Fast start-up for digital video streams

• US 7,587,737 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2005
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Baldwin, James Armand, Green, Dustin L., Grossman, John H. IV
• Primary Examiner(s): Kelley; Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOSSAIN, FARZANA E
• Application Number:
  US11/275,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 725/101, 725/86
• US Class Current: 725/101
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21 Server components or server architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23 Processing of content or additional data; Elementary server operations; Server middleware
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• 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 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4385 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream decrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream

Abstract

Described herein is a technology facilitating the presentation of digital video streams. An implementation, described herein, reduces the effective start-up delay in the presentation of the first frames of the video content that occurs when a system tunes into a video stream. This abstract itself is not intended to limit the scope of this patent. The scope of the present invention is pointed out in the appending claims.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a selector configured to select a lead-in video stream, where the lead-in stream corresponds to a particular main video-stream transmission;

a receiver configured to receive the selected lead-in video-stream transmission;

a presentation device configured to present content of the selected lead-in video stream transmission;

a switcher configured to switch reception from the lead-in to the main video-stream transmission and to switch presentation from the content of the lead-in to the content of the main video-stream transmission;

an inquisitor configured to query a video-stream provider asking the provider to identify which one of multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions is the first transmission with an available access point, wherein the identified lead-in transmission is the one selected, wherein a first one of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions includes data for a first number of frames, a second one of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions includes data for a second number of frames, the first number of frames being different from the second number of frames, the first number of frames being determined at least in part based on a first time and a next main video-stream access point transmission time, the first time being associated with a first beginning transmission time for the first one of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions, the second number of frames being determined at least in part based on a second time and the next main video-stream access point transmission time, the second time being associated with a second beginning transmission time for the second one of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the selector is further configured to select the selected lead-in video stream from one of multiple lead-in video streams.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the switcher is configured to switch on or about the occurrence of an access point transmitted in the main video stream transmission.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the switcher is configured to switch just before the occurrence of an access point transmitted in the main video-stream transmission.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the available access point is an anchor frame.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point of each of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions are scheduled for phase-staggered transmission relative to each other.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions are encoded using a lower bitrate than that used by the main video-stream transmission.

8. A system comprising:

a selector configured to choose a particular main video-stream transmission for reception and presentation;

a receiver configured to temporarily receive, before the transmission of the next access point transmitted in the main video-stream transmission, a lead-in video stream that corresponds to the particular main video-stream transmission;

a switcher configured to switch reception from the lead-in to the main video stream transmission;

wherein the lead-in video-stream transmission is scheduled for transmission during transmission of one group-of-pictures (GOP) of the main video-stream transmission, wherein a GOP has only one access point, and wherein the lead-in video-stream transmission includes data for a number of frames, the number of frames being determined at least in part based on the scheduled beginning time for transmission of the lead-in video-stream transmission and a next main video-stream access point transmission time.

9. A system as recited in claim 8 further comprising a presenter configured to present content of the lead-in video stream transmission and configured to, after switching reception to the main video-stream, present the content of the main video stream transmission.

10. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the switcher is further configured to switch on or about the transmission of an access point in the main video-stream transmission.

11. A system as recited in claim 10 wherein the video-stream transmissions are multicast.

12. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the switcher is further configured to switch on or about the transmission of the next access point to occur during the main video-stream transmission.

13. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein each of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions are encoded using a lower bitrate than that used by the main video-stream transmission.

14. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the video-stream transmissions are multicast.

15. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein the access points are anchor frames.

16. A system as recited in claim 8 further comprising:

the selector is further configured to select one of multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions for reception, where each lead-in stream corresponds to a particular main video-stream transmission, wherein the one lead-in transmission selected is the lead-in transmission that is temporarily received;

a presenter configured to present content of the selected lead-in video stream transmission;

a switcher further configured to switch reception from the lead-in to the main video-stream transmission and doing so on or about the occurrence of an access point transmitted in the main video-stream transmission and switch presentation from the content of the lead-in to the content of the main video-stream transmission.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the access point of each of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions are scheduled for phase-staggered transmission relative to each other.

18. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein each of the multiple lead-in video-stream transmissions are encoded using a lower bitrate than that used by the main video-stream transmission.

19. A system as recited in claim 16, wherein the access points are anchor frames.