System and method for controlling the delay budget of a decoder buffer in a streaming data receiver

• US 6,700,893 B1
• Filed: 11/15/1999
• Issued: 03/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Loguinov, Dmitri, Radha, Hayder
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robustelli, Michael E.
• Application Number:
  US09/440,622
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/235, 370/236, 370/237, 370/252, 370/253, 370/412, 370/428, 370/429, 370/465, 370/468, 709/223, 709/224, 709/225, 709/238, 714/748, 714/749
• US Class Current: 370/412
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2381 Adapting the multiplex stream to a specific network, e.g. an Internet Protocol [IP] network transmission of MPEG streams over ATM H04L12/5601
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• 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 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/654 Transmission by server directed to the client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server

Abstract

There is disclosed a delay budget controller for use with a decoder buffer that receives streaming data packets over a data network from a streaming transmitter and stores the data packets in a plurality of access units for subsequent retrieval by a streaming data decoder. The delay budget controller comprises 1) a first controller for monitoring at least one network parameter associated with the data network; and 2) a second controller for monitoring in the decoder buffer a delay budget region comprising a sequence of access units that are about to be accessed sequentially by the data decoder. The delay budget region comprises a retransmission region and a late region separated by a temporal boundary, wherein the second controller detects missing data packets in the retransmission region and the late region and, in response to detection of a missing data packet in the retransmission region, transmits a retransmission request for the missing data packet to the streaming transmitter. The second controller adjusts the temporal boundary to thereby advance or retard the transmission of the retransmission request.

Claims

1. For use with a decoder buffer capable of receiving streaming data packets over a data network from a streaming transmitter and storing said data packets in a plurality of access units for subsequent retrieval by a streaming data decoder, a delay budget controller comprising:

a first controller capable of monitoring at least one network parameter associated with said data network;

a second controller capable of monitoring in said decoder buffer a delay budget region comprising a sequence of access units that are to be accessed sequentially by said data decoder, said delay budget region comprising a retransmission region and a late region separated by a temporal boundary, wherein said second controller detects missing data packets in said retransmission region and said late region and, in response to detection of a missing data packet in said retransmission region, transmits a retransmission request for said missing data packet to said streaming transmitter, and wherein said second controller is capable of adjusting said temporal boundary to thereby advance or retard said transmission of said retransmission request.

2. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 1 wherein said second controller adjusts said temporal boundary in response to a measured value of said at least one network parameter.

3. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 2 wherein said at least one network parameter comprises a round trip delay period associated with said retransmission request.

4. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 3 wherein said at least one network parameter comprises a delay jitter associated with a variation in transmission delay from said streaming transmitter to said decoder buffer.

5. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 2 wherein said at least one network parameter comprises an available bandwidth value associated with a communication channel between said streaming data transmitter and said decoder buffer.

6. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 2 wherein said first and second controllers are capable of determining a probability that a packet that is identified as lost by said first and second controllers is actually lost.

7. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 6 wherein said second controller adjusts said temporal boundary in response to a value of said probability.

8. The delay budget controller set forth in claim 2 wherein said first controller is capable of adjusting a second temporal boundary associated with said delay budget region to thereby increase or decrease a duration of said delay budget region.

9. A video system comprising:

a decoder buffer capable of receiving streaming video packets over a data network from a streaming video transmitter and storing said video packets in a plurality of access units for subsequent retrieval;

a delay budget controller comprising;

a first controller capable of monitoring at least one network parameter associated with said data network;

a second controller capable of monitoring in said decoder buffer a delay budget region comprising a sequence of access units that are to be accessed sequentially, said delay budget region comprising a retransmission region and a late region separated by a temporal boundary, wherein said second controller detects missing video packets in said retransmission region and said late region and, in response to detection of a missing video packet in said retransmission region, transmits a retransmission request for said missing video packet to said streaming transmitter, and wherein said second controller is capable of adjusting said temporal boundary to thereby advance or retard said transmission of said retransmission request;

a video decoder capable of retrieving said video packets from said decoder buffer and decoding said video packets; and

a display device coupled to said video decoder for displaying said decoded video packets.

10. The video system set forth in claim 9 wherein said second controller adjusts said temporal boundary in response to a measured value of said at least one network parameter.

11. The video system set forth in claim 10 wherein said at least one network parameter comprises a round trip delay period associated with said retransmission request.

12. The video system set forth in claim 11 wherein said at least one network parameter comprises a delay jitter associated with a variation in transmission delay from said streaming transmitter to said decoder buffer.

13. The video system set forth in claim 10 wherein said at least one network parameter comprises an available bandwidth value associated with a communication channel between said streaming video transmitter and said decoder buffer.

14. The video system set forth in claim 10 wherein said first and second controllers are capable of determining a probability that a packet that is identified as lost by said first and second controllers is actually lost.

15. The video system set forth in claim 14 wherein said second controller adjusts said temporal boundary in response to a value of said probability.

16. The video system set forth in claim 10 wherein said first controller is capable of adjusting a second temporal boundary associated with said delay budget region to thereby increase or decrease a duration of said delay budget region.

17. For use with a decoder buffer capable of receiving streaming data packets over a data network from a streaming transmitter and storing the data packets in a plurality of access units for subsequent retrieval by a streaming data decoder, a method of controlling retransmission requests associated with lost ones of the data packets comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one network parameter associated with the data network;

monitoring in the decoder buffer a delay budget region comprising a sequence of access units that are to be accessed sequentially by the data decoder, the delay budget region comprising a retransmission region and a late region separated by a temporal boundary;

detecting missing data packets in the retransmission region and the late region;

in response to detection of a missing data packet in the retransmission region, transmitting a retransmission request for the missing data packet to the streaming transmitter; and

adjusting the temporal boundary to thereby advance or retard the transmission of the retransmission request.

18. The method set forth in claim 17 wherein the temporal boundary is adjusted in response to a measured value of the at least one network parameter.

19. The method set forth in claim 18 wherein the at least one network parameter comprises a round trip delay period associated with the retransmission request.

20. The method set forth in claim 19 wherein the at least one network parameter comprises a delay jitter associated with a variation in transmission delay from the streaming transmitter to the decoder buffer.

21. The method set forth in claim 18 wherein the at least one network parameter comprises an available bandwidth value associated with a communication channel between the streaming data transmitter and the decoder buffer.

22. The method set forth in claim 18 including the further step of determining a probability that a packet that is identified as lost is actually lost.

23. The method set forth in claim 22 wherein the step of adjusting the temporal boundary is in response to a value of the probability.

24. The method set forth in claim 18 including the further step of adjusting a second temporal boundary associated with the delay budget region to thereby increase or decrease a duration of the delay budget region.

25. For use with a decoder buffer capable of receiving streaming data packets over a data network from a streaming transmitter and storing the data packets in a plurality of access units for subsequent retrieval by a streaming data decoder, computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium for controlling retransmission requests associated with lost ones of the data packets comprising the steps of:

monitoring at least one network parameter associated with the data network;

monitoring in the decoder buffer a delay budget region comprising a sequence of access units that are to be accessed sequentially by the data decoder, the delay budget region comprising a retransmission region and a late region separated by a temporal boundary;

detecting missing data packets in the retransmission region and the late region;

in response to detection of a missing data packet in the retransmission region, transmitting a retransmission request for the missing data packet to the streaming transmitter; and

adjusting the temporal boundary to thereby advance or retard the transmission of the retransmission request.

26. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 25 wherein the temporal boundary is adjusted in response to a measured value of the at least one network parameter.

27. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 26 wherein the at least one network parameter comprises a round trip delay period associated with the retransmission request.

28. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 27 wherein the at least one network parameter comprises a delay jitter associated with a variation in transmission delay from the streaming transmitter to the decoder buffer.

29. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 26 wherein the at least one network parameter comprises an available bandwidth value associated with a communication channel between the streaming data transmitter and the decoder buffer.

30. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 26 including the further step of determining a probability that a packet that is identified as lost is actually lost.

31. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 30 wherein the step of adjusting the temporal boundary is in response to a value of the probability.

32. The computer-executable instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium set forth in claim 26 including the further step of adjusting a second temporal boundary associated with the delay budget region to thereby increase or decrease a duration of the delay budget region.