Optimized video streaming using cloud computing platform

• US 8,745,261 B1
• Filed: 01/21/2014
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Nextbit Systems, Inc. (Razer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chan, Michael A., Moss, Tom, Bornstein, Daniel R., Fleming, Michael K., Quan, Justin, Tong, Linda
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, PHUOC H
• Application Number:
  US14/159,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136729A1
• Time in Patent Office: 133 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/231, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5019 Workload prediction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/509 Offload
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5088 involving task migration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• 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

Abstract

Technology is disclosed for migrating at least portions of a video streaming application to a cloud server. The migration is based on an optimization factor of a video streaming application. The optimization factor can be computed based on consumption of computing resources of the computing device. The video streaming application is a multi-threaded application in which a background thread performs tasks that may not require user interaction and a foreground thread performs tasks that may require user interaction. A service component of the video streaming application that obtains video streaming data from video servers is one example of the background thread. A user interface component that displays the video streaming data to a user via a user interface is an example of the foreground thread. If the optimization factor of the service component is below a predefined threshold, the service component is transferred to the cloud server for further processing.

Claims

1. A method for streaming videos to a computing device, the method comprising:

monitoring, by a cloud server, a video streaming application executing at the computing device to identify a service component and a user interface component of the video streaming application, the video streaming application executing as a multi-threaded application, the service component executing as a background thread to obtain video streaming data from a video server, the user interface component executing as a foreground thread to present a user interface for displaying the video streaming data obtained by the service component on the computing device;

determining, by the cloud server, an optimization factor for the service component of video streaming application, the optimization factor determined as a function of consumption of computing resources of the computing device by the video streaming application;

responsive to a determination that the optimization factor is below a predetermined value, requesting the computing device to transmit an instance of the service component to the cloud server;

receiving the instance of the service component at the cloud server;

executing the instance of the service component at the cloud server to obtain the video streaming data from the video server at the cloud server;

monitoring the computing device to determine if the user interface component of the video streaming application is executing in a foreground or a background of the operating system of the computing device;

responsive to a determination that the user interface component is executing in the foreground, transmitting the video streaming data obtained by the cloud server to the user interface component of the video streaming application at the computing device;

determining, by the cloud server, whether a workload of the computing device is reduced by migrating the instance of the service component to the cloud server; and

responsive to a determination that the workload of the computing device is not reduced, stopping the execution of the instance of the service component at the server, and

instructing the computing device to execute the service component at the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the background thread is configured to generate video streaming data for the foreground thread, and the foreground thread is configured to allow for the user interface to interact with a user of the computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the consumption of computing resources of the computing device includes consumption of at least one of a CPU resource, a GPU resource, a memory resource, a power, a network resource for receiving and transmitting data at the computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the service component does not directly interact with a user of the computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the computing device to transmit an instance of the service component to the cloud server further includes instructing the computing device to stop executing the service component at the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the computing device to transmit an instance of the service component to the cloud server includes:

requesting the computing device to transmit the instance of the service component if the cloud server does not have the instance of the service component that was previously transmitted by the computing device in response to a prior request.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the computing device to transmit an instance of the service component to the cloud server further includes:

requesting the computing device to transmit information regarding last video streaming data obtained by the service component executing on the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the user interface component switched to the background,

stopping, by the cloud server, transmission of the video streaming data obtained by the cloud server to the computing device, and

caching the video streaming data obtained by the cloud server at the cloud server.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

causing the user interface component of the computing device to present the video streaming data transmitted by the cloud server to a display of the computing device.

10. A computing device for streaming videos, the computing device comprising:

a processor;

a networking interface configured to facilitate transmission of data, including video streaming data, between a cloud server, a video server and the computing device; and

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause a migration module of the computing device to perform a process including;

monitoring a video streaming application executing at the computing device to identify a service component and a user interface component of the video streaming application, the video streaming application executing as a multi-threaded application, the service component executing as a background thread to obtain video streaming data from the video server, the user interface component executing as a foreground thread to present a user interface for displaying the video streaming data obtained by the service component on a display of the computing device,

determining an optimization factor for the service component as a function of computing resources consumed by the video streaming application,

responsive to a determination that the optimization factor is below a predetermined value, transmitting an instance of the service component to the cloud server, the cloud server to execute the instance of the service component at the cloud server to obtain the video streaming data from the video server at the cloud server,

transmitting information regarding last video streaming data obtained by the service component executing on the computing device,

determining if the user interface component of the video streaming application is executing as a foreground process or a background process of the operating system of the computing device,

responsive to a determination that the user interface component is executing as the foreground process, receiving the video streaming data obtained by the instance of the service component executing at the cloud server;

determining, by the cloud server, whether a workload of the computing device is reduced by migrating the instance of the service component to the cloud server; and

responsive to a determination that the workload of the computing device is not reduced, stopping the execution of the instance of the service component at the server, and

instructing the computing device to execute the service component at the computing device.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the service component does not directly interact with a user of the computing device.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the background thread is configured to handle a task of obtaining the video streaming data without sending any data to or receiving any data from a display of the computing device directly.

13. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the networking interface is further configured to synchronize between the video streaming data which the foreground thread presents to the user interface at the computing device and the video streaming data which the instance of the service component executing at the cloud server obtains from the video server.

14. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for switching the computing device to a high power consumption state for transmitting the instance of the service component to the cloud server.

15. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the memory further comprises instructions for switching the computing device to a low power consumption state after transmitting the instance of the service component to the cloud server.

16. A method for streaming videos, the method comprising:

receiving, by a video streaming application executing at a computing device, video streaming data from a video server, the video streaming application including a service component and a user interface component, the service component executing as a background thread to obtain video streaming data from the video server, the user interface component executing as a foreground thread to present a user interface for displaying the video streaming data obtained by the service component on the computing device;

determining, by the computing device, an optimization factor for the service component of video streaming application, the optimization factor determined based on an amount of computing resources consumed by the video streaming application;

responsive to a determination that the optimization factor is below a predetermined value,

switching the computing device to a high power consumption state for preparing to transmit an instance of the service component to a cloud server, the cloud server configured to execute the instance of the service component at the cloud server to obtain at least a portion of remainder of the video streaming data from the video server to the cloud server, and

transmitting the instance of the service component and information regarding last video streaming data obtained by the service component executing on the computing device to the cloud server;

switching the computing device to a low power consumption state, after successfully completing the transmission of the instance of the service component and the information regarding last video streaming data;

determining if the user interface component of the video streaming application is executing as a foreground process or a background process of the operating system of the computing device;

responsive to a determination that the user interface component is executing as the foreground process,

switching the computing device to a high power consumption state for preparing to receive, from the cloud server, the at least portion of remainder of the video streaming data obtained by the instance of the service component executing at the cloud server, and

receiving the at least portion of remainder of video streaming data from the cloud server;

determining, whether a workload of the computing device is reduced by migrating the instance of the service component to the cloud server; and

responsive to a determination that the workload of the computing device is not reduced, stopping the execution of the instance of the service component at the server, and

instructing the computing device to execute the service component at the computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein transmitting the instance of the service component to the cloud server further includes stopping the execution of the service component at the computing device.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the at least portion of remainder of video streaming data from the cloud server includes

receiving the at least portion of remainder of video streaming data from the cloud server via a remote procedure call generated by an operating system of the computing device, the remote procedure call generated from the foreground thread.