SEEKING IN LIVE-TRANSCODED VIDEOS

• US 20190069006A1
• Filed: 08/29/2017
• Published: 02/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Western Digital Technologies Incorporated (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: RACHABATHUNI, Sailesh
• Application Number:
  US15/689,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20190069006A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234336 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures or audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2747 Remote storage of video programs received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content

Abstract

Systems and methods for implementing seeking functionality in a live-transcoding environment provide a computing device that includes input/output (I/O) circuitry, a memory module storing a media player program, and control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to connect to a data storage server over a network connection, send a first request to the data storage server for a video file, the first request including a first timestamp parameter, receive a first transcoded video stream from the server, present the first transcoded video stream and a video presentation interface associated with the media player program to a user, present a custom seek bar to the user, receive seeking input associated with the custom seek bar, the seeking input indicating a second time associated with the video file, and send a second request to the data storage server for the video file including a second timestamp parameter indicating the second time.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

input/output (I/O) circuitry;

a memory module configured to store a media player program;

a network interface; and

control circuitry coupled to the memory module, to the I/O circuitry, and to the network interface, and configured to;

connect to a data storage server over a network connection using the network interface;

send a first request to the data storage server for a video file, the first request including a first timestamp parameter indicating a first time associated with the video file;

receive a first live-transcoded video stream from the data storage server, the first live-transcoded video stream corresponding to the first time;

present, using the I/O circuitry, a video presentation interface associated with the media player program without a native seek bar element associated with the media player program;

present, using the I/O circuitry, the first live-transcoded video stream in a video display window of the video presentation interface;

present, using the I/O circuitry, a custom seek bar;

receive seeking input associated with the custom seek bar using the I/O circuitry, the seeking input indicating a second time associated with the video file; and

send, to the data storage server, a second request including a second timestamp parameter indicating the second time.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to hide the native seek bar element.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to hide the native seek bar element by initiating the media player program without controls.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to draw the custom seek bar in the video display window of the video presentation interface.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first time is associated with a start time of the video file.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to:

request a file list from the data storage server; and

determine a location of the video file based on the file list;

wherein the first request and the second request both further include the location of the video file.

5. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

9. A network-attached storage device (NAS) comprising:

a non-volatile memory module configured to store a video file;

a network interface; and

control circuitry coupled to the non-volatile memory module and to the network interface and configured to;

connect to a client over a network connection using the network interface;

receive a first request for the video file from the client, the first request including a first timestamp parameter indicating a first time associated with the video file;

retrieve at least a portion of the video file from the non-volatile memory module;

live-transcode a first portion of the video file starting at the first time of the video file that corresponds to the first timestamp parameter to generate a first live-transcoded video stream;

send the first live-transcoded video stream to the client;

receive a second request for the video file from the client, the second request including a second timestamp parameter indicating a second time associated with the video file;

live-transcode a second portion of the video file starting at the second time of the video file that corresponds to the second timestamp parameter to generate a second live-transcoded video stream; and

send the second live-transcoded video stream to the client.

10. The NAS of claim 9, further comprising hardware transcoder circuitry, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to generate the first live-transcoded video stream and the second live-transcoded video stream at least in part using the hardware transcoder circuitry.

11. The NAS of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to the first request, initiate a first transcoder process, wherein said live-transcoding the portion of the video file is directed at least in part by the first transcoder process.

12. The NAS of claim 11, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to, in response to the second request:

end the first transcoder process; and

initiate a second transcoder process.

13. The NAS of claim 9, wherein the NAS does not maintain pre-transcoded video data associated with the video file.

14. A method of presenting video content to a user, the method comprising:

connecting a computing device to a data storage server over a network connection using a network interface of the computing device;

sending a first request to the data storage server for a video file using the network interface, the first request including a first timestamp parameter indicating a first time associated with the video file;

receiving a first live-transcoded video stream from the data storage server, the first live-transcoded video stream corresponding to the first time;

initiating a media player program stored in a memory module of the computing device without a native seek bar element associated with the media player program;

presenting, to a user using input/output (I/O) circuitry of the computing device, the first live-transcoded video stream in a media presentation interface associated with the media player program;

presenting a custom seek bar to the user using the I/O circuitry;

receiving, from the user using the I/O circuitry, seeking input associated with the custom seek bar, the seeking input indicating a second time associated with the video file; and

sending, to the data storage server, a second request including a second timestamp parameter indicating the second time.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said initiating the media play program without the native seek bar element comprises initiating the media player program without controls.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising drawing the custom seek bar in the media presentation interface.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the first time is associated with a start time of the video file.

15. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

20. (canceled)