Media manifest file generation for adaptive streaming cost management

• US 9,332,051 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Brueck, David F., Owen, C. Ryan, Bye, Tyler, Edwards, Nathan James, Brueck, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Boutah, Alina N
• Application Number:
  US14/052,589
• Publication Number:
  US 20140250230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/219, 709/217, 709/203, 709/227, 709/223, 709/224, 709/226, 709/228, 709/229, 709/232, 709/235, 715/721
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Methods and systems for adaptive streaming cost management are described. A processing device can receive a request over a network from a media player executing on a client device to adaptively stream media content. The media content can include a plurality of media slices. The processing device can identify a geographical location of the client device from the request. The processing device can generate a media manifest file based on the geographical location of the client device. The media manifest file can indicate one or more media sources at which a copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located and a cost associated with delivery of the plurality of media slices from the respective one of the one or more media sources. The processing device can transmit the media manifest file to the client device over the network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a request over a network from a media player executing on a client device to adaptively stream media content, wherein the media content comprises a plurality of media slices;

identifying, by the processing device, a geographical location of the client device from the request;

generating, by the processing device, a media manifest file based on the geographical location of the client device, wherein the media manifest file is to indicate one or more media sources at which a copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located and a charge price associated with delivery of the plurality of media slices from the respective one of the one or more media sources; and

transmitting, by the processing device, the media manifest file to the client device over the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the media manifest file comprises a rule to instruct the media player to request one or more of the plurality of media slices from a first media source of the one or more media sources when a performance of the adaptive streaming is above a performance threshold, wherein the media manifest file further identifies a first web address where the copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located at the first media source of the one or more media sources.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the media manifest file further identifies another rule to instruct the media player to request the one or more of the plurality of media slices from a second media source of the one or more media sources when the performance is at or beyond a second performance threshold, wherein the media manifest file further identifies a second web address where the copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located at the second media source of the one or more media sources.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first web address comprises a first uniform resource locator (URL) that identifies a first location of the first media source and a second URL that identifies a second location of the second media source.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the copies of the plurality of media slices geographically located at the one or more media sources are encoded at different quality levels.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the media manifest file further identifies another rule that instructs the media player to request the plurality of media slices from a second media source of the one or more media sources at a first quality level when the performance is at or beyond a second performance threshold, and from the second media source at a second quality level when the performance is below the second performance threshold.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying a geographical location of the client device comprises:

extracting data from the request; and

sending a geographical location request with the extracted data to a location service to determine a geographical region of origin of the client device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by a computing system, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by a processing device, a request over a network from a media player executing on a client device to adaptively stream media content, wherein the media content comprises a plurality of media slices;

identifying, by the processing device, a geographical location of the client device from the request;

generating, by the processing device, a media manifest file based on the geographical location of the client device, wherein the media manifest file is to indicate one or more media sources at which a copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located and a charge price associated with delivery of the plurality of media slices from the respective one of the one or more media sources; and

transmitting, by the processing device, the media manifest file to the client device over the network.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the media manifest file comprises a rule to instruct the media player to request one or more of the plurality of media slices from a first media source of the one or more media sources when a performance of the adaptive streaming is above a performance threshold, wherein the media manifest file further identifies a first web address where the copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located at the first media source of the one or more media sources.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the media manifest file further identifies another rule to instruct the media player to request the one or more of the plurality of media slices from a second media source of the one or more media sources when the performance is at or beyond a second performance threshold, wherein the media manifest file further identifies a second web address where the copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located at the second media source of the one or more media sources.

11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first web address comprises a first uniform resource locator (URL) that identifies a first location of the first media source and a second URL that identifies a second location of the second media source.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the copies of the plurality of media slices geographically located at the one or more media sources are encoded at different quality levels.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the media manifest file further identifies another rule that instructs the media player to request the plurality of media slices from a second media source of the one or more media sources at a first quality level when the performance is at or beyond a second performance threshold, and from the second media source at a second quality level when the performance is below the second performance threshold.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identifying a geographical location of the client device comprises:

extracting data from the request; and

sending a geographical location request with the extracted data to a location service to determine a geographical region of origin of the client device.

15. A computing system, comprising:

a data storage device; and

a processing device, coupled to the data storage device, to;

receive a request over a network from a media player executing on a client device to adaptively stream media content, wherein the media content comprises a plurality of media slices;

identify a geographical location of the client device from the request;

generate a media manifest file based on the geographical location of the client device, wherein the media manifest file is to indicate one or more media sources at which a copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located and a charge price associated with delivery of the plurality of media slices from the respective one of the one or more media sources; and

transmit the media manifest file to the client device over the network.

16. The computing system of claim 15, wherein the media manifest file comprises a rule to instruct the media player to request one or more of the plurality of media slices from a first media source of the one or more media sources when a performance of the adaptive streaming is above a performance threshold, wherein the media manifest file is further to identify a first web address where the copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located at the first media source of the one or more media sources.

17. The computing system of claim 16, wherein the media manifest file is further to identify another rule to instruct the media player to request the one or more of the plurality of media slices from a second media source of the one or more media sources when the performance is at or beyond a second performance threshold, wherein the media manifest file is further to identify a second web address where the copy of the plurality of media slices is geographically located at the second media source of the one or more media sources.

18. The computing system of claim 17, wherein the first web address comprises a first uniform resource locator (URL) that is to identify a first location of the first media source and a second URL that is to identify a second location of the second media source.

19. The computing system of claim 18, wherein the copies of the plurality of media slices geographically located at the one or more media sources are encoded at different quality levels.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the media manifest file is further to identify another rule that instructs the media player to request the plurality of media slices from a second media source of the one or more media sources at a first quality level when the performance is at or beyond a second performance threshold, and from the second media source at a second quality level when the performance is below the second performance threshold.