Method and apparatus for playing live content

• US 9,338,206 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Keum, Ji Eun, Song, Jae Yeon, Jung, Bo Sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Keehn, Richard G
• Application Number:
  US14/196,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A method for providing a client with a playlist of content segments accessible in a live streaming service provided in a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) adaptive streaming format is provided. A live content processing method for a broadcast system includes transmitting and updating content-related information sent from a server to a client, checking, at the client, content segments accessible in real time and saving a previous content-related information, retrieving the content segments playable by referencing the previous content-related information, determining, at the client, whether the content requested for playback can be playable using a playlist, and notifying the user of the playback result.

Claims

1. A content providing method of a client, the method comprising:

receiving a previous multimedia presentation description (MPD) from a server;

receiving a current MPD from the server; and

generating a playlist including available segment information based on the previous MPD and the current MPD,

wherein the playlist includes segment information included in the previous MPD, if the sum of a time duration of a buffer (timeshiftBufferDepth) of the previous MPD and a segment duration of the previous MPD is greater that a value obtained by subtracting a time at which the current MPD becomes available (availabilityStartTime) from a determined time point (NOW).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist includes segment information in an interval between the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD and the NOW with the segment information included in the previous MPD in an interval between the subtraction of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the previous MPD, the segment duration of the previous MPD and a CheckTime of the previous MPD from the NOW.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the playlist includes segment information of the current MPD, if the sum of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the current MPD and the segment duration of the previous MPD is less than or equal than to a value obtained by subtracting the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD from the NOW.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting, to the server, a request for a playback-requested content if a segment of playback-requested content is included in the playlist; and

receiving, from the server, the segment of playback-requested content.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing, if a segment of playback-requested content is not included in the playlist, an error message.

6. A content providing method of a server, the method comprising:

transmitting, by the server, a previous multimedia presentation description (MPD) to a client;

transmitting, by the server, a current MPD to the client; and

providing, to the client, a content based on a playlist, including available segment information, generated by the client based on the previous MPD and the current MPD,

wherein the playlist includes segment information included in the previous MPD, if the sum of a time duration of a buffer (timeShiftBufferDepth) of the previous MPD and a segment duration of the previous MPD is greater than a value obtained by subtracting a time at which the current MPD becomes available (availabilityStartTime) from a determined time point (NOW).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the playlist includes segment information in an interval between the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD and NOW with segment information included in the previous MPD in an interval between a subtraction of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the previous MPD, the segment duration of the previous MPD and a CheckTime of the previous MPD from the NOW.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the playlist includes segment information of the current MPD, if the sum of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the current MPD and the segment duration of the previous MPD is less than or equal to a value obtained by subtracting the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD from the NOW.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the providing of the content comprises:

receiving, from the client, a request for a playback-requested content if a segment of playback-requested content is included in the playlist; and

transmitting, to the client, the segment of playback-requested content.

10. A content providing apparatus of a client, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit and receive a signal; and

a controller configured to;

control the transceiver to receive a previous multimedia presentation description (MPD) from a server, and

control the transceiver to receive a current MPD from the server and generate a playlist including available segment information based on the previous MPD and the current MPD,

wherein the playlist includes segment information included in the previous MPD, if the sum of a time duration of a buffer (timeShiftBufferDepth) of the previous MPD and a segment duration of the previous MPD is greater than a value obtained by subtracting a time at which the current MPD becomes available (availabilityStartTime) from a determined time point (NOW).

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the playlist includes segment information in an interval between the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD and the NOW with the segment information included in the previous MPD in an interval between the subtraction of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the previous MPD, the segment duration of the previous MPD, and a CheckTime of the previous MPD from the NOW.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the playlist includes segment information of the current MPD, if the sum of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the current MPD and the segment duration of the previous MPD is less than or equal to a value obtained by subtracting the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD from the NOW.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the transceiver to transmit, to the server, a request for a playback-requested content if a segment of playback-requested content is included in the playlist, and

control the transceiver to receive, from the server, the segment of playback-requested content.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to provide, if a segment of playback-requested content is not included in the playlist, an error message.

15. A server for providing a content, the server comprising:

a transceiver configured to transmit and receive a signal; and

a controller configured to;

control the transceiver to transmit a previous multimedia presentation description (MPD) to a client,

control the transceiver to transmit a current MPD to the client, and

provide a content based on a playlist, including available segment information, generated by the client based on the previous MPD and the current MPD,

wherein the playlist includes segment information included in the previous MPD, if the sum of a time duration of a buffer (timeShiftBufferDepth) of the previous MPD and a segment duration of the previous MPD is greater than a value obtained by subtracting a time at which the current MPD becomes available (availabilityStartTime) from a determined time point (NOW).

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the playlist includes segment information in an interval between the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD and the NOW with the segment information included in the previous MPD in an interval between the subtraction of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the previous MPD, segment duration of the previous MPD, and a CheckTime of the previous MPD from the NOW.

17. The server of claim 15, wherein the playlist includes segment information of the current MPD, if the sum of the timeshiftBufferDepth of the current MPD and the segment duration of the previous MPD is less than or equal to a value obtained by subtracting the availabilityStarttime of the current MPD from the NOW.

18. The server of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the transceiver to receive, from the client, a request for a playback-requested content if a segment of playback-requested content is included in the playlist, and

control the transceiver to transmit, to the client, the segment of playback-requested content.