Switching content

• US 8,402,494 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Conviva Inc.
• Original Assignee: Conviva Inc.
• Inventors: Ganjam, Aditya R., Stoica, Ion, Hu, Ningning, Heffner, John W., Lu, Mei-Hsuan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEPARD, JUSTIN E
• Application Number:
  US12/730,056
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 725/116
• US Class Current: 725/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/10 Arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or the distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/20 Servers specifically adapted for the distribution of content, e.g. VOD servers; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2187 Live feed
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4302 Content synchronisation processes, e.g. decoder synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/268 Signal distribution or switching

Abstract

Displaying video on a video display device is disclosed. A first video stream from a first video streaming source is displayed on the display device. A second video stream from a second video streaming source is processed on the display device without displaying the second video stream. Displaying the first video stream is ceased and instead the second video stream is displayed. Supporting operations on a video stream is also disclosed. At least one video chunk is received at a first granularity. A determination is made that an operation is to be performed at a different granularity. At least one video chunk is requested at the different granularity.

Claims

1. A system for displaying video on a video display device, comprising:

a processor configured to;

display a first video stream from a first video streaming source on the display device, wherein the first video stream is displayed by a first instance of a video player;

process a second video stream from a second video streaming source on the display device, wherein the first and second video streams are associated with a same content, and wherein the second video stream is processed at least in part by a second instance of the video player that is caused to be hidden while the first instance of the video player is displaying the first video stream;

determine a time offset between the first video stream and the second video stream, wherein the time offset is determined at least in part by matching a signature in the first and second video streams, and wherein the signature is based at least in part on a decompressed frame bitmap;

cause the first instance of the video player to cease displaying the first video stream; and

cause the second instance of the video player to become visible and audible, and to display the second video stream, wherein the second instance of the video player is configured to display the second video stream in a region of a screen that is the same as a region in which the first instance of the video player displayed the first video stream; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the display of the second video stream is adjusted according to the time offset to reduce any perceived discontinuity that might result from switching from the first video stream to the second video stream.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first video stream is a live video stream and wherein the processor is configured to process the second video stream by adjusting a buffer length.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the first video stream is a video-on-demand video stream and wherein the processor is configured to process the second video stream by performing a series of pause and resume actions.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the first video stream is received via a first protocol and wherein the second video stream is received via a second protocol and wherein the first and second protocols are different.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the first video stream and second video stream is unencrypted and wherein the other of the first video stream and second video stream is encrypted.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the first video stream and second video stream are both provided by a single network node.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the first video stream and second video stream are respectively provided by two different network nodes.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the first video stream is streamed at a first bitrate and the second video stream is streamed at a second bitrate and wherein the first and the second bitrate are different.

10. A method for displaying video on a video display device, comprising:

displaying a first video stream from a first video streaming source on the display device, wherein the first video stream is displayed by a first instance of a video player;

processing a second video stream from a second video streaming source on the display device, wherein the first and second video streams are associated with a same content, and wherein the second video stream is processed at least in part by a second instance of the video player that is caused to be hidden while the first instance of the video player is displaying the first video stream;

determining a time offset between the first video stream and the second video stream, wherein the time offset is determined at least in part by matching a signature in the first and second video streams, and wherein the signature is based at least in part on a decompressed frame bitmap;

causing the first instance of the video player to cease displaying the first video stream; and

causing the second instance of the video player to become visible and audible, and to display the second video stream, wherein the second instance of the video player is configured to display the second video stream in a region of a screen that is the same as a region in which the first instance of the video player displayed the first video stream.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the display of the second video stream is adjusted according to the time offset to reduce any perceived discontinuity that might result from switching from the first video stream to the second video stream.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the first video stream is a live video stream and wherein processing the second video stream includes adjusting a buffer length.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the first video stream is a video-on-demand video stream and wherein processing the second video stream includes performing a series of pause and resume actions.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the first video stream is received via a first protocol and wherein the second video stream is received via a second protocol and wherein the first and second protocols are different.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein one of the first video stream and second video stream is unencrypted and wherein the other of the first video stream and second video stream is encrypted.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the first video stream and second video stream are both provided by a single network node.

17. The method of claim 10 wherein the first video stream and second video stream are respectively provided by two different network nodes.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the first video stream is streamed at a first bitrate and the second video stream is streamed at a second bitrate and wherein the first and the second bitrate are different.

19. A computer program product for displaying video on a video display device, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

displaying a first video stream from a first video streaming source on the display device, wherein the first video stream is displayed by a first instance of a video player;

processing a second video stream from a second video streaming source on the display device, wherein the first and second video streams are associated with a same content, and wherein the second video stream is processed at least in part by a second instance of the video player that is caused to be hidden while the first instance of the video player is displaying the first video stream;

determining a time offset between the first video stream and the second video stream, wherein the time offset is determined at least in part by matching a signature in the first and second video streams, and wherein the signature is based at least in part on a decompressed frame bitmap;

causing the first instance of the video player to cease displaying the first video stream; and

causing the second instance of the video player to become visible and audible, and to display the second video stream, wherein the second instance of the video player is configured to display the second video stream in a region of a screen that is the same as a region in which the first instance of the video player displayed the first video stream.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the display of the second video stream is adjusted according to the time offset to reduce any perceived discontinuity that might result from switching from the first video stream to the second video stream.

21. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the first video stream is a live video stream and wherein processing the second video stream includes adjusting a buffer length.

22. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the first video stream is a video-on-demand video stream and wherein processing the second video stream includes performing a series of pause and resume actions.

23. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the first video stream is received via a first protocol and wherein the second video stream is received via a second protocol and wherein the first and second protocols are different.

24. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the first video stream is streamed at a first bitrate and the second video stream is streamed at a second bitrate and wherein the first and the second bitrate are different.