Media content improved playback quality

• US 8,301,794 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Salomons, Edwin W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miah, Razu
• Application Number:
  US12/761,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258336A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 709230-231, 705 1453- 1473
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Media content improved playback quality is described. In embodiments, a media content playback system stores segments of a media asset in a memory device, where the segments are stored as non-consecutive data that correlates to at least some of the media asset when the segments are downloaded from one or more media content sources. A data load manager is implemented to project when a content navigation input will be received that causes non-linear playback of the media asset. The data load manager can then estimate, for each segment of the media asset, when each segment will be played back based on the projected content navigation input. The data load manager determines a next segment of the media asset to download and store based on estimates of when each segment will be played back.

Claims

1. A media content playback system, comprising:

a data load manager configured to;

project when one or more content navigation inputs will be received that cause non-linear playback of a media asset;

estimate, for each segment of the media asset, when each segment will be played back based on the projected one or more content navigation inputs;

determine a next segment of the media asset to download and store based on the estimates of when each segment will be played back and a target playback quality of each segment of the media asset, the target playback quality corresponding to a visual quality when the media asset is played back for viewing;

determine which of the segments of the media asset to preload to improve the target playback quality of the segments based on load models that are generated for each segment of the media asset, a load model including an improvement value by which each of the segments are ranked to determine a next best segment to download; and

a memory device configured to store the segments of the media asset when the segments are preloaded, the segments stored as non-consecutive data that correlates to at least some of the media asset when the segments are downloaded from one or more media content sources.

2. A media content playback system as recited in claim 1, wherein the data load manager is further configured to determine the next segment of the media asset to download based on the segments of the media asset that are subject to bandwidth constraints.

3. A media content playback system as recited in claim 2, wherein the bandwidth constraints prevent the segments of the media asset to be downloaded at the target playback quality.

4. A media content playback system as recited in claim 2, wherein the segments of the media asset that are subject to the bandwidth constraints include at least one of segments at a beginning of the media asset, or segments of the media asset that are resource intensive to download.

5. A media content playback system as recited in claim 1, wherein the data load manager is further configured to download and overwrite the segments of the media asset stored in the memory device to improve the visual quality of the media asset for playback.

6. A media content playback system as recited in claim 1, wherein the data load manager is further configured to initiate deletion of the segments of the media asset from the memory device that are unlikely to be played back.

7. A media content playback system as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least a memory and a processor that implement a load algorithm of the data load manager, the load algorithm configured to:

estimate, for each segment of the media asset, when each segment will be played back;

determine the next segment of the media asset to download and store;

determine the segments of the media asset to preload prior to playback of the media asset to improve the visual quality of the media asset for playback; and

determine which of the segments of the media asset to delete from the memory device that are unlikely to be played back.

8. A media content playback system as recited in claim 1, wherein the content navigation input includes at least one of a jump advance in the media asset, a fast-forward advance of the media asset, or a change to stop playback of the media asset and start playback of an additional media asset.

9. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing in a memory device, segments of a media asset as non-consecutive data that correlates to at least some of the media asset when the segments are downloaded from one or more media content sources;

projecting when a content navigation input will be received that causes non-linear playback of the media asset;

estimating, for each of the segments of the media asset, when each segment will be played back based on the projected content navigation input;

determining a next segment of the media asset to download and store based on the estimating of when each segment will be played back and a target playback quality of each segment of the media asset, the target playback quality corresponding to a visual quality when the media asset is played back for viewing;

downloading the next segment from one or more of the media content sources; and

determining which of the segments of the media asset to preload in the memory device to improve the target playback quality of the segments based on load models that are generated for each segment of the media asset, a load model including an improvement value by which each of the segments are ranked to determine a next best segment to download.

10. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising generating the load models for each of the segments of the media asset.

11. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising downloading for storage the segments of the media asset that are subject to bandwidth constraints, which prevent the segments of the media asset to be downloaded at the target playback quality.

12. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 11, wherein the segments of the media asset that are subject to the bandwidth constraints include at least one of segments at a beginning of the media asset, or segments of the media asset that are resource intensive to download.

13. A computer-implemented method as recited in claim 9, further comprising at least one of:

overwriting the segments of the media asset stored in the memory device to improve the visual quality of the media asset for playback;

or

deleting the segments of the media asset from the memory device that are unlikely to be played back.

14. Computer-readable storage memory devices comprising instructions that are executable and, responsive to executing the instructions, a computer device that is configured for media content playback:

projects when a content navigation input will be received that causes non-linear playback of a media asset;

estimates, for each segment of the media asset, when each segment will be played back based on the projected content navigation input;

determines a next segment of the media asset to download and store based on the estimates of when each segment will be played back and a target playback quality of each segment of the media asset, the target playback quality corresponding to a visual quality when the media asset is played back for viewing;

determines which of the segments of the media asset to preload to improve the target playback quality of the segments based on load models that are generated for each segment of the media asset, a load model including an improvement value by which each of the segments are ranked to determine a next best segment to download; and

stores the segments of the media asset in a memory device when the segments are preloaded, the segments of the media asset stored as non-consecutive data that correlates to at least some of the media asset when the segments are downloaded from one or more media content sources.

15. Computer-readable storage memory devices as recited in claim 14, further comprising additional instructions that are executable and, responsive to executing the additional instructions, the computer device at least one of:

generates the load models for each segment of the media asset;

determines the next segment of the media asset to download based on the segments of the media asset that are subject to bandwidth constraints, which prevent the segments of the media asset to be downloaded at the target playback quality;

overwrites the segments of the media asset stored in the memory device to improve the visual quality of the media asset for playback;

or

determines which of the segments of the media asset to delete from the memory device that are unlikely to be played back.