Systems and methods for performing adaptive bitrate streaming using automatically generated top level index files

• US 8,806,188 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2011
• Issued: 08/12/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonic IP Incorporated (Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sonic IP Incorporated (Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.)
• Inventors: Braness, Jason, Wallin, Evan, Ferreira, Ederson
• Primary Examiner(s): Tabor, Amare F
• Application Number:
  US13/341,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054958A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 713/150, 709/219
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• 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 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]

Abstract

Systems and methods for performing adaptive bitrate streaming using top level index files automatically generated based upon the capabilities of a playback device in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment of the method of the invention includes requesting a top level index file from a playback server using a playback device, where the request identifies a piece of content and includes information describing the capabilities of the playback device, receiving a top level index file from the playback server using the playback device, where the top level index file describes a plurality of streams accessible to the playback device and identifies the location of the streams, selecting initial streams using the playback device, and retrieving at least a portion of the initial streams from the locations identified in the top level index file using the playback device.

Claims

1. A method for streaming a piece of content, comprising:

requesting a top level index file from a playback server using a playback device, where the request identifies a piece of content and includes information describing the capabilities of the playback device;

receiving a top level index file from the playback server using the playback device, where the top level index file (i) describes at least a bitrate of each of a plurality of different alternative streams associated with the identified piece of content and accessible to the playback device and (ii) identifies the location of the each of the plurality of different alternative streams, where each of the plurality of different alternative streams encodes the piece of content at a different maximum bitrate;

selecting an initial stream from the plurality of different alternative streams using the playback device; and

retrieving at least a portion of the initial stream from the location identified in the top level index file using the playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device capability is selected from the group consisting of:

licensed video capabilities, licensed audio capabilities, and device language.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the top level index file only includes descriptions of streams that the playback device is capable of playing back.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request from the playback device also includes information indicative of the geographic location of the playback device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the top level index file is a SMIL file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the top level index file describes each stream using an XML string including a URI identifying the location of the stream.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the top level index file includes at least one XML string including a SWITCH element that describes alternative streams for use in adaptive bitrate streaming.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the top level index file includes an XML string including an EXCL element to describe alternative streams for use in conventional streaming.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the URI references a container file and the XML string for each stream includes an element that defines the size of a header section of the container file.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the XML string includes an element that identifies the encoding of the stream.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the XML string of a video stream includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of:

an element that describes the maximum bitrate of the video;

an element that describes the width and height of the video; and

an element that describes the video buffer verifier size of the video.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting cryptographic information to access at least one protected stream identified in the top level index file using the playback device;

receiving the cryptographic information at the playback device; and

using the cryptographic information to access content downloaded from a protect stream identified within the top level index file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the cryptographic information is encrypted so that the playback device can access the cryptographic information using cryptographic information stored on the playback device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the cryptographic information is requested from a playback server.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the cryptographic information is requested from a digital rights management server.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a play event report using the playback device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the play event report includes a playback location.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a command from a playback server at the playback device in response to the play event report.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the command is a command to stop playback.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a command from a playback server to resume playback at a specific playback location.

21. A playback device, comprising:

memory containing information describing the capabilities of the playback device; and

a processor configured by a client application;

wherein the client application configures the processor to;

request a top level index file from a playback server, where the request identifies a piece of content and includes information describing the capabilities of the playback device;

receive a top level index file from the playback server, where the top level index file (i) describes at least a bitrate of each of a plurality of different alternative streams associated with the identified piece of content and accessible to the playback device and (ii) identifies the location of the streams, where each alternative stream encodes the piece of content at a different maximum bitrate;

select an initial stream from the plurality of different alternative streams; and

retrieve at least a portion of the initial streams from the locations identified in the top level index file.

22. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the at least one device capability selected from the group consisting of licensed video capabilities, licensed audio capabilities, and device language.

23. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the top level index file only includes descriptions of streams that the playback device is capable of playing back.

24. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the request also includes information indicative of the geographic location of the playback device.

25. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the top level index file is a SMIL file.

26. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the top level index file describes each stream using an XML string including a URI identifying the location of the stream.

27. The playback device of claim 26, wherein the top level index file includes at least one XML string including a SWITCH element that describes alternative streams for use in adaptive bitrate streaming.

28. The playback device of claim 26, wherein the top level index file includes an XML string including an EXCL element to describe alternative streams for use in conventional streaming.

29. The playback device of claim 26, wherein the URI references a container file and the XML string for each stream includes an element that defines the size of a header section of the container file.

30. The playback device of claim 26, wherein the XML string includes an element that identifies the encoding of the stream.

31. The playback device of claim 26, wherein the XML string of a video stream includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of:

an element that describes the maximum bitrate of the video;

an element that describes the width and height of the video; and

an element that describes the video buffer verifier size of the video.

32. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the client application further configures the processor to:

request cryptographic information to access at least one protected stream identified in the top level index file; and

receive the cryptographic information; and

use the cryptographic information to access content downloaded from a protect stream identified within the top level index file.

33. The playback device of claim 32, wherein:

the memory also includes device cryptographic information; and

the received cryptographic information is encrypted so that the processor can access the cryptographic information using the device cryptographic information.

34. The playback device of claim 32, wherein the client application configures the processor to request the cryptographic information from the playback server.

35. The playback device of claim 32, wherein the client application configures the processor to request the cryptographic information from a digital rights management server.

36. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the client application further configures the processor to generate a play event report.

37. The playback device of claim 36, wherein the play event report includes a playback location.

38. The playback device of claim 36, wherein the client application further configures the processor to receive a command from a playback server in response to the play event report.

39. The playback device of claim 38, wherein the command is a command to stop playback.

40. The playback device of claim 21, wherein the client application further configures the processor to receive receiving a command from a playback server to resume playback at a specific playback location.

41. A non-transitory machine readable medium containing processor instructions, where execution of the instructions by a processor causes the processor to perform a process comprising:

requesting a top level index file from a playback server, where the request identifies a piece of content and includes information describing the capabilities of the playback device;

receiving a top level index file from the playback server, where the top level index file (i) describes at least a bitrate of each of a plurality of different alternative streams associated with the identified piece of content and accessible to the playback device and (ii) identifies the location of the streams, where each alternative stream encodes the piece of content at a different maximum bitrate;

selecting an initial stream from the plurality of different alternative streams; and

retrieving at least a portion of the initial streams from the locations identified in the top level index file.

42. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 41, wherein the machine readable medium is non-volatile memory.

43. A method for streaming a piece of content at a playback device, the method comprising:

requesting, via Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on a network, a top level index file from a playback server using a playback device, where the request identifies a piece of content and includes (i) information describing a type of the playback device and (ii) information regarding the network bandwidth;

receiving a top level index file from the playback server using the playback device, where the top level index file includes an index to a plurality of different alternative streams associated with the identified piece of content, with each alternative stream encoding the piece of content at a different bitrate, where the top level index file provides, based on the type of the playback device and information regarding the network bandwidth, at least a maximum bitrate and a uniform resource identifier (URI) of each alternative stream associated with the piece of content and accessible to the playback device;

selecting an initial stream from the plurality of different alternative streams provided in the top level index file using the playback device; and

requesting at least a portion of the initial stream, using HTTP byte range requests that correspond to container files that contain encoded video for the portion of the initial stream, from the URI locations identified in the top level index file using the playback device; and

receiving the requested portion of the initial stream for playback by the playback device.