Video service buffer management in a mobile rate control enabled network

• US 9,398,488 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2014
• Issued: 07/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Shen, Jun, Shaw, Venson
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, AN SON PHI
• Application Number:
  US14/456,588
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6379 directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/18 Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0278 using buffer status reports dynamic wireless traffic scheduling definition H04W72/12

Abstract

A system for a mobile wireless device to receive and display a video stream while preventing overflow or starvation of a receive buffer of the mobile wireless device by requesting changes to video streaming or encoding rates of a video streaming device and by controlling a video playback frame rate is provided. A current receive buffer level of the mobile wireless device is used to make comparisons with several thresholds, the results of which are used to trigger actions.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a mobile wireless network; and

a video streaming device in communication with the mobile wireless network, the video streaming device comprising a transmit buffer, a processor, and a memory, wherein the memory stores instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

transmitting a video stream across the mobile wireless network to a mobile wireless device, the video stream comprising a plurality of data units encoded at an encoding rate and transmitted at a streaming rate,

receiving a request from the mobile wireless device to adjust the video stream, wherein the mobile wireless device comprises a receive buffer having a receive buffer margin sufficient to prevent an overflow of the receive buffer when the video streaming device increases the encoding rate causing a surge, wherein the receive buffer margin is based, at least in part, on a size of the surge, the size of the surge being a product of a time delay and a typical data speed, wherein the time delay is a time required for the mobile wireless network to increase capacities of network resources carrying the video stream in response to the video streaming device increasing the encoding rate, and wherein the typical data speed is the encoding rate during the time delay minus the streaming rate during the time delay,

in response to the request, decreasing the encoding rate,

after decreasing the encoding rate, determining whether the transmit buffer has filled past a threshold, and

in response to determining that the transmit buffer has filled past the threshold, decreasing the streaming rate.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the streaming rate is decreased upon an indication that a current receive buffer level on the mobile wireless device has risen above an early detection threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein decreasing the encoding rate decreases the streaming rate.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein decreasing the streaming rate in response to determining that the transmit buffer has filled past the threshold prevents the transmit buffer from emptying out.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise increasing the streaming rate if the request indicates that a current receive buffer level on the mobile wireless device has fallen below a low level threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise halting transmission of the video stream if the request indicates that a current receive buffer level of the receive buffer of the mobile wireless device has risen above a high level threshold.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein a receive buffer capacity of the receive buffer of the mobile wireless device is sized sufficient to handle an anticipated interruption in transmission of the video stream due to network handoffs without buffer starvation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the receive buffer comprises a receive buffer capacity and wherein the receive buffer margin is a product of the receive buffer capacity times a difference between a high level threshold and a pre-surge buffer level.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the high level threshold is known, and wherein the pre-surge buffer level, the time delay, the encoding rate during the time delay and the streaming rate during the time delay are anticipated.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the mobile wireless device is configured to maintain the receive buffer margin sufficient to prevent the overflow of the receive buffer by maintaining a sufficiently low pre-surge buffer level using known values for the high level threshold and the buffer capacity and using anticipated values for the time delay, the encoding rate during the time delay and the streaming rate during the time delay.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the receive buffer margin is sufficient to prevent the overflow of the receive buffer when the receive buffer margin is greater than or equal to a size of the surge.

12. A method comprising:

transmitting, by a video streaming device comprising a transmit buffer and processor, a video stream of data units at a streaming rate to a mobile wireless device via a mobile wireless network, the video stream comprising a plurality of data units encoded at an encoding rate and transmitted at a streaming rate, the mobile wireless device having a receive buffer to store the received plurality of data units, the receive buffer having a receive buffer margin sufficient to prevent an overflow of the receive buffer when the video streaming device increases the encoding rate causing a surge, wherein the receive buffer margin is based, at least in part, on a size of the surge, the size of the surge being a product of a time delay and a typical data speed, wherein the time delay is a time required for the mobile wireless network to increase capacities of network resources carrying the video stream in response to the video streaming device increasing the encoding rate, and wherein the typical data speed is the encoding rate during the time delay minus the streaming rate during the time delay;

receiving, by the processor, a request from the mobile wireless device to adjust the streaming rate upon a comparison of a current receive buffer level with an early detection threshold;

in response to the request, decreasing, by the processor, the encoding rate; and

after decreasing the encoding rate, determining, by the processor, whether the transmit buffer has filled past a threshold; and

in response to determining that the transmit buffer has filled past the threshold, decreasing, by the processor, the streaming rate.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the request indicates that the current receive buffer level has risen above the early detection threshold.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein decreasing the streaming rate in response to determining that the transmit buffer has filled past the threshold prevents the transmit buffer from emptying out.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the receive buffer comprises a receive buffer capacity and wherein the receive buffer margin is a product of the receive buffer capacity times a difference between a high level threshold and a pre-surge buffer level.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising increasing the streaming rate if the request indicates that the current receive buffer level has fallen below a low level threshold.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising halting transmission of the video stream if the request indicates that the current receive buffer level has risen above a high level threshold.

18. A video streaming device comprising

a transmit buffer;

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising

transmitting a video stream across a mobile wireless network to a mobile wireless device, the video stream comprising a plurality of data units encoded at an encoding rate and transmitted at a streaming rate,

receiving a request from the mobile wireless device to adjust the video stream, wherein the mobile wireless device comprises a receive buffer having a receive buffer margin sufficient to prevent an overflow of the receive buffer when the video streaming device increases the encoding rate causing a surge, wherein the receive buffer margin is based, at least in part, on a size of the surge, the size of the surge being a product of a time delay and a typical data speed, wherein the time delay is a time required for the mobile wireless network to increase capacities of network resources carrying the video stream in response to the video streaming device increasing the encoding rate, and wherein the typical data speed is the encoding rate during the time delay minus the streaming rate during the time delay,

in response to the request, decreasing the encoding rate,

after decreasing the encoding rate, determining whether the transmit buffer has filled past a threshold, and

in response to determining that the transmit buffer has filled past the threshold, decreasing the streaming rate.

19. The video streaming device of claim 18, wherein decreasing the streaming rate in response to determining that the transmit buffer has filled past the threshold prevents the transmit buffer from emptying out.

20. The video streaming device of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise increasing the streaming rate if the request indicates that a current receive buffer level on the mobile wireless device has fallen below a low level threshold.