Transcode matrix

• US 7,669,121 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kiilerich, Dennis A
• Primary Examiner(s): Hong; Stephen S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Manglesh M
• Application Number:
  US11/039,252
• Publication Number:
  US 20060161538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 715/249, 715/202, 715/200, 715/273
• US Class Current: 715/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

A transcode architecture determines if a media source file needs to be transcoded for playback on a target playback device, and if so, the proper format needed for transcoding the source file. A transcode architecture includes a transcode manager, a transcode matrix, a transcode engine and a cache for storing transcoded media files. A media library stores media source files and device capabilities information. The transcode manager controls a transcode process in which the transcode matrix generates a profile for a media source file and accesses device capabilities that indicate playback capabilities for a target playback device. The transcode matrix compares parameters of the source profile with the device capabilities to decide whether the source file must be transcoded to enable playback of the file on the target playback device, and if so, the proper format needed for transcoding the source file.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a media source file;

device capabilities from a target playback device; and

a transcode matrix accessible to the one or more processors and configured to;

generate a source profile from the media source file;

determine that the target device can support the media source file based on a comparison of the source profile with the device capabilities, wherein the transcode matrix determines that the target device supports the media source file by determining that a total bitrate restriction is specified for an audio bitrate and a video bitrate of one or more device profiles of the target playback device and by selecting a particular device profile with a lowest audio bitrate above a certain threshold when a total of the audio bitrate and the video bitrate of the media source file is above the total bitrate restriction of each of the one or more device profiles;

determine that the media source file needs to be transcoded based on a user-preferred bitrate of a particular parameter; and

transcode the media source file according to a maximum bitrate of the particular parameter supported by the target device as indicated by the device capabilities when the target device does not support the user-preferred bitrate of the particular parameter.

2. A method comprising:

generating a source profile from a media source file by a source device, the source device configured to determine transcoding requirements of source files for playback on target devices;

determining, by the source device, that the target device can support the media source file based on a comparison of the source profile with capabilities of a target device, wherein determining that the target device supports the media source file includes determining that a total bitrate restriction is specified for an audio bitrate and a video bitrate of one or more device profiles of the target playback device and by selecting a particular device profile with a lowest audio bitrate above a certain threshold when a total of the audio bitrate and the video bitrate of the media source file is above the total bitrate restriction of each of the one or more device profiles;

determining, by the source device, that the media source file needs to be transcoded based on a user-preferred bitrate of a particular parameter; and

transcoding, by the source device, the media source file according to a maximum bitrate of the particular parameter supported by the target device as indicated by the device capabilities when the target device does not support the user-preferred bitrate of the particular parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

monitoring media content of a media library of the source device to identify newly acquired media source files; and

storing a newly acquired media source file at the media library of the source device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining, by the source device, if the newly acquired media source file is destined to be transferred to the target device;

accessing the newly acquired media source file by the source device when the source file is destined to be transferred to the target device;

accessing, by the source device, the capabilities of the target device; and

determining, by the source device, if the newly acquired media source file needs to be transcoded.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining, by the source device, that the media source file needs to be transcoded based on the comparison of the source profile with the capabilities of the target device; and

generating, by the source device, a target profile having target parameter values that fall within the capabilities of the target device, wherein the target parameter values either match a device capability parameter or fall within a playback range of a device capability parameter.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the comparison of the source profile with capabilities of the target device comprises:

selecting, by the source device, a profile collection from the capabilities of the target device whose format code matches the source profile;

if there is no profile collection whose format code matches the source profile, determining, by the source device, that the source profile is not supported by the target device;

if the profile collection contains no device profiles, determining, by the source device, that the source profile is supported with no restrictions by the target device; and

for each device profile in the profile collection, determining, by the source device, if each respective parameter in the source profile either matches an enumerated value specified for the respective parameter in the device profile or falls into a range specified for the respective parameter in the device profile.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each respective parameter in the source profile either matches the enumerated value specified for the respective parameter in the one or more device profiles or falls into the range specified for the respective parameter in the one or more device profiles, and further comprising determining, by the source device, that the media source file does not need to be transcoded when the target device supports the media source file.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the respective parameter in the media source file is a non-matching parameter that either does not match the enumerated value specified for the respective parameter in the device profile or does not fall into the range specified for the respective parameter in the one or more device profiles, and further comprising determining, by the source device, that the media source file needs to be transcoded when the target device does not support the media source file.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising generating, by the source device, a target profile having target parameter values that fall within the capabilities of the target device indicated by the one or more device profiles.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein generating the target profile comprises determining, by the source device, a target value for the non-matching parameter value that falls within the capabilities of the target device indicated by the one or more device profiles.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein determining the target value comprises selecting by the source device, a target value from within the one or more device profiles that is a closest match to the non-matching parameter in the source profile.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the capabilities of the target device indicate no restrictions for the target device, the method further comprising:

imposing artificial restrictions on the target device by the source device; and

comparing the artificial restrictions with the source profile.

13. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

sending the target profile to a transcode engine of the source device;

transcoding, by the source device, the media source file with the transcode engine according to the target parameter values in the target profile;

transferring the transcoded source file to the target device from the source device; and

maintaining a copy of the transcoded source file in memory of the source device.

14. One or more processor-readable storage media of a source device, the one or more processor-readable storage media comprising processor-executable instructions configured to perform acts comprising:

generating a source profile from a media source file;

determining that the target device can support the media source file based on a comparison of the source profile with capabilities of a target device, wherein determining that the target device supports the media source file includes determining that a total bitrate restriction is specified for an audio bitrate and a video bitrate of one or more device profiles of the target playback device and by selecting a particular device profile with a lowest audio bitrate above a certain threshold when a total of the audio bitrate and the video bitrate of the media source file is above the total bitrate restriction of each of the one or more device profiles;

determining that the media source file needs to be transcoded based on a user-preferred bitrate of a particular parameter; and

transcoding the media source file according to a maximum bitrate of the particular parameter supported by the target device as indicated by the device capabilities when the target device does not support the user-preferred bitrate of the particular parameter.

15. The one or more processor-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein the acts further comprise:

retrieving a device capabilities report from the target device, wherein the device capabilities report includes a plurality of device profiles specifying capabilities of the target device;

identifying a particular device profile of the plurality of device profiles that best matches the source profile;

comparing the source profile with the particular device profile to determine whether the media source file needs to be transcoded to enable playback of the media source file on the target device.

16. The one or more processor-readable storage media of claim 14, wherein generating the source profile comprises:

receiving a file path to the media source file;

locating the media source file in a media library according to the file path; and

obtaining parameters from the media source file.

17. The one or more processor-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the acts further comprise:

serializing the device capabilities report; and

selecting from the serialized device capabilities, a profile collection that matches a format code of the media source file,

the profile collection having a collection of profiles that are all of the same format code, wherein the plurality of device profiles includes the collection of profiles.

18. The one or more processor-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the comparison of the source profile with capabilities of the target device comprises:

searching for a profile collection in the device capabilities report that matches a format code of the media source file;

and if no profile collection is found that matches the format code of the media source file, determining that the target device does not support the source profile and that the media source file does not need to be transcoded.

19. One or more processor-readable storage media as recited in claim 15, wherein the comparison of the source profile with capabilities of the target device comprises:

finding a profile collection in the device capabilities report that matches a format code of the media source file;

determining that the profile collection contains no profiles; and

determining that the target playback device supports the source profile with no restrictions and that the media source file does not need to be transcoded.

20. One or more processor-readable storage media as recited in claim 15, wherein the comparison of the source profile with capabilities of the target device comprises:

finding a profile collection in the device capabilities report that matches a format code of the media source file, wherein the particular device profile is included in the profile collection; and

comparing parameters from the source profile with like parameters from the particular device profile.