Client-side caching of streaming media content

• US 7,725,557 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Klemets, Anders E., Batterberry, Troy D., Oliveira, Eduardo P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit; Bunjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Van Kim T
• Application Number:
  US10/179,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236906A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,892 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/213, 709/231
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Various functionality with respect to streaming media content is made available to users. Such functionality includes one or more of: streaming media content at a rate independent of the encoded bit rate of the content, allowing streaming of content to continue even when the user has selected various shuttle control options (e.g., pause, stop, fast forward, seek, rewind, etc.), allowing streaming content to be recorded for playback at a later time, and allowing streaming content to be time-shifted.

Claims

1. A method, implemented in a server device, comprising:

sending, to a client device adapted to render media content, a supported header comprising a directive indicating that caching of the media content by the client device is supported by the server device;

in response to sending the directive to the client device, receiving, from the client device, a request for media content to be streamed from the server device to the client device, wherein the media content has an encoded bit rate, and wherein the request comprises;

an indication of the media content; and

a speed message header that indicates a speed factor relative to the encoded bit rate of the media content, wherein the speed message header is selected from a group consisting of “

Pragma;

Speed=x” and

“

Speed=x”

, and wherein x represents the speed factor;

calculating a preferred streaming rate by multiplying the speed factor relative to the encoded bit rate of the media content by the encoded bit rate of the media content;

determining an available bandwidth for streaming the media content between the server device and the client device;

determining by the server device one or more streaming rates at which the server device is able to stream the media content to the client device, wherein the one or more streaming rates do not exceed the available bandwidth for streaming the media content between the server device and the client device and the one or more streaming rates are a particular amount less than the available bandwidth;

selecting, by the server device and based upon a comparison of the preferred streaming rate, the available bandwidth, and the one or more rates at which the server device is able to stream media content, a streaming rate from the one or more streaming rates that is closest to the preferred streaming rate, wherein the server device is capable of streaming the media content at the streaming rate and the streaming rate is different from the encoded bit rate of the media content;

sending an indication of the streaming rate to the client device; and

streaming, to the client device, the media content at the streaming rate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one version of the media content to be streamed from the server device to the client device is determined based on at least one of a plurality of factors, wherein multiple versions of the media content exist and the multiple versions of the media content are encoded at different bit rates and wherein the plurality of factors include:

a user preference; and

a desired bit rate included in the request received from the client device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the rate at which the server device streams the media content to the client device changes, in response to an additional request from the client device or as indicated by the server device.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending, to the client device, a supported header comprising a directive indicating that client caching of the media content is supported by the server device.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the directive comprises:

com.microsoft.wm.fastcache.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

while the media content is streaming to the client device, receiving from the client device a message that includes a logging information header.

7. The method of claim 6 where the logging information header comprises:

Content-Type;

application/x-wms-sendevent.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

upon completing the streaming of the media content to the client device, receiving from the client device a message that includes a logging information header.

9. The method of claim 8 where the logging information header comprises:

Content-Type;

application/x-wms-sendevent.

10. A server computer system comprising:

at least one processor;

a memory, communicatively coupled to the at least one processor and containing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, perform the following steps;

sending, to a client device adapted to render media content, a supported header comprising a directive indicating that caching of the media content by the client device is supported by the server device;

in response to sending the directive to the client device, receiving, from the client device, a request for media content to be streamed from the server device to the client device, wherein the media content has an encoded bit rate, and wherein the request comprises;

an indication of the media content; and

a speed message header that indicates a speed factor relative to the encoded bit rate of the media content, wherein the speed message header is selected from a group consisting of “

Pragma;

Speed=x” and

“

Speed=x”

, and wherein x represents the speed factor;

calculating a preferred streaming rate by multiplying the speed factor relative to the encoded bit rate of the media content by the encoded bit rate of the media content;

determining an available bandwidth for streaming the media content between the server device and the client device;

determining by the server device one or more streaming rates at which the server device is able to stream the media content to the client device, wherein the one or more streaming rates do not exceed the available bandwidth for streaming the media content between the server device and the client device and the one or more streaming rates are a particular amount less than the available bandwidth;

selecting, by the server device and based upon a comparison of the preferred streaming rate, the available bandwidth, and the one or more rates at which the server device is able to stream media content, a streaming rate from the one or more streaming rates that is closest to the preferred streaming rate, wherein the server device is capable of streaming the media content at the streaming rate and the streaming rate is different from the encoded bit rate of the media content;

sending an indication of the streaming rate to the client device; and

streaming, to the client device, the media content at the streaming rate.

11. The server computer system of claim 10 wherein at least one version of the media content to be streamed from the server device to the client device is determined based on at least one of a plurality of factors, wherein multiple versions of the media content exist and the multiple versions of the media content are encoded at different bit rates and wherein the plurality of factors include:

a user preference; and

a desired bit rate included in the request received from the client device.

12. The server computer system of claim 10 wherein the rate at which the server device streams the media content to the client device changes, in response to an additional request from the client device or as indicated by the server device.

13. The server computer system of claim 10 further comprising:

sending, to the client device, a supported header comprising a directive indicating that client caching of the media content is supported by the server device.

14. The server computer system of claim 13 wherein the directive comprises:

com.microsoft.wm.fastcache.

15. The server computer system of claim 10 further comprising:

while the media content is streaming to the client device, receiving from the client device a message that includes a logging information header.

16. The server computer system of claim 15 where the logging information header comprises:

Content-Type;

application/x-wms-sendevent.

17. The server computer system of claim 10 further comprising:

upon completing the streaming of the media content to the client device, receiving from the client device a message that includes a logging information header.

18. The server computer system of claim 17 where the logging information header comprises:

Content-Type;

application/x-wms-sendevent.