Apparatus and method for providing streaming content

• US 8,909,805 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2011
• Issued: 12/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helios Streaming, LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
• Inventors: Thang, Truong Cong, Lee, Jin Young, Bae, Seong Jun, Kang, Jung Won, Jung, Soon Heung, Park, Sang Taick, Ryu, Won, Kim, Jae Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Jimmy H
• Application Number:
  US13/824,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/218, 709223-229, 709/219, 709/231, 709/236, 709/21, 709/230, 725/716, 725/723
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• 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 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2358 for generating different versions, e.g. for different recipient devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43 Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings

Abstract

A method and apparatus for an adaptive Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming service using metadata of media content are provided. The media content may include a sequence of one or more periods. The metadata may include a start time attribute and/or a duration attribute of each of the periods. The metadata may determine a start time of each of the periods, and a start time of each of segments included in each of the periods. A terminal may access segments included in each of the periods, may decode and render data of media content included in the segments, and may play back the media content.

Claims

1. A method for providing media, the method comprising:

receiving metadata of media, the metadata comprising one or more periods;

processing the received metadata and extracting information included in the metadata, wherein the metadata includes a range attribute;

requesting a segment suitable for a specific interval based on a request for bytes of a resource indicated by a URL that are designated by the range attribute;

accessing segments of the media based on information provided by the metadata;

decoding and rendering data of the media that is included in the segments;

wherein each of the periods comprises one or more representations of the media,

wherein each of the representations starts from a beginning point of a period including each of the representation and continues to an ending point of the period, and comprises one or more segments; and

wherein determining the start of a first period among one or more period comprises;

when a start attribute exists in the first period element of the first period, a start time of the first period is equivalent to a value of the start attribute,

when a start attribute does not exist in the first period element of the first period, and when a second period element of the second period includes a duration attribute, the start time of the first period is obtained by adding a value of the duration attribute of the second period element to a start time of the second period, and

when a start attribute does not exist in the first period element of the first period, and when the first period is the first of the one or more periods, the start time of the first period is zero.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is a Media Presentation Description (MPD) of the media.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the periods is defined by a period element.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the period element comprises a start attribute indicating a start time of a period.