Transcoding audio data by a proxy computer on behalf of a client computer

• US 6,496,868 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2001
• Issued: 12/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Logue, Jay D., Krueger, Mark H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/953,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20020013812A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200-203, 709/217-219, 709/227-229, 709/231-235, 709/246-247, 370/235-236, 704/500-504
• US Class Current: 709/247
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42059 Making use of the calling party identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• 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 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2356 by altering the spatial resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25875 involving end-user authentication restricting access to computer systems by authenticating users using a predetermined code G06F21/33; arrangements for secret or secure communication including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system H04L9/32; networks authentication protocols H04L63/08; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 : Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 : Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 : End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8166 : involving executable data, e.g. software arrangements for executing specific programs G06F9/44; broadcasting computer programmes in broadcast systems H04H20/91; involving the movement of software or configuration parameters H04L67/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/602 : for digital sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 : the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

A proxy server transcodes audio data on behalf of a client computer prior to transmitting the audio data to the client computer. In response to a request from the client computer, the proxy server obtains the audio data from a remote server. If the proxy server determines that transcoding is appropriate, the proxy server transcodes the audio data and transmits the transcoded audio data to the client computer. Transcoding can include changing the type of the audio file, compressing the audio data, reducing the number of audio channels, or reducing the data sampling rate. The proxy server determines the extent and type of transcoding based on file formats that the client computer can process, the size of the requested audio file, the memory capacity of the client computer, the bandwidth of the connection between the proxy server and the client computer, and the desired level of audio quality.

Claims

1. In a proxy computer having a connection to a client computer, a method of transcoding audio data by the proxy computer on behalf of the client computer, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining audio data from a remote server on behalf of a client computer;

determining whether the obtained audio data is to be transcoded by the proxy computer;

if it is determined that the audio data is to be transcoded, transcoding the audio data prior to transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer;

and

transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of converting the audio data from stereo to mono.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of converting an audio format of the audio data from a first format to a second format.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of reducing a sample rate associated with the audio data.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of compressing the audio data.

6. In a proxy computer having a connection to a client computer, a method of transcoding audio data by the proxy computer on behalf of the client computer, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining audio data from a remote server on behalf of a client computer;

determining whether the obtained audio data is to be transcoded by the proxy computer based on at least one capability of the client computer;

if it is determined that the audio data is to be transcoded, transcoding the audio data prior to transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer; and

transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer.

7. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one capability of the client computer comprises audio formats that the client computer is configured to process.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein:

it is determined that the audio data is to be transcoded if an audio format of the audio data is not included in the audio formats that the client computer is configured to process; and

the act of transcoding comprises converting the audio format of the audio data to another audio format that is included in the audio formats that the client computer is configured to process.

9. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one capability of the client computer comprises a memory capacity of the client computer.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein:

it is determined that the memory capacity of the client computer is not sufficient to store the audio data if the audio data were to be transmitted to the client computer without transcoding; and

the act of transcoding comprises compressing the audio data so as to reduce the amount of the audio data that is transmitted to the client computer.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein:

it is determined that the memory capacity of the client computer is not sufficient to store the audio data if the audio data were to be transmitted to the client computer without transcoding; and

the act of transcoding comprises reducing a sample rate associated with the audio data so as to reduce the amount of the audio data that is transmitted to the client computer.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein:

it is determined that the memory capacity of the client computer is not sufficient to store the audio data if the audio data were to be transmitted to the client computer without transcoding; and

the act of transcoding comprises converting the audio data from stereo to mono so as to reduce the amount of the audio data that is transmitted to the client computer.

13. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one capability of the client computer comprises a bandwidth of a connection between the proxy computer and the client computer.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

it is determined that the bandwidth is not sufficient to transmit the audio data to the client computer without introducing unacceptable latency if the audio data were to be transmitted to the client computer without transcoding; and

the act of transcoding comprises compressing the audio data so as to enable the audio data to be transmitted to the client computer using the bandwidth of the connection.

15. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

it is determined that the bandwidth is not sufficient to transmit the audio data to the client computer without introducing unacceptable latency if the audio data were to be transmitted to the client computer without transcoding; and

the act of transcoding comprises reducing a sample rate associated with the audio data so as to enable the audio data to be transmitted to the client computer using the bandwidth of the connection.

16. A method as recited in claim 13, wherein:

it is determined that the bandwidth is not sufficient to transmit the audio data to the client computer without introducing unacceptable latency if the audio data were to be transmitted to the client computer without transcoding; and

the act of transcoding comprises converting the audio data from stereo to mono so as to enable the audio data to be transmitted to the client computer using the bandwidth of the connection.

17. A method as recited in claim 6, wherein the at least one capability of the client computer comprises the capability of the client computer to render audio data in mono but not in stereo.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the act of transcoding comprises converting the audio data from stereo to mono.

19. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising the act of transmitting the audio data to the client computer without transcoding if it has been determined, based on the at least one capability of the client computer, that the obtained audio data is not to be transcoded by the proxy computer.

20. A method as recited in claim 6, further comprising, if the act of transcoding the audio data is performed, the act of informing the client computer of a type of transcoding that has been used to transcode the audio data, so as to permit the client computer to process the transcoded audio data.

21. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the acts of receiving a request for an audio file from the client computer, wherein the audio file includes the audio data and wherein the act of obtaining the audio data comprises the acts of:

requesting the audio file from the remote server in response to the request from the client; and

receiving the requested audio file from the remote server in response to the act of requesting.

22. In a proxy computer having a connection to a client computer, a method of transcoding audio data by the proxy computer on behalf of the client computer, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining audio data from remote server on behalf of a client computer;

determining whether, if the audio data were to be rendered without transcoding, the audio data would result in an audio quality that is greater than an audio quality that is desired or required at the client computer;

if it is determined that, if the audio data were to be rendered without transcoding, the audio data would result in an audio quality that is greater than an audio quality that is desired or required at the client computer, transcoding the audio data such the amount of audio data is reduced and the audio quality is also reduced; and

transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of converting the audio data from stereo to mono.

24. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of converting an audio format of the audio data from a first format to a second format.

25. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of reducing a sample rate associated with the audio data.

26. A method as described in claim 22, wherein the act of transcoding the audio data comprises the act of compressing the audio data.

27. A proxy computer capable of establishing a connection to a client computer over a network, the proxy computer comprising:

means for obtaining audio data from a remote server on behalf of the client computer;

means for determining whether the obtained audio data is to be transcoded by the proxy computer based on at least one capability of the client computer;

means for transcoding the audio data prior to transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer if it is determined that the audio data is to be transcoded; and

means for transmitting the audio data from the proxy computer to the client computer.

28. A proxy computer as recited in claim 27, wherein the means for transcoding are at least capable of converting the audio data from stereo to mono.

29. A proxy computer as recited in claim 27, wherein the means for transcoding are at least capable of converting an audio format of the audio data from a first format to a second format.

30. A proxy computer as recited in claim 27, wherein the means for transcoding are at least capable of reducing a sample rate associated with the audio data.

31. A proxy computer as recited in claim 27, wherein the means for transcoding are at least capable of compressing the audio data.