Methods and systems for presentation of media obtained from a media stream

• US 7,640,352 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2004
• Issued: 12/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation, Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Klemets, Anders E., Stewart, James C., Zhang, Geqiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): MIRZA, ADNAN M
• Application Number:
  US10/948,999
• Publication Number:
  US 20060075446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,922 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/217, 709/228, 709/231, 725/87
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer

Abstract

An implementation, as described herein, facilitates fast start-up of a new media stream while mitigating and in some implementations, avoiding temporal interruption (i.e., “stutter”) of the presentation of that new media stream. At least one implementation, described herein, measures a rate at which a multimedia stream is received at a downstream component configured to present the multimedia to a user; and, ascertains a duration of time to buffer the received multimedia before presentation thereof, at least in part utilizing the measured rate.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, performs a method comprising:

receiving advisory data relating to a multimedia from an upstream component, wherein the advisory data comprises a start-up profile with an amount of buffer recommended at one or more points in a presentation of the multimedia to avoid an underflow, wherein the upstream component calculates the amount of buffer recommended based at least in part on the start-up profile;

receiving at a downstream component a multimedia stream comprising the multimedia from the upstream component;

measuring a rate (a measured rate) at which the multimedia stream is received at the downstream component configured to present the multimedia to a user;

ascertaining a duration (a measured duration) of time to buffer a received multimedia before presentation thereof, at least in part utilizing the measured rate and the start-up profile, wherein the downstream component buffers the multimedia according to the amount of buffer recommended while adjusting the amount of buffer as it ascertains the measured rate; and

recalculating the measured duration after the presentation is started by utilizing, at least in part a measure of data already buffered and the start-up profile.

2. A medium as recited in claim 1 further comprising prior to said measuring, receiving advisory data that provides a cumulative buffer amount for the presentation at an estimated acceleration rate.

3. A medium as recited in claim 2 farther comprising, determining an estimated duration to buffer the received multimedia before presentation based, at least in part, on the estimated acceleration rate and the cumulative buffer amount.

4. A medium as recited in claim 1 further comprising prior to said measuring, receiving advisory data that provides a data array for one or more acceleration rates, and wherein for individual acceleration rates the data array contains a corresponding underflow byte value, a time in the presentation when the underflow byte value occurs, and an average data rate to a given point in the stream.

5. A medium as recited in claim 4 further comprising, determining an estimated duration to buffer the received multimedia before presentation for each of the acceleration rates of the data array.

6. A medium as recited in claim 5, wherein determining the measured duration comprises interpolating the measured rate between a higher data array acceleration rate and a lower data array acceleration rate.

7. A computing device comprising a medium as recited in claim 1.

8. A computer-implemented method having instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium and executable by a processor for facilitating fast start-up of a new multimedia stream associated with a source, the method comprising:

requesting to receive a multimedia stream from the source, wherein the multimedia stream comprises a multimedia;

receiving advisory data relating to the multimedia stream from the source, wherein the advisory data comprises a start-up profile with an amount of buffer recommended at one or more points in a presentation of the multimedia to avoid an underflow, wherein the source calculates the amount of buffer recommended based at least on the start-up profile;

beginning to receive and buffer the multimedia stream according to the amount of buffer recommended;

ascertaining a rate (a measured rate) at which the multimedia stream is being received;

calculating a duration (a measured duration) to buffer the multimedia stream based, at least in part, on the measured rate and the start-up profile, and adjusting the amount of buffer as the measured rate is ascertained;

initiating the presentation of the multimedia based on the measured duration; and

recalculating the measured duration after the presentation is initiated by utilizing at least a measure of data already buffered and the start-up profile.

9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said receiving comprises receiving advisory data that comprises an estimated buffer duration prior to beginning presentation of the multimedia for an estimated acceleration rate at which an upstream component intends to stream the multimedia.

10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said receiving comprises receiving advisory data that comprises a data array of acceleration rates, and wherein individual acceleration rates are associated with cumulative buffer amounts for the presentation, and wherein the data array further comprises an estimated acceleration rate at which an upstream component intends to stream the multimedia and an acceleration interval for which the upstream component intends to maintain the estimated acceleration rate.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising prior to the act of beginning, determining, at least in part from the advisory data, an estimated buffer duration prior to beginning to present the multimedia for the acceleration rates of the data array.

12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said act of receiving comprises receiving advisory data comprising a start-up profile relating to multiple acceleration rates and wherein said calculating comprises interpolating the measured rate between a first of the multiple acceleration rates having a higher value than the measured rate and a second of the multiple acceleration rates having a lower value than the measured rate and selecting the measured duration to satisfy both of the first and second acceleration rates.

13. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein said calculating comprises calculating a first measured duration and prior to reaching the first measured duration ascertaining a second subsequent measured rate and calculating a second measured duration, and wherein said initiating is based on said second measured duration.

14. A computing device configured to implement a method as recited in claim 8.

15. A computer implemented method having instructions stored on a computer-readable medium and executable by a processor comprising:

receiving advisory data relating to a multimedia stream from an upstream component, wherein the advisory data comprises a start-up profile with an amount of buffer recommended at one or more points in a presentation of the multimedia stream to avoid an underflow, wherein the up-stream component calculates the amount of buffer recommended based at least on the start-up profile, wherein the multimedia stream comprises a multimedia;

determining a duration to buffer the multimedia stream on a downstream component before beginning to present the multimedia;

subsequent to beginning to receive the multimedia stream, but prior to beginning to present the multimedia, verifying the duration, wherein the downstream component buffers the multimedia stream according to an amount of buffer recommended by the upstream component, while adjusting the amount of buffer as it determines and verifies the duration to buffer, wherein the verifying comprises measuring a rate (measured rate) at which the multimedia is being received; and

subsequent to beginning to present the multimedia, recalculating the duration after the presentation is initiated by utilizing at least a measure of data already buffered and the start-up profile.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the act of verifying further comprises comparing the measured rate to an estimated rate that the multimedia would be received.

17. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein the acts of determining and verifying are achieved by a single component.

18. A system comprising:

a sending unit configured to transmit multimedia, wherein the sending unit calculates an amount of buffer recommended based on a start-up profile; and

,

a receiving unit configured to receive the multimedia and advisory data relating to the multimedia, and to present the multimedia to a user, wherein the advisory data comprises the start-up profile, wherein the receiving unit is further configured to ascertain a measured rate at which the receiving unit is receiving the multimedia and to calculate a measured duration, based at least in part on the measured rate, to determine how long it should buffer the multimedia before starting to present the multimedia, wherein the receiving unit begins to buffer the multimedia according to the amount of buffer recommended while adjusting a buffer duration as it ascertains and verifies the measured rate;

the receiving unit configured to recalculate the measured duration after/starting to present the multimedia by utilizing at least a measure of data already buffered and the start-up profile.

19. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit comprises a server.

20. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is configured to access encoded multimedia and to transmit the encoded multimedia to the receiving unit.

21. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is configured to encode the multimedia prior to transmitting the encoded multimedia to the receiving unit.

22. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is configured to access the multimedia from a live encoding session.

23. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is configured to access the multimedia from a file.

24. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the receiving unit comprises a personal computer.

25. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the receiving unit comprises a set-top box.

26. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the receiving unit comprises a cell phone.

27. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the receiving unit is configured to decode the multimedia received from the sending unit.

28. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send information regarding buffer values associated with presentation of the multimedia.

29. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is further configured to access header information associated with a presentation of the multimedia contained in a file and to send a summary of the information to the receiving unit.

30. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein the summary comprises at least one data array comprising at least one acceleration rate and a summarized buffer value associated with the presentation of the multimedia.

31. A system as recited in claim 29, wherein the summary comprises at least one data array comprising one or more of an acceleration rate, an associated buffer value associated with the presentation of the multimedia, or a time in the presentation associated with the buffer value.

32. A system as recited in claim 18, wherein the sending unit is further configured to send an estimated acceleration rate at which it intends to transmit the multimedia and a duration which it plans to transmit at the estimated acceleration rate.

33. A system as recited in claim 18 further comprising a transmission means coupling the sending unit and the receiving unit and wherein the transmission means may cause a transmission rate from the sending unit to be greater than the measured rate at the receiving unit.

34. A system comprising:

a downstream component configured to receive and buffer a multimedia stream and to receive a start-up profile, and after buffering an amount of units of the multimedia to begin a presentation of the multimedia for a user; and

,

an upstream component configured to access the multimedia and stream the multimedia to the downstream component, and wherein the upstream component is further configured to obtain at least one start-up profile relating to the multimedia having a recommended amount of buffer at one or more points in the presentation of the multimedia to mitigate an underflow condition;

wherein the downstream component begins to buffer the multimedia according to the recommended amount of buffer while adjusting the buffer amount as it determines a duration to buffer based at least in part on a measurement of a rate at which the multimedia stream is being received at the downstream component and the at least one start-up profile received from the upstream component;

wherein the downstream component ascertains a measured rate and calculates a measured duration based at least on the measured rate and the start-up profile.

35. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein the at least one start-up profile comprises multiple start-up profiles which relate to potential streaming rates of the multimedia stream.

36. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein the upstream component compiles the at least one start-up profile.

37. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein the upstream component calculates an estimated buffer time to buffer the amount of units, based at least in part on the at least one start-up profile.

38. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein the upstream component calculates an estimated buffer time to buffer the amount of units, based at least in part on the at least one start-up profile and wherein the upstream component passes the estimated buffer time to the downstream component which buffers according to the estimated buffer time without further calculation or verification of the estimated buffer time.

39. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein the upstream component calculates an estimated buffer time to buffer the amount of units, based at least in part on the at least one start-up profile and wherein the upstream component passes the estimated buffer time to the downstream component which begins to buffer according to the estimated buffer time and prior to beginning the presentation the downstream component verifies the estimated buffer time.

40. A system as recited in claim 34, wherein the downstream component calculates an estimated buffer time to buffer the amount of units based at least in part on the at least one start-up profile.

41. A system as recited in claim 40, wherein the downstream component is configured to verify the estimated buffer time by calculating a second buffer time to buffer the amount of units based at least in part on a measured rate at which the downstream component is receiving the multimedia stream.

42. A system as recited in claim 41, wherein the downstream component is configured to delay beginning the presentation beyond the second buffer time due to properties of the multimedia stream.

43. A system as recited in claim 42, wherein the properties comprise one or more of send chunk size or audio/video separation.