Systems and methods for automatically generating top level index files

• US 9,270,720 B2
• Filed: 07/21/2014
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• 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): SHAIFER HARRIMAN, DANT B
• Application Number:
  US14/336,392
• Publication Number:
  US 20150019866A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 automatically generating top level index files for use in adaptive bitrate streaming in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment of the method of the invention includes receiving a request from a playback device at a playback server, where the request identifies a piece of content, retrieving a list of assets associated with the identified piece of content using the playback server, filtering the list of assets using at least one predetermined criterion using the playback server, generating a top level index file describing each asset in the filtered list of assets using the playback server, and sending the top level index file to the playback device using the playback server.

Claims

1. A method of generating a top level index file, comprising:

receiving a request from a playback device at a playback server system, where the request (i) identifies a piece of content and (ii) includes a product identifier;

retrieving, using the playback server system, (i) a list of assets associated with the identified piece of content and (ii) at least one device capability based upon the product identifier, wherein each asset is a different stream associated with the piece of content;

filtering the list of assets using the at least one device capability using the playback server system, wherein the playback server system maintains a database of product identifiers and associated device capabilities;

generating a top level index file describing each asset in the filtered list of assets using the playback server system; and

sending the top level index file to the playback device using the playback server system, wherein the top level index file is used by the playback device to determine which assets to request for playback on the device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising filtering the list of assets based upon at least one of a geographic location of the playback device, a language associated with the playback device, one or more user preferences, and one or more requirements of a content owner.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one device capability is at least one of a:

display aspect ratio, anticipated maximum network connection data rate, device outputs, supported formats, device buffer size, device resolution, device region, and device language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback server system maintains a database of assets associated with specific pieces of content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the top level index file describes at least a bitrate of each asset in the filtered list of assets and identifies locations of the assets in the filtered list of assets.

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

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an XML string including a SWITCH element to describe alternative streams for use in adaptive bitrate streaming.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising generating an XML string including an EXCL element to describe alternative streams for use in conventional streaming.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating an XML string including a URI for each asset, wherein the URI references a container file and the XML string for each assets 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 asset.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the XML string of a video asset 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, wherein each asset is a different alternative stream associated with the piece of content and each alternative stream encodes the piece of content at a different maximum bitrate.

13. A playback server system, comprising:

a database that stores descriptions of assets associated with specific pieces of content;

a database that stores a plurality of product identifiers and associated device capabilities;

a processor configured using a playback management application;

wherein the playback management application configures the processor to;

receive a request from a playback device, where the request (i) identifies a piece of content and (ii) includes a product identifier;

retrieve (i) a list of assets associated with the identified piece of content and (ii) at least one device capability based upon the product identifier, wherein each asset is a different stream associated with the piece of content;

filter the list of assets using the at least one device capability;

generate a top level index file describing each asset in the filtered list of assets; and

send the top level index file to the playback device, wherein the top level index file is used by the playback device to determine which assets to request for playback on the device.

14. The playback server system of claim 13, wherein the playback management application further configures the processor to filter the list of assets based upon at least one of a geographic location of the playback device, a language associated with the playback device, one or more user preferences, and one or more requirements of a content owner.

15. The playback server system of claim 13, wherein the at least one device capability is least one of a:

display aspect ratio, anticipated maximum network connection data rate, device outputs, supported formats, device buffer size, device resolution, device region, and device language.

16. The playback server system of claim 13, wherein the top level index file describes at least a bitrate of each asset in the filtered list of assets and identifies locations of the assets in the filtered list of assets.

17. The playback server system of claim 16, wherein the top level index file is a SMIL file that is an XML file that includes a list of URIs describing each of the different streams associated with the piece of content and container files that contain the streams.

18. The playback server system of claim 13, wherein each asset is a different alternative stream associated with the piece of content and each alternative stream encodes the piece of content at a different maximum bitrate.