System and Method for Online Multimedia Streaming Services

• US 20170054776A1
• Filed: 08/20/2015
• Published: 02/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Canada Co., Ltd (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dao, Ngoc-Dung, Li, Xu, Farmanbar, Hamidreza
• Granted Patent: US 10,270,834 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5067 Customer-centric QoS measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1089 by adding media; by removing media
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

An embodiment method for network optimization includes obtaining a first request to deliver a first data to a node in a network at a first data rate; obtaining a second request to deliver the first data to the node at a second data rate; and determining a flow decision schedule for a streaming session. The determining the flow decision schedule includes: scheduling a steady-state delivery period to deliver the first data at a steady-state data rate in accordance with the first data rate; and performing a best-effort allocation in accordance with the second data rate to determine a schedule for a supplemental delivery period, concurrent with at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period, to deliver the first data at a supplemental data rate.

Claims

1. A method for network optimization comprising:

obtaining a first request to deliver a first data to a node in a network at a first data rate;

obtaining a second request to deliver the first data to the node at a second data rate; and

determining a flow decision schedule for a streaming session, wherein the determining the flow decision schedule comprises;

scheduling a steady-state delivery period to deliver the first data at a steady-state data rate in accordance with the first data rate; and

performing a best-effort allocation in accordance with the second data rate to determine a schedule for a supplemental delivery period, concurrent with at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period, to deliver the first data at a supplemental data rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the obtaining the second request comprises determining a total requested data rate in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting for a streaming session for delivering the first data, and

the total requested data rate comprises a sum of the first data rate and the second data rate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the obtaining the second request comprises calculating the second data rate in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting for a streaming session for delivering the first data.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired rate variation level and an objective of decreasing rate variation,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period, and

an end time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as an end time of the steady-state delivery period.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired initial delay level and an objective of decreasing initial delay,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period and a start time for the streaming session, and

the supplemental delivery period comprises a startup period during which a buffer is filled to a playback threshold.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the flow decision schedule is updated during the steady-state delivery period to update at least one of the steady-state data rate, the steady-state delivery period, the supplemental data rate, and the supplemental delivery period.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired stall delay level, an objective of decreasing stall delay, a desired peak data rate, an objective of increasing peak data rate, a desired average data rate, and an objective of increasing average data rate.

8. The method of claim 3, wherein the second data rate is a pre-determined integer multiple of the first data rate.

9. The method of claim 3,

wherein the QoE setting comprises a desired initial delay level;

and

wherein the obtaining the second request is further in accordance with a threshold duration of buffered playback time, the obtaining the second request comprising;

determining a first ratio of the threshold duration divided by the desired initial delay level;

determining a first product of the first data rate multiplied by the first ratio;

determining a first difference of the first data rate subtracted from the first product; and

setting the second data rate to a level that is not less than the first difference.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the flow decision schedule occurs after a start time of the streaming session.

11. A method for multimedia networking comprising:

sending, by a network node, a request for delivery of a first data from an external media server at a first data rate and in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting; and

receiving first data in at least one data flow from the external media server during a streaming session, wherein

during a steady-state delivery period the at least one data flow has a steady-state data rate calculated by at least one external network component in accordance with the first data rate, and

during a supplemental delivery period the at least one data flow has a data rate comprising a sum of;

the steady-state data rate; and

a supplemental data rate determined by the at least one external network component in accordance with the QoE setting and a best-effort allocation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired rate variation level and an objective of decreasing rate variation,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period, and

an end time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as an end time of the steady-state delivery period.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired initial delay level and an objective of decreasing initial delay,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period and a start time for the streaming session, and

the supplemental delivery period comprises a startup period during which a buffer is filled to a playback threshold.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising notifying the external media server that the buffer has filled to the playback threshold at an end of the startup period.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired stall delay level, an objective of decreasing stall delay, a desired peak data rate, an objective of increasing peak data rate, a desired average data rate, and an objective of increasing average data rate.

16. The method of claim 11,

wherein the QoE setting comprises a desired initial delay level;

and

wherein the sending the request for delivery comprises sending at least one of a threshold duration of buffered playback time and a threshold data size of buffered playback data.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising sending streaming session information to the external media server, wherein the streaming session information comprises at least one of:

an amount of playback time elapsed;

an actual QoE level experienced during playback;

a notification when a playback buffer has sufficiently filled such that streaming playback has begun; and

a notification when a playback buffer has sufficiently filled such that streaming playback has resumed following a stall.

18. A media server comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing programming for execution by the at least one processor, the programming comprising instructions to;

receive, from an external network node, a first request to deliver a first data to the external network node at a first data rate and in accordance with a quality of experience (QoE) setting;

forward the first request to at least one external network component;

receive a flow decision schedule from the at least one external network component, wherein the flow decision schedule comprises;

a steady-state delivery period for delivering the first data at a steady-state data rate in accordance with the first data rate;

a supplemental delivery period, concurrent with at least a portion of the steady-state delivery period, for delivering the first data at a supplemental data rate; and

deliver the first data to the external network node during a streaming session in accordance with the flow decision schedule.

19. The media server of claim 18, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired rate variation level and an objective of decreasing rate variation,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period, and

an end time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as an end time of the steady-state delivery period.

20. The media server of claim 18, wherein

the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired initial delay level and an objective of decreasing initial delay,

a start time of the supplemental delivery period is the same as a start time of the steady-state delivery period and a start time for the streaming session, and

the supplemental delivery period comprises a startup period during which a buffer is filled to a playback threshold.

21. The media server of claim 18, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to:

receive an updated flow decision schedule during the steady-state delivery period to update at least one of the steady-state data rate, the steady-state delivery period, the supplemental data rate, and the supplemental delivery period.

22. The media server of claim 18, wherein the QoE setting comprises at least one of a desired stall delay level, an objective of decreasing stall delay, a desired peak data rate, an objective of increasing peak data rate, a desired average data rate, and an objective of increasing average data rate.

23. The media server of claim 18, wherein the programming further comprises instructions to receive the flow decision schedule after a start time of the streaming session.