Low-Latency Streaming

• US 20150334153A1
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke KPN NV
• Inventors: Koster, Arian, Van Brandenburg, Ray, Van Deventer, Mattijs Oskar, Schinkel, Dolf, Thomas, Emmanuel
• Granted Patent: US 10,439,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1059 End-user terminal functionalities specially adapted for real-time communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

Method and systems for enabling low-latency streaming of segments over at least one network to a client are described wherein said client is configured to request and receive segments from at least one server on the basis of a manifest file. Said method comprises: collecting quality of service information experienced by said client in at least a part of said network and storing said quality of service information in a quality database in said network; sending at least part of said quality of service information to said content processing device; determining on the basis of said at least part of said quality of service information one or more configuration parameters for a buffer, preferably a play-out buffer; and/or, for a segment request function in said content processing device; and, configuring said buffer and/or, said segment request function in accordance with said configuration parameters.

Claims

1. Method for enabling low-latency streaming of segments via a network to a client, preferably a HAS client, in a content processing device, said client being configured to request and receive segments from a server system on the basis of a manifest file, said method comprising:

a monitoring system in said network collecting quality metrics associated with one or more streaming paths between said client and one or more streaming servers in said server system and storing said quality metrics in a quality database in said network; and

,

providing the content processing device with at least part of said stored quality metrics or with quality of service information determined on the basis of at least part of said stored quality metrics and/or one or more configuration parameters,

on the basis of at least part of said quality metrics or said quality of service information or said configuration parameters, a configuration module in said content processing device configuring a buffer, preferably a play-out buffer, in said content processing device; and

/or, a segment request function in said content processing device.

2. Method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining said one or more configuration parameters for said configuration module on the basis of said at least part of said quality metrics, said one or more configuration parameters comprising;

at least one buffer size parameter, preferably a minBufferTime parameter, for determining the size of the buffer before play-out of data in said buffer is started; and

/or,

at least one segment request parameter, preferably asegmentStartOffset parameter, for determining the first segment selected from the segments identified in said manifest file that the segment request function will request from said streaming server.

3. Method according to claim 1 comprising:

determining said quality of service information on the basis of said quality metrics, said quality of service information defining one or more QoS levels, wherein said one or more QoS levels comprise at least at least a low latency level associated with one or more (preconfigured) configuration parameters for configuring the client in a low-latency mode and a high latency level associated with one or more (preconfigured) configuration parameters for configuring the client in a high-latency mode.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least part of said one or more configuration parameters and/or said quality of service information is determined by said monitoring system and stored in said quality database.

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein said providing comprises sending said at least part of said quality metrics, and/or said one or more configuration parameters and/or said quality of service information to said content processing device.

6. Method according to claim 5 wherein said providing comprises:

a client requesting at least part of a manifest file or a manifest file update from said server system;

said server system retrieving said at least part of said quality metrics, said one or more configuration parameters and/or said quality of service information from said quality database and sending a manifest file comprising said at least part of said quality metrics, said one or more configuration parameters and/or said quality of service information to said client.

7. Method according to claim 5 wherein at least part of said quality metrics, said one or more configuration parameters and/or said quality of service information is sent over a (HAS) streaming control channel, preferably a Websocket-based streaming control channel, to said client.

8. Method according to claim 7 comprising:

providing said client with channel set-up information for setting up a (bi-directional) streaming control channel between said server system and said client, preferably said streaming control channel being a Websocket streaming control channel;

establishing said (bi-directional) streaming control channel on the basis of said channel set-up information.

9. Method according to claim 1 comprising:

at least a first monitoring agent in said content processing device collecting first metrics associated with said content processing device; and

/or, at least a second monitoring agent in said network collecting second metrics associated with at least part of said network;

on the basis of said first and/or second metrics said monitoring system determining quality metrics associated with one or more streaming paths between said one or more streaming servers in said server system and said client; and

, storing said quality metrics in said quality database.

15. Computer program product, a computer program product comprising software code portions configured for, when run in the memory of a computer, executing the method steps according to claim 1.

10. A content delivery system for enabling low-latency streaming of segments over at least one network to a content processing device, said system comprising:

a content processing device comprising a client, preferably a HAS client, wherein said client is configured to request and receive segments from one or more streaming servers on the basis of a manifest file;

said content processing device further configured for being provided with at least part of said stored quality metrics or with quality of service information determined on the basis of at least part of said stored quality metrics and/or one or more configuration parameters,

a monitoring system configured for collecting quality metrics associated with associated with one or more paths between said client and said one or more streaming servers and storing said quality metrics in a quality database in said network; and

,

a configuration module in said content processing device for configuring a buffer, preferably a play-out buffer, in said content processing device; and

/or, for configuring a segment request function in said content processing device on the basis of at least part of said quality metrics, and/or said quality of service information, and/or said configuration parameters.

11. A configuration module for use in a content processing device, said configuration module being configured for enabling low-latency streaming to a client, preferably a HAS client, in said content processing device, wherein said client is configured to request and receive segments from one or more streaming servers in a server system on the basis of a manifest file, wherein said configuration module is further configured for:

configuring a buffer, preferably a play-out buffer, in said content processing device; and

/or, a segment request function in said content processing device on the basis of quality metrics, and/or on the basis of quality of service information determined on the basis of at least part of said stored quality metrics and/or on the basis of one or more configuration parameters, and wherein said quality metrics are associated with one or more streaming paths between said client and one or more streaming servers in said server system and wherein said quality metrics are collected by a monitoring system in said network and stored in a quality database in said network.

12. A configuration module according to claim 11,

wherein said buffer is configured on the basis of one or more configuration parameters, preferably a minBufferTime parameter, for determining the size of the buffer before play-out of data in said buffer is stated;

and/or,

wherein said segment request function is configured on the basis of one or more configuration parameters, preferably a segmentStartOffset parameter, for determining the first segment selected from the segments identified in said manifest file that the segment request function will request from said streaming server.

13. A monitoring system for monitoring quality metrics associated with a streaming path in a network between a HAS client in a content processing device and a streaming sever, said monitoring system comprising:

means for collecting device metrics associated with said content processing device and network metrics associated with at least part of said network from one or more monitoring agents;

means for determining quality metrics associated with a streaming path on the basis of on the basis of said device and network metrics;

means for determining one or more configuration parameters for a configuration module in said content processing device on the basis of said at least part of said quality metrics, said one or more configuration parameters comprising;

at least one buffer size parameter, preferably a minBufferTime parameter, for determining the size of the buffer before play-out of data in said buffer is started; and

/or, at least one segment request parameter, preferably asegmentStartOffset parameter, for determining the first segment selected from the segments identified in said manifest file that the segment request function will request from said streaming server.

14. A data structure, preferably at least part of a manifest file for use by a client in a content processing device, wherein said client is configured to request and receive segments from at least one server on the basis of said manifest file, said data structure enabling low-latency streaming to said client, said data structure comprising one or more segment identifiers and segment play-out information;

and wherein said data structure further comprises;

quality metrics, and/or quality of service information comprising one or more QoS levels associated with a streaming path between said client and a streaming server, said quality metrics and/or said quality of service information enabling a configuration module associated with said client to determine one or more configuration parameters for a buffer, preferably a play-out buffer; and

/or, for a segment request function in said content processing device; and

/or said data structure further comprising one or more configuration parameters associated with a streaming path between said client and a streaming server, said one or more configuration parameters enabling a configuration module associated with said client configure a buffer, preferably a play-out buffer; and

/or, a segment request function in said content processing device.