Method for transmitting a scalable HTTP stream for natural reproduction upon the occurrence of expression-switching during HTTP streaming

• US 9,369,508 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sisvel International S.A. (Fineur International S.A.)
• Original Assignee: Humax Company Limited
• Inventors: Yie, Chungku, Lee, Ul Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHANG, SHIRLEY X
• Application Number:
  US13/877,995
• Publication Number:
  US 20130204973A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,714 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234327 by decomposing into layers, e.g. base layer and one or more enhancement layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Discussed is a processing method which enables natural reproduction upon the occurrence of representation switching during the transmission of an HTTP stream. The method includes: constructing, for a first representation, a plurality of segments including base layer of scalable video coding, constructing, for a second representation with a higher resolution than the first representation, a plurality of segments including enhanced layer of scalable video coding, and transmitting at least one of at least a part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and at least a part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, when transmitting the second representation. Only base layers may be extracted from the second representation and used as a reference in decoding low bit-rate segments to be reproduced in the future, thus multimedia content can be seamlessly displayed upon the occurrence of representation-switching.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting an HTTP stream comprising:

generating a plurality of segments by dividing video stream by a time unit;

generating a media information file including Universal Resource Locator (URL) information of the plurality of segments and transmitting the media information file to a client;

constructing, for a first representation, a plurality of segments with a first bit rate of scalable video coding;

constructing, for a second representation, a plurality of segments with a second bit rate, which is higher than the first bit rate, of the scalable video coding;

constructing, for a third representation, a plurality of segments with a third bit rate, which is higher than the second bit rate, of the scalable video coding;

receiving a request for transmitting selected segments of specific representation from a client according to a current network environment sensed by the client;

wherein the client parses the media information file, selects the segments of the specific representation suitable for the network environment by referring the parsed information, and generates the request for the selected segments of the specific representation; and

transmitting a scalable video coding stream that includes segments of at least one of the first, and the second, and the third representations, in response to the request;

wherein the third bit rate is double of the first bit rate and the second bit rate is a mean value of the first bit rate and the third bit rate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the scalable video coding complies with a coding scheme according to a scalable video coding standard according to scalable video coding of H.264/AVC.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the first representation comprises transmitting at least a part of the plurality of segments for the first representation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting of the second representation comprises transmitting one of the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, and

wherein the transmitting of the third representation comprises transmitting the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation, the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, and a part of the plurality of segments for the third representation.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising;

alternately transmitting the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, when transmitting the second representation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein segments in proportion to the number of representations according to contents information is generated.

7. A server for transmitting an HTTP stream comprising a processor that executes non-transitory computer program code stored on storage media, wherein the non-transitory computer program code includes instructions to:

generate a plurality of segments by dividing video stream by a time unit;

generate a media information file including Universal Resource Locator (URL) information of the plurality of segments;

construct, for a first representation, a plurality of segments with a first bit rate of scalable video coding;

construct, for a second representation, a plurality of segments with a second bit rate of the scalable video coding, wherein the second bit rate is higher than the first bit rate;

construct, for a third representation, a plurality of segments with a third bit rate of the scalable video coding, wherein the third bit rate is higher than the second bit rate;

receive a request for transmitting segments of specific representation from a client according to a current network environment detected by the client;

wherein the client parses the media information file, selects the segments of the specific representation suitable for the network environment by referring the parsed information, and generates the request for the selected segments of the specific representation; and

transmit a scalable video coding stream that includes at least one of at least a part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and at least a part of the plurality of segments for the second representations, and at least a part of the plurality of segments for the third representations in response to the request,

wherein the third bit rate is double of the first bit rate and the second bit rate is a mean value of the first bit rate and the third bit rate.

8. The server of claim 7, wherein transmitting the first representation includes transmitting at least a part of the plurality of segments for the first representation.

9. The server of claim 8, wherein transmitting the second representation includes transmitting the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation and

wherein transmitting the third representation includes transmitting the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation, the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, and the part of the plurality of segments for the third representation.

10. The server of claim 8, wherein the transmitter alternately transmits the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, when transmitting the second representation.

11. A method of receiving an HTTP stream comprising:

receiving a media information file including information on a plurality of segments, the information on the plurality of segments including URL information of the plurality of segments;

receiving, from an HTTP streaming server, at least one of at least a part of a first representation at least a part of a second representation, and at least a part of a third representation, wherein the first representation has a plurality of segments with a first bit rate of scalable video coding, the second representation has a plurality of segments with a second bit rate of scalable video coding, and the third representation has a plurality of segments with a third bit rate of scalable video coding, wherein the plurality of segments are generated by dividing video stream by a time unit, wherein the second bit rate is higher than the first bit rate and the third bit rate is higher than the second bit rate;

detecting, by a client device, a current network environment;

transmitting a request for segments of specific representation to the HTTP streaming server according to the detected current network environment;

wherein the request for the segments of the specific representation is generated by parsing the media information file and selecting the segments of the specific representation suitable for the network environment according to the parsed information;

receiving, from the HTTP streaming server, at least one of a part of the plurality of segments for the first representation, at least a part of the plurality of segments for the second representation, and at least a part of the plurality of segments for the third representation, in response to the request; and

reproducing the received segments;

wherein the third bit rate is double of the first bit rate and the second bit rate is a mean value of the first bit rate and the third bit rate.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, from the HTTP streaming server, a part of the plurality of segments for the first representation in response to the request for transmitting the first representation.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

alternately receiving, from the HTTP streaming server, the part of the plurality of segments for the first representation and the part of the plurality of segments for the second representation in response to the request for transmitting the second representation.