Decoder buffer for streaming video receiver and method of operation

• US 6,629,318 B1
• Filed: 08/02/1999
• Issued: 09/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Video Streaming Solutions LLC (Acacia Research Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Radha, Hayder, Parthasarathy, Kavitha
• Primary Examiner(s): Faile, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US09/365,463
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 725/134, 725/142, 725/89, 725/94, 725/131, 714/746, 714/748, 714/749, 714/750, 370/394, 370/486, 370/487, 375/240-6-2, 348/419.1, 348/423.1
• US Class Current: 725/134
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6375 for requesting retransmission , e.g. of data packets lost or corrupted during transmission from serverARQ protocols H04L1/18; implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server

Abstract

There is disclosed a decoder buffer capable of receiving streaming video data packets and storing the data packets in a plurality of access units. Each of the access units holds at least one data packet associated with a selected frame in the streaming video. The decoder buffer comprises: 1) a first buffer region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are less immediately needed by the video decoder; and 2) a re-transmission region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are most immediately needed by the video decoder. The decoder buffer, in response to a detection of a missing data packet in the re-transmission region, requests that the streaming video transmitter retransmit the missing packet.

Claims

1. For use with a video decoder for decoding streaming video, a decoder buffer for receiving from a streaming video transmitter data packets comprising said streaming video and storing said data packets in a plurality of access units, each of said access units for holding at least one data packet associated with a selected frame in said streaming video, wherein said decoder buffer comprises:

a first buffer region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are less immediately needed by said video decoder; and

a re-transmission region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are most immediately needed by said video decoder, wherein said decoder buffer, in response to a detection of a missing data packet in said retransmission region requests that said streaming video transmitter retransmit said missing packet.

2. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 1 wherein at least one of said data packets are stored in said first buffer region for a period of time equal to a start-up delay time of said decoder buffer.

3. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 1 wherein said data packets are first stored in said first buffer region and are shifted into said re-transmission region.

4. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 1 wherein said first buffer region is separate from said re-transmission region.

5. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 1 wherein said first buffer region overlaps at least a portion of said re-transmission region.

6. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 5 wherein said first buffer region overlaps all of said re-transmission region.

7. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 1 wherein said first buffer region is separated from said re-transmission region by a second buffer region in which a late data packet is late with respect to an expected time of arrival of said late data packet, but is not sufficiently late to require a re-transmission of said late data packet.

8. A receiver for receiving encoded streaming data comprising:

a device for at least one of;

     1) displaying streaming video data associated with said encoded streaming data and

     2) audibly playing streaming audio data associated with said encoded streaming data;

a decoder for decoding said encoded streaming data; and

a decoder buffer for receiving from a streaming data transmitter data packets comprising said encoded streaming data and storing said data packets in a plurality of access units, each of said access units for holding at least one data packet associated with a selected portion of said encoded streaming data, wherein said decoder buffer comprises;

a first buffer region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are less immediately needed by said decoder; and

a re-transmission region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are most needed by said decoder, wherein said decoder buffer, in response to a detection of a missing data packet in said re-transmission region requests that said streaming video transmitter retransmit said missing packet.

9. The receiver set forth in claim 8 wherein at least one of said data packets are stored in said first buffer region for a period of time equal to a start-up delay time of said decoder buffer.

10. The receiver set forth in claim 8 wherein said data packets are first stored in said first buffer region and are shifted into said re transmission region.

11. The receiver set forth in claim 8 wherein said first buffer region is separate from said re-transmission region.

12. The receiver set forth in claim 8 wherein said first buffer region overlaps at least a portion of said re-transmission region.

13. The receiver set forth in claim 12 wherein said first buffer region overlaps all of said re-transmission region.

14. The receiver set forth in claim 8 wherein said first buffer region is separated from said retransmission region by a second buffer region in which a late data packet is late with respect to an expected time of arrival of said late data packet, but is not sufficiently late to require a re-transmission of said late data packet.

15. For use with a video decoder capable of decoding streaming video, a method for buffering the streaming video comprising the steps of:

receiving from a streaming video transmitter data packets comprising the streaming video and storing the data packets in a plurality of access units in a decoder buffer, each of the access units for holding at least one data packet associated with a selected frame in the streaming video;

storing data packets that are less immediately needed by the video decoder in a first buffer region of the decoder buffer comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets; and

storing data packets that are most immediately needed by the video decoder in a re-transmission region of the decoder buffer comprising at least one access unit, wherein the decoder buffer, in response to a detection of a missing data packet in the re-transmission region, requests that the streaming video transmitter retransmit the missing packet.

16. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 15 wherein at least one of the data packets are stored in the first buffer region for a period of time equal to a start-up delay time of the decoder buffer.

17. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 15 wherein the data packets are first stored in the first buffer region and are shifted into the re-transmission region.

18. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 15 wherein the first buffer region is separate from the re-transmission region.

19. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 15 wherein the first buffer region overlaps at least a portion of the re-transmission region.

20. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 19 wherein the first buffer region overlaps all of the re-transmission region.

21. The decoder buffer set forth in claim 15 wherein the first buffer region is separated from the re-transmission region by a second buffer region in which a late data packet is late with respect to an expected time of arrival of the late data packet, but is not sufficiently late to require a re-transmission of the late data packet.