Video playback device for channel browsing

• US 8,522,291 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2007
• Issued: 08/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AVerMedia Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AVerMedia Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chou, Cheng-Fu, Chou, Han-wu, Chen, Cheng-sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V
• Application Number:
  US12/003,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20080163303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: 725/94
• US Class Current: 725/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4384 involving operations to reduce the access time, e.g. fast-tuning for reducing channel switching latency
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4586 Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A video playback device, provided in a P2P-based network, comprises a channel pre-cached buffer, for storing a plurality of video blocks corresponding to a number of pre-cached channels; a display interface, for receiving a request for channel browsing from a viewer and executing playback of the video blocks pertaining to a selected channel indicated on the request; and an agent module, for receiving the request for channel browsing from the display interface, obtaining a seed/peer list pertaining to the selected channel indicated on the request, and downloading the video blocks from seed and/or peer nodes based on the seed/peer list; characterized in that the agent module applies an automatic refreshing mechanism for updating the corresponding video blocks to each pre-cached channel by supplying the most updated video blocks in the channel pre-cached buffer.

Claims

1. A video playback device, provided in a P2P-based network, comprising:

a channel pre-cached buffer, for storing a plurality of video blocks corresponding to a number of pre-cached channels;

a display interface, for receiving a request for channel browsing from a viewer and executing playback of the video blocks pertaining to a selected channel indicated on the request; and

an agent mechanism, for receiving the request for channel browsing from the display interface, obtaining a seed/peer list pertaining to the selected channel indicated on the request, and downloading the video blocks from seed and/or peer nodes based on the seed/peer list;

characterized in that

the agent mechanism applies an automatic refreshing mechanism for updating the corresponding video blocks to each pre-cached channel by supplying the most updated video blocks in the channel pre-cached buffer, wherein when the agent mechanism receives the request for channel browsing, the automatic refreshing mechanism stops refreshing, a predetermined number W of video blocks of the selected channel are received in the channel pre-cached buffer, and the automatic refreshing mechanism is started again to refresh the other pre-cached channels that have not been selected after the predetermined number W of video blocks of the selected channel are received in the channel pre-cached buffer.

2. The video playback device of claim 1, wherein the selected channel has a start up latency Ts for playback of its video blocks in the display interface when the viewer launches a request for channel browsing, whereby the start up latency Ts is determined from the formula below:

Ts=k*B/R, where

k is a coefficient which indicates the number of video blocks of the selected channel for current playback,

B is the block size for each video block, and

R is a predetermined channel playback rate.

3. The video playback device of claim 2, wherein the coefficient k is set to be at least one.

4. The video playback device of claim 1, wherein each of the pre-cached channels further comprises a channel class.

5. The video playback device of claim 4, wherein the channel class for each pre-cached channel is determined by an allowable delay time Tu.

6. The video playback device of claim 5, wherein the most updated video block is playback at the time within the allowable delay time Tu.

7. The video playback device of claim 1, wherein the automatic refreshing mechanism is implemented in one of the random way, round-robin way and priority way for updating the video blocks for the pre-cached channels except for the selected channel.

8. The video playback device of claim 1, wherein each of the video blocks in one pre-cached channel is provided with different or the same resolutions.

9. The video playback device of claim 1, wherein each of the pre-cached channels is provided with different or the same resolutions.

10. The video playback device of claim 7, wherein the priority way is implemented in the channel pre-cached buffer based on the channel class.

11. A channel browsing method, comprising the steps of:

(1) providing a video playback device which comprises a channel pre-cached buffer, a display interface and an agent mechanism for connecting to a P2P-based network;

(2) sending a request for channel browsing to the agent mechanism from a viewer on the display interface that indicates a selected channel;

(3) receiving the request at the agent mechanism from the display interface and starting to obtain a seed/peer list pertaining to the selected channel indicated on the request;

(4) starting to download the video blocks at the agent mechanism for the selected channel from seed and/or peer nodes in the P2P-based network;

(5) continuing to download the video blocks for the selected channel at the agent mechanism until the number of video blocks reaching to a predetermined number W in the channel pre-cached buffer;

(6) executing playback of the selected channel at the display interface while receiving the predetermined number W of the video blocks pertaining to the selected channel; and

(7) starting to implement an automatic refreshing mechanism at the agent mechanism for refreshing the video blocks corresponding to each pre-cached channel except for the selected channel by supplying the most lately video blocks in the channel pre-cached buffer, wherein when the agent mechanism receives the request for channel browsing, the automatic refreshing mechanism stops refreshing, predetermined number W of video blocks of the selected channel are received in the channel pre-cached buffer, and the automatic refreshing mechanism is started again to refresh the other pre-cached channels that have not been selected after the predetermined number W of video blocks of the selected channel are received in the channel pre-cached buffer.

12. The channel browsing method of claim 11, wherein the selected channel has a start up latency for playback of its video blocks in the display interface when the viewer launches a request for channel browsing, whereby the time length Ts is determined from the formula below:

Ts=k*B/R, where

k is a coefficient which indicates the number of video blocks of the selected channel stored in the channel pre-cached buffer,

B is the block size for each video block, and

R is a predetermined channel playback rate.

13. The channel browsing method of claim 11, wherein the coefficient k is set to be at least one.

14. The channel browsing method of claim 11, wherein each of the pre-cached channels further comprises a channel class.

15. The channel browsing method of claim 14, wherein the channel class for each pre-cached channel is determined by an allowable delay time Tu.

16. The channel browsing method of claim 15, wherein the most updated video block is playback at the time within the allowable delay time Tu.

17. The channel browsing method of claim 11, wherein the automatic refreshing mechanism is implemented in one of the random way, round-robin way and priority way for updating the video blocks for the pre-cached channels except for the selected channel.

18. The channel browsing method of claim 11, wherein each of the video blocks in one pre-cached channel is provided with different or the same resolutions, or each of the pre-cached channels is provided with different or the same resolutions.

19. The channel browsing method of claim 17, wherein the priority way is implemented in the channel pre-cached buffer based on the channel class.