Live media delivery over a packet-based computer network

• US 8,301,732 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Chapweske, Justin F., Brase, Ryan, Wormley, Nicholas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US13/179,018
• Publication Number:
  US 20110264771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/203, 713/177
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

In general, this disclosure describes techniques of determining a backset for client devices attempting to download data of a live transmission. A backset is an amount of temporal delay that the client devices are delayed by when viewing the live transmission. As described herein, a media content provider may determine a recommended backset for each client devices based characteristics of the client device. Each client device may then be backset by the determined value, or may calculate its own backset based on the recommended backset. Establishing a backset for each client device may avoid rebuffering of live transmission data.

Claims

1. A method for a media server to deliver a live transmission, comprising:

receiving a request from a plurality of client devices to download the live transmission via a packet-based computer-network;

determining an amount of backset for each one of the plurality of client devices upon receiving the request, wherein at least two client devices of the plurality of client devices are determined to have different amounts of backset, wherein the determined amount of backset is calculated based on a plurality of coefficient values and a distribution function that is weighted such that in a majority of situations the amount of backset equals the recommended backset, in a minority of situations the amount of backset is less than the recommended backset, and in a minority of situations the amount of backset is greater than a recommended backset and less than a maximum backset; and

providing the plurality of client devices at least one media asset stored by the media server based on the determined amount of backset, wherein the at least one media asset comprises data of the live transmission for a time interval or data range.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the plurality of client devices at least one media asset comprises:

providing a first media asset to each one of the plurality of client devices; and

providing a second media asset to each one of the plurality of client devices, wherein the second media asset includes data of the live transmission for a time interval or data range that follows the first media asset.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the plurality of client devices at least one media asset comprises providing a first media asset to a first client device and providing a second media asset to a second client device, wherein the determined amount of backset for the first client device is different than the determined amount of backset for the second client device, wherein the first media asset is different than the second media asset, and wherein the first media asset and the second media asset include data of the live transmission.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the plurality of client devices at least one media asset comprises providing a first portion of the at least one media asset to a first client and providing a second portion of the at least one media asset to a second client, wherein the determined amount of backset for the first client device is different than the determined amount of backset for the second client, wherein the first portion of the at least one media asset is different than the second portion of the at least one media asset, and wherein the at least one media asset includes data of the live transmission.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of backset for each one of the plurality of client devices comprises determining the amount of backset for each one of the plurality of client devices based on at least one of a number of client devices currently downloading the live transmission, a geographical proximity of client devices currently downloading the live transmission, an actual throughput rate to each one of the plurality of client devices, or a historical actual throughput rate to each one of the plurality of client devices.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the amount of backset for the plurality of client devices comprises:

transmitting a the maximum backset to each of the plurality of client devices; and

receiving a request for at least one media asset from each one of the plurality of client devices, wherein the requested media asset corresponds to a backset that is less than the maximum backset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least one media asset comprises at least one of transmitting a media asset based on the amount of backset, and transmitting a portion within a media asset based on the amount of backset.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein providing at least one media asset comprises:

providing a plurality of media assets to each one of the plurality of client devices; and

providing at least one of a map of timestamps or a map of data stamps to each one of the plurality of client devices, wherein the map of timestamps comprises a timestamp for each key frame within a media asset that corresponds to a length of time of the live transmission, and wherein the map of data stamps comprises a data stamp for each key frame within the media asset that corresponds to an amount of data of the live transmission.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of backset is an amount of time that is temporally prior to the request from the plurality of client devices to download the live transmission.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one media asset is individually storeable, retrievable, and addressable, and wherein the at least one media asset is addressable using a predictable name.

11. A method for a client device to receive a live transmission, the method comprising:

transmitting a request to a media server to download the live transmission;

receiving a backset from the media server requesting a media asset of the live transmission based on the received backset, wherein the media asset comprises data of the live transmission for a time interval or data range; and

downloading the media asset, wherein the backset is calculated based on a plurality of coefficient values and a distribution function that is weighted such that in a majority of situations the amount of backset equals the recommended backset, in a minority of situations the amount of backset is less than the recommended backset, and in a minority of situations the amount of backset is greater than a recommended backset and less than a maximum backset.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving at least one of a map of time stamps or a map of data stamps, wherein the map of timestamps comprises a timestamp for each key frame within the media asset that corresponds to a length of time of the live transmission, and wherein the map of data stamps comprises a data stamp for each key frame within the media asset that corresponds to an amount of data of the live transmission.

13. A media content provider to deliver a live transmission, the media content provider comprising:

an encapsulator that includes an interface to receive the live transmission and provide the live transmission to a media asset builder that generates a plurality of media assets; and

a media server that stores each one of the plurality of media assets, provides the media assets to a plurality of client devices, and determines an amount of backset for each one of the plurality of client devices, wherein at least two client devices of the plurality of client devices have different amounts of backset, wherein the determined amount of backset is calculated based on a plurality of coefficient values and a distribution function that is weighted such that in a majority of situations the amount of backset equals the recommended backset, in a minority of situations the amount of backset is less than the recommended backset, and in a minority of situations the amount of backset is greater than a recommended backset and less than a maximum backset.

14. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the media server provides a first media asset to a first client device of the plurality of client devices and provides a second media asset to a second client device of the plurality of client devices, wherein the determined amount of backset for the first client device is different than the determined amount of backset for the second client device, wherein the first media asset is different than the second media asset, and wherein the first media asset and second media asset include data of the live transmission.

15. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the media server provides a first portion of the at least one media asset to a first client device of the plurality of client devices and provides a second portion of the at least one media asset to a second client device of the plurality of client devices, wherein the determined amount of backset for the first client device is different than the determined amount of backset for the second client, wherein the first portion of the at least one media asset is different than the second portion of the at least one media asset, and where the at least one media asset includes data of the live transmission.

16. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the media server determines the amount of backset for each of the plurality of client devices based on at least one of a number of client devices currently downloading the live transmission, a geographical proximity of client devices currently downloading the live transmission, an actual throughput rate to each one of the plurality of client devices, or a historical actual throughput rate to each one of the plurality of client devices.

17. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the media server provides at least one media asset by transmitting a media asset based on the amount of backset, or provides at least one media asset by transmitting a portion within a media asset based on the amount of backset.

18. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the media server provides at least one media asset by providing a plurality of media assets to each one of the plurality of client devices, and providing at least one of a map of time stamps or a map of data stamps to each one of the plurality of client devices, wherein the map of time stamps comprises a timestamp for each key flame within a media asset that corresponds to a length of time of the live transmission, and wherein the map of data stamps comprises a data stamp for each key flame within the media asset that corresponds to an amount of data of the live transmission.

19. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the amount of backset is an amount of time that is temporally prior to the request from the plurality of client devices to download the live transmission.

20. The media content provider of claim 13, wherein the map of data stamps is individually storable, retrievable, and addressable, and wherein the at least one media asset is addressable using a predictable name.

21. A client device to receive a live transmission, the client device comprising:

a media player; and

a download agent comprising a playback controller, a source agent, and a stream agent, wherein the source agent transmits a request to a media server to download the live transmission, and receives a backset from the media server, wherein the source agent requests a media asset based on the received backset and causes the stream agent to the download the requested media asset, and wherein the media asset comprises data of the live transmission for a time interval or data range, wherein the backset is calculated based on a plurality of coefficient values and a distribution function that is weighted such that in a majority of situations the amount of backset equals the recommended backset, in a minority of situations the amount of backset is less than the recommended backset, and in a minority of situations the amount of backset is greater than a recommended backset and less than a maximum backset.

22. The client device of claim 21, wherein the source manager sequentially requests media assets that follow one another.

23. The client device of claim 21, wherein the source agent requests a media asset comprises the source agent accessing metadata stored within the plurality of media assets to find a media asset comprising data that corresponds to the backset.

24. The client device of claim 21, wherein the media asset is individually storable, retrievable, and addressable, and wherein the media asset is addressable using a predictable name.

25. The client device of claim 21, wherein the stream agent receives at least one of a map of timestamps or a map of data stamps, wherein the map of timestamps comprises a timestamp for each key frame within the media asset that corresponds to a length of time of the live transmission, and wherein the map of data stamps comprises a data stamp for each key frame within the media asset that corresponds to an amount of data of the live transmission.