Pre-buffering audio streams

• US 9,510,043 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Netflix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Netflix, Inc.
• Inventors: Funge, John, Peters, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Alcon, Fernando
• Application Number:
  US14/697,527
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 582 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/621 Individual queue per connection or flow, e.g. per VC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/231 Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4392 involving audio buffer management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for identifying and pre-buffering audio/video stream pairs. The method includes the steps of predictively identifying for pre-buffering at least one audio/video stream pair that may be selected for playback by a user subsequent to a currently playing audio/video stream pair, computing a first rate for pre-buffering an audio portion of the at least one audio/video stream pair and a second rate for pre-buffering a video portion of the at least one audio/video stream pair, downloading the audio portion at the first rate and downloading the video portion at the second rate, and storing the downloaded audio portion and the downloaded video portion in a content buffer.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying a plurality of audio/video stream pairs that may be selected for playback subsequent to a currently playing audio/video stream pair;

for each audio/video stream pair included in the plurality of audio/video stream pairs, computing a probability that the audio/video stream pair will be selected next for playback;

based on the probabilities, selecting a first audio/video stream pair and a second audio/video stream pair for pre-buffering, wherein a first probability reflecting that the first audio/video stream will be selected next for playback is greater than a second probability reflecting that the second audio/video stream will be selected next for playback; and

pre-buffering at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair and at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair, wherein rates for pre-buffering the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair are proportional to the first probability, and rates for pre-buffering the at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair are proportional to the second probability.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein pre-buffering the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair comprises pre-buffering at least a portion of a first audio stream associated with the first audio/video stream pair at a first rate and pre-buffering at least a portion of a first video stream associated with the first audio/video stream pair at a second rate, wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein pre-buffering at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair and at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair comprises downloading the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair from a content server and storing the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream in a content buffer, and downloading the at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair from the content server or a different content server and storing the at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair in the content buffer.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein pre-buffering the least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair comprises pre-buffering at least a portion of a second audio stream associated with the second audio/video stream pair at a third rate, and pre-buffering at least a portion of a second video stream associated with the second audio/video stream pair at a fourth rate, wherein the first rate is greater than the third rate, and the second rate is greater than the fourth rate.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the content buffer includes an audio buffer for storing units of audio content associated with downloaded audio/video stream pairs and a video buffer for storing units of video content associated with downloaded audio/video stream pairs.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising computing the rates for pre-buffering the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair and the rates for pre-buffering the at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of audio/video stream pairs is identified based on identification information included in a user interface.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein the identification information comprises, for each audio/video stream pair included in the plurality of audio/video stream pairs, at least one of a title and an image representing the audio/video stream pair.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein more of the first audio/video stream pair is pre-buffered than the second audio/video stream pair.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first probability and the second probability is based on a rating associated with the currently playing audio/video stream pair.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein the first probability is further based on a rating associated with the first audio/video stream pair.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the steps of:

identifying a plurality of audio/video stream pairs that may be selected for playback subsequent to a currently playing audio/video stream pair;

for each audio/video stream pair included in the plurality of audio/video stream pairs, computing a probability that the audio/video stream pair will be selected next for playback;

based on the probabilities, selecting a first audio/video stream pair and a second audio/video stream pair for pre-buffering, wherein a first probability reflecting that the first audio/video stream will be selected next for playback is greater than a second probability reflecting that the second audio/video stream will be selected next for playback;

computing a first set of rates for pre-buffering the first audio/video stream pair and a second set of rates for pre-buffering the second audio/video stream pair, wherein the first set of rates is proportional to the first probability, and the second set of rates is proportional to the second probability; and

pre-buffering at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair based on the first set of rates and at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair based on the second set of rates pair.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first set of rates includes a first rate and a second rate, and pre-buffering the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair comprises pre-buffering at least a portion of a first audio stream associated with the first audio/video stream pair at a first rate and pre-buffering at least a portion of a first video stream associated with the first audio/video stream pair at a second rate, wherein the first rate is greater than the second rate.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second set of rates includes a third rate and a fourth rate, and pre-buffering the least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair comprises pre-buffering at least a portion of a second audio stream associated with the second audio/video stream pair at a third rate and pre-buffering at least a portion of a second video stream associated with the second audio/video stream pair at a fourth rate, wherein the first rate is greater than the third rate, the second rate is greater than the fourth rate, and the third rate is greater than the fourth rate.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the plurality of audio/video stream pairs is identified based on identification information included in a user interface that comprises, for each audio/video stream pair included in the plurality of audio/video stream pairs, at least one of a title and an image representing the audio/video stream pair.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein more of the first audio/video stream pair is pre-buffered than the second audio/video stream pair.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first probability is based on a rating associated with the currently playing audio/video stream pair.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first probability is further based on a rating associated with the first audio/video stream pair.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first probability is based on a number of users having viewed the currently playing audio/video stream pair and subsequently selecting the first audio/video stream pair for playback.

20. A system, comprising:

a memory that includes a predictive pre-buffering engine; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein, upon executing the predictive pre-buffering engine, the predictive pre-buffering engine configures the processor to;

identify a plurality of audio/video stream pairs that may be selected for playback subsequent to a currently playing audio/video stream pair;

for each audio/video stream pair included in the plurality of audio/video stream pairs, compute a probability that the audio/video stream pair will be selected next for playback;

based on the probabilities, select a first audio/video stream pair and a second audio/video stream pair for pre-buffering, wherein a first probability reflecting that the first audio/video stream will be selected next for playback is greater than a second probability reflecting that the second audio/video stream will be selected next for playback; and

pre-buffer at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair and at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair, wherein rates for pre-buffering the at least a portion of the first audio/video stream pair are proportional to the first probability, and rates for pre-buffering the at least a portion of the second audio/video stream pair are proportional to the second probability.