Endpoint Information for Network VQM

• US 20150015722A1
• Filed: 07/11/2013
• Published: 01/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wildfeuer, Herbert Michael, Lin, Da, Hu, Jing
• Granted Patent: US 9,674,515 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/192
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• 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 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101
• 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

Abstract

Video quality management (VQM) may be provided. First, transmitter metrics corresponding to a video stream may be determined by a transmitting endpoint. The determined transmitter metrics may then be transmitted from the transmitting end point and received by a receiver. The receiver may then determine receiver metrics for a video stream received at the receiver. A quality score may then be determined by the receiver. The quality score may be based on the received transmitter metrics and the determined receiver metrics.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a receiver, transmitter metrics corresponding to a video stream;

determining, by the receiver, receiver metrics for the video stream received at the receiver; and

determining, by the receiver, a quality score based on the received transmitter metrics and the determined receiver metrics.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics on a per video segment basis of the video stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics on a per video segment basis of the video stream wherein the transmitter metrics comprise a measure of compressed quality of a video segment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics on a per video segment basis of the video stream wherein the transmitter metrics comprise a measure of quality degradation due to packet losses as a function of packet loss rate and burstiness.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics on a per video segment basis of the video stream wherein the transmitter metrics comprise a measure of quality degradation due to delay and jitter in this video segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics on a per video packet basis of the video stream.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics on a per video packet basis of the video stream wherein the transmitter metrics comprise a measure of quality degradation of a video packet when at least one neighboring packet of the video pack is lost.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics from a transmitting endpoint located in a service provider head end.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the transmitter metrics comprises receiving the transmitter metrics from a transmitting endpoint comprising one of the following:

a server, a network switch, and a router.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the determined transmitter metrics comprises receiving the determined transmitter metrics in at least one of the following:

in at least one Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) header extension in the video stream and in at least one Session Traversal Utilities for NAT (STUN) UDP packet in the video stream.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving by the receiver comprises receiving by the receiver wherein the receiver comprises one of the following:

a server, a network switch, a router, and a user device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the receiver metrics for the video stream received at the receiver comprises determining the receiver metrics wherein the video stream is encrypted.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the receiver metrics for the video stream received at the receiver comprises determining the receiver metrics comprising a measured packet loss corresponding to the video stream at the receiver.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the receiver metrics for the video stream received at the receiver comprises determining the receiver metrics comprising a measure of delay and jitter corresponding to the video stream at the receiver.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the quality score comprises determining the quality score to be a compressed quality of a video segment in the video stream when the determined receiver metrics corresponding to the video segment in the video stream indicate that the receiver observes no packet loss, no delay, and no jitter in the video segment.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the quality score comprises determining the quality score to be a compressed quality of a video segment in the video stream subtracted by a measure of quality degradation due to packet losses when the receiver observes packet loss and is able to obtain packet loss statistics in terms of average packet loss rate and average packet loss burst length.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the quality score comprises determining the quality score to be a compressed quality of a video segment in the video stream subtracted by a measure of quality degradation due to at least one neighboring packet of a video pack in the video segment being lost when the receiver observes packet loss and is able to spend cycles to perform a calculation per lost packet.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the quality score comprises determining the quality score to be a compressed quality of a video segment in the video stream subtracted by a measure of quality degradation due to delay and jitter in the video segment when the receiver observes packet delay and jitter.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the calculated quality score to determine Quality of Service (QoS) corresponding to the receiver.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising making an adjustment to the receiver to improve quality based on the calculated quality score.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a memory storage; and

a processing unit coupled to the memory storage, wherein the processing unit is operative to;

receive transmitter metrics corresponding to a video stream;

determine receiver metrics for the received video stream; and

determine a quality score based on the received transmitter metrics and the determined receiver metrics.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processing unit being operative to receive the transmitter metrics comprises the processing unit being operative to receive the transmitter metrics from a transmitting endpoint.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processing unit being operative to determine the receiver metrics for the video stream comprises the processing unit being operative to determine the receiver metrics comprising at least one of the following:

a measured packet loss corresponding to the video stream at the receiver and a measure of delay and jitter corresponding to the video stream at the receiver.

24. A computer-readable medium that stores a set of instructions which when executed perform a method executed by the set of instructions comprising:

receiving transmitter metrics corresponding to a video stream;

determining receiver metrics for the received video stream; and

determining a quality score based on the received transmitter metrics and the determined receiver metrics.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein determining the receiver metrics for the received video stream comprises determining the receiver metrics wherein the video stream is encrypted.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein determining the receiver metrics for the received video stream comprises determining the receiver metrics comprising a measured packet loss corresponding to the video stream at the receiver.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein determining the receiver metrics for the received video stream comprises determining the receiver metrics comprising a measure of delay and jitter corresponding to the video stream at the receiver.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein determining the quality score comprises determining the quality score comprising an estimated Mean Opinion Score (MOS).

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, further comprising using the calculated quality score to do at least one of the following:

determine Quality of Service (QoS) corresponding to a receiver and adjust the receiver to improve quality based on the calculated quality score.