Efficient streaming of synchronized web content from multiple sources

• US 6,715,126 B1
• Filed: 09/15/1999
• Issued: 03/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Hua, Feig, Ephraim, Chen, Jeane Shu-Chun, Chang, Subrina Shih-Pan
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Sanjiv
• Application Number:
  US09/396,241
• Time in Patent Office: 1,658 Days
• Field of Search: 715/500.1, 709/231
• US Class Current: 715/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8547 involving timestamps for synchronizing content

Abstract

A method is described for efficiently delivering a presentation of web content comprised of a media, such as audio or video content, having defined time increments, together with one or more other content sources, such as images or events to be displayed on a monitor, synchronized so that the one ore more other images or events are displayed at predetermined time increments in the media presentation. Furthermore, the entire presentation is delivered in streaming fashion, so that the end user does not have to wait for the entirety of the content data to be downloaded before starting the presentation, but rather can start viewing and listening to the presentation after a relatively short delay period. The media data and the other content need not reside at a single server source. An authoring tool for creating such composite time-synchronous content automatically determines the necessary information for scheduling player requests to the servers. This information, together with the actual presentation content, is sent to a special player which can interpret the information and act according to its instructions.

Claims

1. A method for creating a multimedia presentation for display be a media player without first creating a single stream, said multimedia presentation comprising content from a primary media source having time increments and content from at least one secondary media source, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving user synchronization input regarding synchronization of the display of the content from the at least one secondary media source to time increments in the content from the primary media source;

creating a file comprising at least the identity of the primary media source, the identity of the at least one secondary media source, and the synchronization input; and

automatically determining a schedule of actions for a media player to dynamically assemble portions of content from the primary and the at least one secondary media source for simultaneous display without first creating a single stream.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said automatically determining comprises the steps of:

assembling a plurality of content units, wherein each content unit comprises information regarding the content to be displayed at a given time increment; and

scheduling prefetching of portions of content from at least one media source for each content unit.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said content from the at least one secondary media source comprises at least one of image, event, audio and video content.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising allotting necessary bandwidth for said presentation.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein said necessary bandwidth comprises at least the bandwidth required for said primary content plus the maximum bandwidth required by any portion of content from the at least one secondary media source.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein primary and said at least one secondary sources are at different locations.

7. A system for creating a multimedia presentation for display be a media player without first creating a single stream, said multimedia presentation comprising content from a primary media source having time increments and content from at least one secondary media source, comprising:

input means for receiving user synchronization input regarding synchronization of the display of the content from the at least one secondary media source to time increments in the content from the primary media source;

at least one file creation component for creating a file comprising at least the identity of the primary media source, the identity of the at least one secondary media source, and the synchronization input; and

at least one scheduler component for automatically determining a schedule of actions for a media player to dynamically assemble portions of content from the primary and the at least one secondary media source for simultaneous display without first creating a single stream.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising preview means for displaying a preview of the multimedia presentation to the user.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the preview means comprises a media player.

10. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for creating a multimedia presentation for display be a media player without first creating a single stream, said multimedia presentation comprising content from a primary media source having time increments and content from at least one secondary media source, said method steps comprising:

receiving user synchronization input regarding synchronization of the display of the content from the at least one secondary media source to time increments in the content from the primary media source;

creating a file comprising at least the identity of the primary media source, the identity of the at least one secondary media source, and the synchronization input; and

automatically determining a schedule of actions for a media player to dynamically assemble portions of content from the primary and the at least one secondary media source for simultaneous display without first creating a single stream.

11. A file format for instructing a media player to display a multimedia presentation comprising content from a primary media source having time increments and content from at least one secondary media source dynamically displayed without first creating a single stream comprising:

identification information for identifying the primary and at least one secondary media content;

timing information comprising the time increments in the primary content at which to display portions of the secondary media content; and

schedule information comprising a schedule for said media player to dynamically prefetch each portion of secondary media content to local cache prior to the time increments for display of said portion simultaneously with display of said primary content.

12. The file format of claim 11, further comprising header information identifying said file.

13. The file format of claim 11, further comprising location information comprising the primary and at least one secondary sources for the primary and at lest one secondary media content.

14. A method for a media player, having at least one local cache, for displaying a multimedia presentation from more than one source without creating a single stream comprising the steps of:

receiving a presentation file comprising the identity and location of sources for primary and at least one secondary media content along with synchronization information comprising the pre-specified time increments in said primary media content at which each portion of content from said at least one secondary media content is to be displayed and a schedule for prefetching content;

prefetching a first portion of said primary media content to said at least one local cache;

when said first portion of primary content is prefetched, commencing playing of said primary content;

fetching successive portions of said primary content and portions of said at least one secondary content to said at least one local cache during said playing;

monitoring the time increments of said primary media content as it is being displayed;

at each pre-specified time increment, determining if the portion of content from the at least one secondary media content to be displayed at that time increment has been received in said at least one local cache;

retrieving said specified portion of content from the at least one secondary media content from the local cache and displaying said retrieved specified portion simultaneously with displaying of said primary content when it has been prefetched; and

when the specified portion of content from the at least one secondary media content has not been prefetched to said local cache, pausing display of primary content until said specified portion is in said local cache.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of prefetching portions of the at least one secondary media content.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said prefetching comprises invoking said schedule for prefetching content.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said primary media content comprises audio content and wherein said at least one secondary media content comprises one of image, video and event media content.

18. A media player for displaying a multimedia presentation comprising:

processing component for receiving and parsing a presentation file comprising the locations of sources for primary and at least one secondary media content, the identity of the primary and at least one secondary media content along with synchronization information comprising the pre-specified time increments in said primary media content at which each portion of content from said at least one secondary media content is to be displayed and a schedule for prefetching content;

at least one local cache for storing primary and secondary media content;

communication means for establishing communication with the locations of said sources for the primary and at least one secondary media content and for receiving media content from said sources;

playback means for rendering said primary content by streaming and for rendering portions of said secondary content simultaneously with said primary content at pre-specified time increments in said primary content, said rendering performed without creating a single stream; and

timer means for monitoring the time increments of said primary media content at it is rendered.

19. The media player of claim 18 further comprising determining means for determining if a portion of secondary media content to be displayed with said primary content at a time increment is available at said at least one local cached and for signaling said playback means to pause until said portion is available at said local cache.

20. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for a media player having at least one local cache to display a multimedia presentation without creating a single stream, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a presentation file comprising the identity and location of sources for primary and at least one secondary media content along with synchronization information comprising the pre-specified time increments in said primary media content at which each portion of content from said at least one secondary media content is to be displayed and a schedule for prefetching content;

prefetching a first portion of said primary media content to said at least one local cache;

when said first portion of primary content is prefetched, commencing playing of said primary content;

fetching successive portions of said primary content and portions of said at least one secondary content to said at least one local cache during said playing;

monitoring the time increments of said primary media content as it is being displayed;

at each pre-specified time increment, determining if the portion of content from the at least one secondary media content to be displayed at that time increment has been received in said at least one local cache;

retrieving said specified portion of content from the at least one secondary media content from the local cache and displaying said retrieved specified portion simultaneously with said primary content when it has been prefetched; and

when the specified portion of content from the at least one secondary media content has not been prefetched to said local cache, pausing display of primary content until said specified portion is in said local cache.