System and method for on-demand video serving from magnetic tape using disk leader files
First Claim
1. A method for use in a computer system to serve a file having a leader and a remainder in response to a request, comprising:
- prestoring said leader prior to said request in a first playback system;
playing back said prestored leader in response to said request;
queuing said remainder in response to and during said playing of said leader in response to a command;
transferring said queued remainder to said first playback system from a second playback system having a latency greater than said first play system; and
playing back said queued remainder in response to said playing back of said leader.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for delivering cost-reduced, low latency, wider variety video-on-demand for digitized motion pictures. Leader files stored in disk array are accessible quickly for viewing in response to the user'"'"'s selection, thereby providing low latency time from the initial request to the viewing of the leader. The remainder of the digitized movie files are stored in a robotic tape library archive system having greater access time than disk array storage but at significantly reduced storage cost. During the viewing of the leader from the rapidly accessible disk array, the remainder of a selection is accessed at a slower rate on tape and transferred to disk for viewing seamlessly at conclusion of the leader. The hybrid rapidly accessible disk storage of leader and cost effective bulk storage on tape of the remainder of selections provides both low latency and significant storage cost reduction, thereby increasing the number of video selections which may be offered.
-
Citations
42 Claims
-
1. A method for use in a computer system to serve a file having a leader and a remainder in response to a request, comprising:
-
prestoring said leader prior to said request in a first playback system; playing back said prestored leader in response to said request; queuing said remainder in response to and during said playing of said leader in response to a command; transferring said queued remainder to said first playback system from a second playback system having a latency greater than said first play system; and playing back said queued remainder in response to said playing back of said leader. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
-
-
21. A method for serving a file having a leader and remainder in a digital computer system comprising:
-
estimating said leader; importing said file into said system as a leader file and remainder file, said remainder file being imported to a second storage having a second latency, and said leader file being imported to a first storage having a first latency less than said second latency; receiving a request to retrieve said file; determining that said file is stored on said first and said second storage; generating a reservation request to said second storage for said remainder file; determining a play time and delay time; comparing said play time and delay time; and in response to said comparing, playing said leader if said delay time is substantially equal to or less than said play time; and rejecting said playing if said delay time is greater than said play time.
-
-
22. Apparatus for serving files each having a leader and remainder in a digital computer system comprising:
-
control server means for cataloging said files; tape library means for storing and playing back at a second latency a plurality of said remainders each corresponding to a different one said file; video server file system means including; disk array means for storing and playing back at a first latency a plurality of said leaders each corresponding to a different one of said remainders; and data pump means for receiving a said leader and a corresponding said remainder and transmitting seamlessly said leader and said remainder; and video archive server means for retrieving selected ones of said remainders from said tape library means and transmitting said selected ones of said remainders for storage and playback by said disk array means.
-
-
23. Apparatus for use in a computer system to serve a file having a leader and a remainder in response to a request, comprising:
-
means for prestoring said leader prior to said request in a first playback system; means for playing back said prestored leader in response to said request; means for queuing said remainder in response to and during said playing of said leader; means for transferring in response to a command, said queued remainder to said first playback system from a second playback system having a latency greater than said first playback system; and means for playing back said queued remainder in response to said playing back of said leader. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
-
Specification