Apparatus and method for providing streaming content

• US 9,467,493 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant
• 

• Current Assignee: Helios Streaming, LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, University-Industry Cooperation Foundation of Korea Aerospace University
• Inventors: Thang, Truong Cong, Lee, Jin Young, Bae, Seong Jun, Kang, Jung Won, Jung, Soon Heung, Park, Sang Taick, Ryu, Won, Kim, Jae Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US14/146,500
• Publication Number:
  US 20140122739A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,013 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-218, 709223-229, 709/231, 709/236
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4305 Synchronising client clock from received content stream, e.g. locking decoder clock with encoder clock, extraction of the PCR packets arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter by comparing receiver clock with transmitter clock H04L7/0012; arrangements for synchronising receiver with transmitter wherein the receiver takes measures against momentary loss of synchronisation H04L7/0083
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8543 using a description language, e.g. Multimedia and Hypermedia information coding Expert Group [MHEG], eXtensible Markup Language [XML] information retrieval of semistructured data, the underlying structure being taken into account, e.g. mark-up language structure data G06F16/80

Abstract

A method and apparatus for an adaptive Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming service using metadata of content are provided. The metadata may include one or more BaseURL elements. Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) of segments forming media may be generated based on the BaseURL elements. Additionally, a URL of a segment may be generated by mapping a BaseURL element among the BaseURL elements to a sourceURL attribute of the segment. Segments indicated by generated URLs may be identical to each other.

Claims

1. A method for providing media, the method comprising:

receiving metadata of media, the metadata comprising one or more BaseURL elements;

sending a request for a segment of the media using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the segment, the URL being resolved with respect to a BaseURL element;

receiving the segment; and

decoding and rendering data of the media that is included in the segment,

wherein the metadata selectively comprises a sourceURL attribute of the segment, and

wherein, when the metadata selectively comprises the sourceURL attribute of the segment, a BaseURL element among the BaseURL elements is mapped to the sourceURL attribute, so that the URL is generated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata is a Media Presentation Description (MPD) of the media.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the media comprises a sequence of one or more periods,

wherein a BaseURL element comprises one or more MPD level BaseURL elements of the MPD, and one or more period level BaseURL elements of the periods, and

wherein a URL of a segment included in each of the periods is resolved with respect to a period level BaseURL element.

4. A method for providing media, the method comprising:

receiving metadata of media, the metadata comprising one or more BaseURL elements;

sending a request for a segment of the media using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the segment, the URL being resolved with respect to a BaseURL element;

receiving the segment; and

decoding and rendering data of the media that is included in the segment,

wherein the metadata is a Media Presentation Description (MPD) of the media,

wherein the metadata selectively comprises a sourceURL attribute of the segment, and

wherein, when the metadata selectively comprises the sourceURL attribute of the segment, a BaseURL element among the BaseURL elements is mapped to the sourceURL attribute, so that the URL is generated.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the media comprises a sequence of one or more periods,

wherein a BaseURL element comprises one or more MPD level BaseURL elements of the MPD, and one or more period level BaseURL elements of the periods, and

wherein a URL of a segment included in each of the periods is resolved with respect to a period level BaseURL element.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the period level BaseURL elements are resolved with respect to the MPD level BaseURL elements.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the periods comprises one or more groups,

wherein the BaseURL element further comprises one or more group level BaseURL elements of the groups, and

wherein a URL of a segment included in each of the groups is resolved with respect to a group level BaseURL element.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the group level BaseURL elements are resolved with respect to the period level BaseURL elements.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the groups comprises one or more representations,

wherein each of the representations is a structured collection of one or more components of the media within a period,

wherein the BaseURL element further comprises one or more representation level BaseURL elements of the representations, and

wherein a URL of a segment included in each of the representations is resolved with respect to a representation level BaseURL element.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the representation level BaseURL elements are resolved with respect to the group level BaseURL elements or the period level BaseURL elements.

11. A terminal, comprising:

an access engine to receive metadata of media, to send a request for a segment of the media using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the segment, to receive the segment, and to decode data of the media that is included in the segment, the metadata comprising one or more BaseURL elements, and the URL being resolved with respect to a BaseURL element; and

a media engine to receive the data of the media from the access engine, and to output the media,

wherein the metadata selectively comprises a sourceURL attribute of the segment, and

wherein, when the metadata selectively comprises the sourceURL attribute of the segment, a BaseURL element among the BaseURL elements is mapped to the sourceURL attribute, so that the URL is generated.

12. A terminal, comprising:

an access engine to receive metadata of media, to send a request for a segment of the media using a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the segment, to receive the segment, and to decode data of the media that is included in the segment, the metadata comprising one or more BaseURL elements, and the URL being resolved with respect to a BaseURL element; and

a media engine to receive the data of the media from the access engine, and to output the media,

wherein the metadata is a Media Presentation Description (MPD) of the media,

wherein the metadata selectively comprises a sourceURL attribute of the segment, and

wherein, when the metadata selectively comprises the sourceURL attribute of the segment, a BaseURL element among the BaseURL elements is mapped to the sourceURL attribute, so that the URL is generated.