Media Streams from Containers Processed by Hosted Code

• US 20140337433A1
• Filed: 07/22/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: George, Sam J., Khouzam, Gilles, Harsh, Michael R, Virdi, Gurpratap, Gossman, John, Hillberg, Michael John, Karlov, Donald D, Musayev, Eldar A, Zhang, Wenbo, Schliemann, Federico, Olson, Lawrence Wayne, Johar, Akshay, Schechler, Greg D, Smimov, Serge
• Granted Patent: US 10,244,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets

Abstract

Described is a technology by which code, such as an untrusted web application hosted in a browser, provides content through an interface for playback by an application environment, such as an application environment running in a browser plug-in. Content may be in the form of elementary video, audio and/or script streams. The content is in a container that is unpackaged by the application code, whereby the content may be packaged in any format that the application understands, and/or or come from any source from which the application can download the container. An application environment component such as a platform-level media element receives information from an application that informs the application environment that the application is to provide media stream data for playback. The application environment requests media stream data (e.g., samples) from the application, receives them as processed by the application, and provides the requested media stream data for playback.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

receiving information from untrusted application-level code that informs an application environment that the untrusted application-level code is to provide media stream data for playback;

requesting at least some of the media stream data from the untrusted application-level code;

receiving the at least some of the media stream data from the untrusted application-level code as processed by the untrusted application-level code from a container associated with the untrusted application-level code; and

providing the received media stream data to a media pipeline for playback at a platform level component.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the untrusted application-level code comprises an application level component, and wherein receiving the information comprises receiving an API call from the application level component to the platform level component.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the information comprises receiving a communication from the untrusted application-level code that informs the application environment of media stream data availability.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeatedly requesting at least some other media stream data from the untrusted application-level code until detecting an event.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeatedly requesting at least some other media stream data from the untrusted application-level code until information is received from the untrusted application-level code that informs the application environment that the media stream data is exhausted.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeatedly requesting at least some other media stream data from the untrusted application-level code until information is received from the untrusted application-level code that informs the application environment of a stop or pause operation.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

repeatedly requesting at least some other media stream data from the untrusted application-level code until information is received from the untrusted application-level code that informs the application environment of a seek operation.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating information from the untrusted application-level code to the application environment that informs the application environment of an error encountered by the untrusted application-level code.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating information from the application environment to the untrusted application-level code that informs the untrusted application-level code of an error encountered by the application environment.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating information between the application environment and the untrusted application-level code indicating that a license for playing protected media data is required.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating information between the application environment and the untrusted application-level code indicating that a license for playing protected media data is required; and

communicating information from the untrusted application-level code to the application environment that provides the license for playing the protected media data, including any needed decryption data.

12. In a computing environment, a system comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor;

an application environment including a platform component implemented at least in part on the at least one processor; and

an application programming interface set configured to couple untrusted application-level code to the platform component, the untrusted application-level code configured to process a content container, including unpacking content from the container to provide at least some of the content to the platform component via communication with the application environment through application programming interface calls.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the content comprises media arranged as stream data, and wherein the untrusted application-level code instantiates a media stream source component from an instance of an abstract class.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the content comprises media arranged as stream data, and wherein the platform component comprises a media element.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the content comprises media arranged as stream data, and wherein the platform component requests samples of media from the untrusted application-level code.

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the untrusted application-level code downloads the container.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the application environment is configured to allow the untrusted application-level code to make at least one network request for video, audio or script stream data, or any combination of video, audio or script stream data.

18. A computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, which in response to execution by a computer, cause the computer to perform steps, comprising:

hosting untrusted code that downloads a container comprising media content in a format understood by the untrusted code, and unpacks the container;

communicating through a set of application programming interfaces with the untrusted code to request samples of the media content;

receiving the samples in response to the requests; and

providing the samples to a media pipeline for playback at a platform.

19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

communicating with the untrusted code, including receiving a notification of a desired seek operation, stop operation, pause operation, resume operation or an error, and in response, requesting that the untrusted code perform an action corresponding to the received notification.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 18 having further computer-executable instructions comprising:

requesting that the untrusted code open media prior to requesting the samples, receiving information from the untrusted code after receiving at least one sample that indicates that no further samples are available, and requesting that the untrusted code close the media.