Implementation method and system for a media-on-demand frame-spanning playing mode in a peer-to-peer network

• US 8,776,150 B2
• Filed: 12/24/2007
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Tian, Hongliang
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US12/663,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223648A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,388 Days
• Field of Search: 725 88- 90, 725/102, 386/343, 386345-352
• US Class Current: 725/88
• 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 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• 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 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention discloses a method for implementing a cross frame playing mode in media-on-demand in a peer to peer network, comprising the following steps of: (a) partitioning a requested media file into blocks and encapsulating the blocks into a media content file, and recording a number of a block where each media key frame is located so that a frame index file is formed; (b) distributing said media content file and said frame index file in the peer to peer network; (c) when requesting a media, a client acquiring said frame index file and media blocks in said media content file from a source node; (d) when cross frame playing is required, the client calculating the number of a block where a next key frame is located according to said frame index file, and acquiring a corresponding media block to de-encapsulate, decode and play. The present invention also provides a system for implementing a cross frame displaying mode in media-on-demand in a peer to peer network, comprising a source node device and a target node device. The method conveniently satisfies the demand for VCR operations of a media being watched by the user in a P2P network,

Claims

1. A method for implementing a cross frame playing mode in media-on-demand in a peer to peer network, comprising the following steps of:

a) partitioning a requested media file into media blocks and encapsulating the media blocks into a media content file, and forming a frame index file that records a number of a media block where each media key frame is located;

(b) distributing said media content file and said frame index file in the peer to peer network;

(c) when requesting a media, a client acquiring the media blocks in said media content file and said frame index file from a source node;

(d) when cross frame playing is required, the client calculating a number of a media block where a next media key frame is located according to a number of a next media key frame and said frame index file, and acquiring the corresponding media block to de-encapsulate, decode and play;

wherein each media block consists of a block head and a block body; and

a partitioning and encapsulation format of said media content file is;

said block body consisting of media frames arranged in a sequence of time stamps and an unfilled part being filled with a filler field;

said block head describing content of media block data in the media block, and said block head comprising the following fields;

a media content identification Cid, a block number Bno, a time stamp Time, a quantity of frames in the block Fcnt, and an optional frame description item Fitem.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein, said frame index file further comprises a frame number of each media key frame.

3. A method of claim 2, wherein, if said cross frame playing is playing fast forward or fast backward, and if a media key frame interval is fixed and a number of a current media key frame is i, step (d) further comprises:

(d1) calculating a fast forward or fast backward step P=a fast forward multiple (or fast backward multiple)/(the media key frame interval×

a fixed quantity of media key frames played per second);

(d2) calculating a number of a next media key frame, that is, in fast forward, calculating the number of a subsequent k^th media key frame to be played as (i+[kP]);

Or, in fast backward, calculating the number of a subsequent k^th media key frame to be played as (i−

[kP]), wherein [ ] represents rounding operation;

(d3) according to the number of said next media key frame, looking up said frame index file to acquire the number of the block where the key frame number is located, and from the block with the number, extracting the frame with the number of said next key frame to decode and play.

4. A method of claim 2, wherein, said frame index file further comprises a time stamp of each media key frame;

if said cross frame playing is playing fast forward or fast backward, and if a media key frame interval is unfixed and a number of a current frame is i, step (d) comprises;

(d1) calculating an ideal time stamp of a next media key frame to be played subsequently according to said i;

that is, in fast forward, the ideal time stamp of a subsequent k^th key frame to be played being T(i+k)=t(i)+k×

a fast forward multiple/a fixed quantity of media key frames played per second; and

in fast backward, the ideal time stamp of a subsequent k^th key frame to be played being T(i−

k)=t(i)−

k×

a fast backward multiple/the fixed quantity of media key frames played per second;

(d2) looking up the frame index file to find the number of a media key frame of which the time stamp is closest to said ideal time stamp to take as the number of the next media key frame to be played subsequently;

that is, in fast forward, finding the number of a media key frame of which the time stamp is closest to T(i+k);

or in fast backward, finding the number of a media key frame of which the time stamp is closest to T(i−

k);

(d3) according to the number of said next media key frame, looking up said frame index file to acquire the number of the block where the media key frame is located, and from the block with the number, extracting a frame with the number of said next media key frame to decode and play.

5. A method of claim 1, further comprising:

said frame index file further comprising a time stamp of each media key frame;

if said cross frame playing is dragging and playing, in step (d), based on comparison between a time corresponding to a dragging point and time stamps of index entries in said frame index file, acquiring a block number corresponding to a frame of which the time stamp is closest to said corresponding time, and staring from the block number, sequentially acquiring media data to decode and play.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein, said media content file is a video file and said media key frame is an I frame.

7. A system for implementing a cross frame displaying mode in media-on-demand in a peer to peer network, comprising a source node device and a target node device, wherein,

said source node device that partitions a requested media file into media blocks and encapsulates the media blocks into a media content file and forms a frame index file recording a number of a media block where each media key frame is located, and then distributes said media content file and said frame index file in the peer to peer network;

said target node device that acquires said media blocks in said media content file and said frame index file from said source node device when requesting a media; and

when cross frame playing is required, said target node device calculates the number of a media block where a next key frame is located according to a number of a next media key frame and said frame index file, and acquires a corresponding media block to de-capsulate, decode and play;

wherein each media block consist of a block head and a block body; and

a partitioning and encapsulation format of said media content file is;

said block body consisting of media frames arranged in a sequence of time stamps and an unfilled part being filled with a filler field;

said block head describing content of media block data in the media block, and said block head comprising the following fields;

a media content identification Cid, a block number Bno, a time stamp Time, a quantity of frames in the block Fcnt, and an optional frame description item Fitem.

8. A system of claim 7, wherein said source node device comprises a source node storage unit and a source node communication unit;

said target node device comprises a target node storage unit, a target node communication unit, a block processing unit and a decoding and playing unit, wherein,

a streaming media file stored in said source node storage unit comprises a media block file and a frame index file;

said source node communication unit that sends said streaming media file stored in said source node storage unit to said target node when receiving a command of requesting a media sent by said target node;

said target node communication unit stores said streaming media file received in said target node storage unit;

said block processing unit that extracts said frame index file from said target node storage unit when user performs a cross frame operation of the media content file, acquires the number of a media block where a next media frame is located from the frame index file, de-capsulates the media blocks starting from the media block number in said target node storage unit and sends to said decoding and playing unit;

said decoding and playing unit decodes and plays the de-capsulated data.

9. A system of claim 8, wherein,

said frame index file in said source node storage unit further records a number of each media key frame;

said block processing unit acquires the number of the media block where the next media key frame is located in the following manner;

when the user selects a playing mode of fast forward or fast backward, and if a media key frame interval is fixed and a number of a current media key frame is i, calculating the number of the next media key frame according to a fast forward or fast backward step P, that is, in fast forward, the number of said next key frame=i+[kP], and in fast backward, the number of said next media key frame=i−

[kP], wherein [ ] represents rounding operation; and

according to the number of the next key frame, looking up said frame index file to acquire the number of the block where the key frame number is located;

said decoding and playing unit acquires data starting from said media block number to decode and play.

10. A system of claim 8, wherein, said frame index file in said source node storage unit further records a number and a time stamp of each media key frame;

said block processing unit acquires a number of the media block where the next media frame is located in the following manner;

when the user selects a playing mode of fast forward or fast backward, and if a media key frame interval is unfixed and a number of a current frame is i, calculating an ideal time stamp of the next media key frame to be played subsequently, that is, in fast forward, said ideal time stamp T(i+k)=t(i)+k×

a fast forward multiple/a fixed quantity of media key frames played per second; and

in fast backward, said ideal time stamp T(i−

k)=t(i)−

k×

a fast backward multiple/the fixed quantity of media key frames played per second; and

then looking up the frame index file to find the number of a media key frame of which the time stamp is closest to said ideal time stamp to take as the number of the next media key frame to be played subsequently, and according to the number of said next media key frame, looking up said frame index file to acquire the number of the block where the key frame number is located;

said decoding and playing unit acquires data staring from said media block number to decode and play.

11. A system of claim 8, wherein,

said frame index file in said source node storage unit further records a number and a time stamp of each media key frame;

said block processing unit acquires the number of the media block where the next media frame is located in the following manner;

when the user selects to drag and play, based on comparison between a time corresponding to a dragging point and time stamps of index entries in said frame index file, said block number processing module acquires a media block number corresponding to a frame of which the time stamp is closest to said corresponding time;

said decoding and playing unit acquires data starting from said media block number to decode and play.