Quality-aware adaptive streaming over hypertext transfer protocol using quality attributes in manifest file

• US 9,125,073 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2012
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Oyman, Ozgur, Liao, Yiting, Foerster, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barry, Lance Leonard
• Application Number:
  US13/711,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20140040498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0013 Rate matching, e.g. puncturing or repetition of code symbols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0836 to enhance reliability, e.g. reduce downtime
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• 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: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 : Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 : based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 : Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 : using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 : Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/00 : Power management, e.g. TPC [Transmission Power Control], power saving or power classes gain control in transmitters or power amplifiers H03G3/3042
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 : in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0212 : managed by the network, e.g. network or access point is master and terminal is slave
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 : using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 : where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0258 : controlling an operation mode according to history or models of usage information, e.g. activity schedule or time of day
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 : Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/16 : Involving different core network technologies, e.g. a packet-switched [PS] bearer in combination with a circuit-switched [CS] bearer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/28 : Discontinuous transmission [DTX]; Discontinuous reception [DRX]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless network device to support quality-aware adaptive media streaming includes a radio-frequency transceiver, a processor operably coupled to the radio-frequency transceiver, and a memory device operably coupled to the processor. The memory storing instructions that configure the processor to parse a manifest file to read information characterizing media content available for hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) adaptive streaming, obtain quality information of the media content based on a quality attribute parsed from the manifest file, and dynamically switch streaming between different encoded portions of the media content in response to the quality information for an encoded portion of the media content deviating from a desired quality value.

Claims

1. A network device to support quality-aware adaptive media streaming over a network, the network device comprising:

a transceiver to receive a manifest file that defines hierarchical levels including an adaptation set level encompassing one or more other levels including a representation level and a segment level, the hierarchical levels including information characterizing encoded portions of media content available for adaptive streaming; and

circuitry configured to;

obtain from a minimum and maximum quality attribute parsed from the adaptation set level of the manifest file, first quality information that specifies respective minimum and maximum video quality values of the encoded portions of the media content;

obtain from a quality attribute parsed from the one or more other levels of the manifest file, second quality information that specifies quality values associated with the encoded portions of the media content;

obtain from a bandwidth attribute parsed from the segment level of the manifest file, bandwidth information that specifies segment or sub-segment bitrate values associated with the encoded portions of the media content; and

dynamically switch streaming between different encoded portions of the media content based on the bandwidth information and on the first and second quality information of a selected stream to maintain a desired video quality value.

2. The network device of claim 1, in which the quality attribute comprises objective video quality information.

3. The network device of claim 1, in which the quality attribute comprises subjective video quality information.

4. The network device of claim 1, in which the quality attribute comprises a quality metric selected from the group consisting of video multi-scale structural similarity (MS-SSIM), video mean opinion score (VMOS), video quality metrics (VQM), structural similarity metrics (SSIM), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and perceptual evaluation of video quality metrics (PEVQ).

5. The network device of claim 1, in which the manifest file is a media presentation description (MPD) file.

6. The network device of claim 1, in which the quality attribute is included as information of a dynamic adaptive streaming over hypertext transfer protocol (DASH) representation, a DASH segment, and a DASH sub-segment.

7. The network device of claim 1 comprising a wireless network device in which the transceiver includes a radio-frequency transceiver.