Media streaming with enhanced seek operation

• US 8,819,754 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2013
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Virdi, Gurpratap, Musayev, Eldar, Zhang, Wenbo, Vega-Garcia, Andres
• Primary Examiner(s): RABOVIANSKI, JIVKA A
• Application Number:
  US13/738,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20130124748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 593 Days
• Field of Search: 725/32, 725/36, 725/114, 725/131, 725/100
• US Class Current: 725/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2358 for generating different versions, e.g. for different recipient devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to playback of video/audio streaming media data. The media stream is available from the network at multiple bit rates. When a seek operation is performed, a playback device requests a lower bit rate media stream in order to quickly fill a playback buffer so that playback can commence more readily. After a seek start-up period is complete, the playback device can return to downloading the media stream associated with higher bit rates in order to increase the quality of the playback.

Claims

1. A computer-readable non-volatile storage storing instructions thereon for executing a method for performing a seek operation in a media stream displayed on a playback device, the method comprising:

receiving a media stream from a network, the media stream being associated with a first bit rate;

receiving a user request to seek to a new location in the media stream;

in response to the user request, downloading the media stream, associated with a second bit rate that is less than the first bit rate, from at or about the new location to ensure fast start-up, wherein the content of the media stream content is identical whether received at the first or second bit rates, but quality increases with higher bit rates;

rendering the media stream starting at the new location; and

ramping up the bit rate of the media stream after the fast start-up.

2. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, wherein the ramping-up the bit rate of the media stream after the fast start-up is based on a previously stored network bandwidth.

3. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, wherein the media stream is available from a server computer coupled to the playback device at multiple bit rates, and each bit rate has a different quality level of content.

4. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, further including displaying an indicator of a current point in the media segment being displayed and displaying thumbnail photos as seek points that can be selected.

5. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, wherein the media stream is divided into fragments of substantially equal time duration.

6. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, further including generating a network address for the new location using an index file associated with the media stream.

7. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, wherein the media stream includes multiple logical or actual entry points.

8. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, wherein the playback device includes one of the following:

a computer, a mobile phone, a gaming console, and a television; and

wherein the network is the Internet.

9. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 1, wherein the first and second bit rates for the media stream are at substantially constant bit rates or variable bit rates.

10. A computer-readable non-volatile storage having instructions for executing a method for performing a seek operation, the method comprising:

receiving a media segment, associated with a first bit rate, from a network;

displaying the media segment including a location indicator showing a current time point being viewed in the media segment;

receiving a request to view the media segment from a second time point that is different than the current time point;

in response to the request, receiving the media segment, associated with a second bit rate that is lower than the first bit rate, from the network for rendering from the second time point to ensure fast start-up for viewing the media segment, wherein the second bit rate includes a same content of the media segment as the first bit rate, but a different quality level; and

returning to receiving the media segment at the first bit rate after the fast start-up is completed.

11. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 10, wherein the request to view the media segment from the second time point is in response to a user drag-and-drop operation on the location indicator.

12. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 10, further including returning to receiving the media segment associated with the first bit rate from the network after the start-up is completed.

13. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 10, wherein the network is the Internet.

14. The computer-readable non-volatile storage of claim 10, wherein the media segment is divided into fragments and the second time point is a start of a fragment;

and further including switching to a higher bit rate after the fragment associated with the second time point is received.