Systems and methods for distributing video on demand

• US 9,462,339 B2
• Filed: 05/05/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramakrishnan, Kadangode, Jana, Rittwik, Srivastava, Divesh, Gopalakrishnan, Vijay, Bhattacharjee, Samrat
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, JOSHUA D
• Application Number:
  US14/270,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20140245364A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4856 for language selection, e.g. for the menu or subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6405 Multicasting data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6408 Unicasting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

A method of receiving content includes joining an in-progress multicast stream to receive a first portion of a content. The method further includes sending a request to a peer for a catch-up portion of the content, the request including a deadline for delivery of the content, and receiving the catch-up portion of the content from the peer prior to the deadline.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, a plurality of requests from requesting media processors for a plurality of chunks, each chunk of the plurality of chunks including a portion of video content, each request of the plurality of requests including a deadline for delivery;

identifying, by the system, a first chunk, requested by a first requesting media processor, with a scheduled delivery via a multicast channel that meets a first deadline;

identifying, by the system, a second chunk, requested by a second requesting media processor, not scheduled for delivery or with a scheduled delivery that fails to meet a second deadline;

rescheduling, by the system, delivery of the second chunk, wherein the rescheduling comprises;

identifying a first gap and a second gap in a delivery schedule for the multicast channel, the first gap between the first deadline and a scheduled start of delivery of the first chunk, the second gap between a scheduled end of delivery of the first chunk and a scheduled start of delivery of a succeeding chunk, wherein a sum of the first gap and the second gap exceeds a time required for delivery of the second chunk;

rescheduling delivery of the first chunk to accommodate delivery of the second chunk;

delivering, by the system, the second chunk via the channel based on the rescheduling; and

providing, by the system, information to the second requesting media processor regarding joining a multicast group to receive the second chunk,

wherein the plurality of chunks are delivered via the multicast channel responsive to determining that a number of the requests exceeds a predetermined threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rescheduled delivery of the first chunk still meets the first deadline while the rescheduled delivery of the second chunk meets the second deadline.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery of the first chunk is scheduled for just-in-time delivery to aggregate multiple requests for the first chunk.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising delivering the first chunk or the second chunk to a random set of non-requesting media processors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a request of the plurality of requests includes a globally unique identifier for identifying a chunk.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the rescheduling delivery of the second chunk is based on a size of the second chunk, a transmission rate, the second deadline, or a combination thereof.

7. A content server comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of chunks and instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the processor performs operations comprising;

receiving requests for a first chunk and a second chunk of the plurality of chunks, the request for the first chunk including a first deadline for delivery and the request for the second chunk including a second deadline for delivery, the first chunk having a scheduled delivery via a multicast channel that meets the first deadline, the second chunk not having a scheduled delivery that meets the second deadline;

rescheduling delivery of the second chunk to meet the second deadline, wherein the rescheduling comprises;

identifying a first gap and a second gap in a delivery schedule for the multicast channel, the first gap between the first deadline and a scheduled start of delivery of the first chunk, the second gap between a scheduled end of delivery of the first chunk and a scheduled start of delivery of a succeeding chunk, wherein a sum of the first gap and the second gap exceeds a time required for delivery of the second chunk;

rescheduling delivery of the first chunk to accommodate delivery of the second chunk while still meeting the first deadline;

delivering the second chunk via the multicast channel based on the rescheduled delivery of the second chunk, wherein the delivering is performed via the multicast channel responsive to a number of requests for the second chunk exceeding a predetermined number; and

providing information to a media processor regarding joining a multicast group to receive the second chunk.

8. The content server of claim 7, wherein delivering is performed via the multicast channel when a number of concurrent requests exceeds the predetermined number.

9. The content server of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise identifying the multicast for the multicast stream upon receiving the request for the second chunk.

10. The content server of claim 7, wherein the chunk represents a portion of a video content that is distributed to a first viewer of a first video program and a second viewer of a second video program different from the first video program.

11. The content server of claim 10, wherein the portion of a video content is an advertisement targeted to a subset of viewers comprising the first viewer and the second viewer.

12. The content server of claim 7, wherein the each of the requests includes a globally unique identifier for identifying a chunk.

13. The content server of claim 7, wherein the rescheduling delivery of the second chunk is based on a size of the second chunk, a transmission rate, the second deadline, or a combination thereof.