Method and apparatus for enabling pre-fetching of media

• US 9,401,968 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2012
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Liu, Chenghao, Hannuksela, Miska
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US13/354,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20130191511A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,649 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

Various methods are described for enabling efficient pre-fetching of media in a DASH system. One example method may comprise accessing information related to a media presentation description (MPD). The information comprising information related to one or more segments of the MPD. The method of this example embodiment may further comprise generating a request for a segment of the MPD. Furthermore, the method of this example embodiment may comprise generating a request for pre-fetching one or more segments different from the requested segment. The method of this example embodiment may further comprise providing for transmission of the request for the segment and the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to a proxy cache server. Similar and related example methods, example apparatuses, and example computer program products are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

accessing, via a processor, information related to a media presentation description (MPD), wherein the information comprises information related to one or more segments of the MPD;

causing generation, by the processor, of a request for a segment of the MPD in which the segment is based at least in part on a caching status associated with the segment of the MPD and one or more bitrate related parameters of one or more subsequent segments in one or more representations, wherein causing generation of the request for the segment of the MPD comprises;

causing execution of a rate adaptation algorithm using the caching status and the one or more bitrate related parameters and causing selection of the segment based at least in part on the results of executing the rate adaptation algorithm;

causing generation, by the processor, of a request for pre-fetching one or more segments different from the requested segment; and

providing for transmission of the request for the segment and the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to a proxy cache server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

causing generation of a request for the caching status associated with at least one segment of the MPD;

providing for transmission of the request for the caching status to the proxy cache server; and

receiving the caching status associated with the at least one segments.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein causing generation of the request for a segment of the MPD further comprises causing selection of the segment based at least in part on the received caching status.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein causing generation of the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments further comprises causing selection of the one or more different segments based at least in part on the received caching status.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein causing selection of the one or more different segments based at least in part on the received caching status further comprises:

causing execution of a rate adaptation algorithm using the received caching status; and

causing selection of the one or more different segments based at least in part on the results of executing the rate adaptation algorithm.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein providing for transmission of the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to the proxy cache server further comprises providing for transmission of the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to a particular proxy cache server identified by a count identifier in the request for pre-fetching, and wherein providing for transmission of the request for the caching status to the proxy cache server further comprises providing for transmission of the request for the caching status to a particular proxy cache server identified by a count identifier in the request for caching status.

7. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

access information related to a media presentation description (MPD), wherein the information comprises information related to one or more segments of the MPD;

generate a request for a segment of the MPD in which the segment is based at least in part on a caching status associated with the segment of the MPD and one or more bitrate related parameters of one or more subsequent segments in one or more representations, wherein generation of the request for the segment of the MPD comprises;

causing execution of a rate adaptation algorithm using the caching status and the one or more bitrate related parameters and causing selection of the segment based at least in part on the results of executing the rate adaptation algorithm;

generate a request for pre-fetching one or more segments different from the requested segment; and

provide for transmission of the request for the segment and the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to a proxy cache server.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

generate a request for the caching status associated with at least one segment of the MPD;

provide for transmission of the request for the caching status to the proxy cache server; and

receive the caching status associated with the at least one segments.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein in order to generate the request for a segment of the MPD, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to select the segment based at least in part on the received caching status.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein in order to generate the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to select the one or more different segments based at least in part on the received caching status.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein in order to the one or more different segments based at least in part on the received caching status, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

execute a rate adaptation algorithm using the received caching status; and

select the one or more different segments based at least in part on the results of executing the rate adaptation algorithm.

12. The apparatus of claim 8,

wherein in order to provide for transmission of the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to the proxy cache server, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to provide for transmission of the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to a particular proxy cache server identified by a count identifier in the request for pre-fetching, and

wherein in order to provide for transmission of the request for the caching status to the proxy cache server, the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to provide for transmission of the request for the caching status to a particular proxy cache server identified by a count identifier in the request for caching status.

13. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium having program code stored thereon, wherein the program code, when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus at least to:

access information related to a media presentation description (MPD), wherein the information comprises information related to one or more segments of the MPD;

generate a request for a segment of the MPD in which the segment is based at least in part on a caching status associated with the segment of the MPD and one or more bitrate related parameters of one or more subsequent segments in one or more representations, wherein generation of the request for the segment of the MPD comprises;

causing execution of a rate adaptation algorithm using the caching status and the one or more bitrate related parameters and causing selection of the segment based at least in part on the results of executing the rate adaptation algorithm;

generate a request for pre-fetching one or more segments different from the requested segment; and

provide for transmission of the request for the segment and the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments to a proxy cache server.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program code, when executed by the apparatus, further causes the apparatus at least to:

generate a request for the caching status associated with at least one segment of the MPD;

provide for transmission of the request for the caching status to the proxy cache server; and

receive the caching status associated with the at least one segments.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program code that causes the apparatus to generate the request for a segment of the MPD, when executed by the apparatus, further causes the apparatus at least to select the segment based at least in part on the received caching status.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the program code that causes the apparatus to generate the request for pre-fetching the one or more different segments, when executed by the apparatus, further causes the apparatus at least to select the one or more different segments based at least in part on the received caching status.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the program code that causes the apparatus to select the one or more different segments based at least in part on the received caching status, when executed by the apparatus, further causes the apparatus at least to:

execute a rate adaptation algorithm using the received caching status; and

select the one or more different segments based at least in part on the results of executing the rate adaptation algorithm.