointers; and

incrementally preparing the at least two other videos, so that the user is able to access and view the at least two videos, as a function of the learned probabilities.