Constrained fidelity Adaptive Bit Rate encoding systems and methods

• US 9,516,085 B2
• Filed: 09/20/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: McCarthy, Sean T., Magee, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIDADO, OLUWATOSIN M
• Application Number:
  US13/623,774
• Publication Number:
  US 20130179589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/154 Measured or subjectively estimated visual quality after decoding, e.g. measurement of distortion use of rate-distortion criteria H04N19/147
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/40 using video transcoding, i.e. partial or full decoding of a coded input stream followed by re-encoding of the decoded output stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23655 Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

This disclosure describes and adaptive bit rate encoding and distribution techniques for conserving bandwidth usage in a channel. The invention comprises, an encoder or transcoder, a video fragmenter, a video-quality analyzer that output complexity values, a streaming server, a process by which individual fragments are selected for distribution, a video-quality threshold, and, optionally a bandwidth reclamation factor. A video-quality analyzer inspects any combination of the input and output of the encoder, transcoder, or fragmenter, and produces a video-quality metric for each fragment. A fragment-selection process responds to request from a client device. If the video-quality value of the fragment requested exceeds the video-quality threshold, a different fragment having a lower vide-quality value is selected instead. Otherwise, the fragment that would have been selected is selected. In some embodiments, the video-quality threshold can be dynamically adjusted to permit varying amounts of bandwidth reclamation.

Claims

1. A method for joint management of video quality and bandwidth in adaptive bitrate streaming, the method comprising:

encoding a video to produce one or more bit streams;

creating a plurality of fragments of a bit stream of the encoded video;

generating a video-quality metric for each fragment of the plurality fragments based on a plurality of attributes associated with each fragment, the video-quality metric indicating a video quality of the fragment;

calculating a weighted apportionment of total available bandwidth allocated to a plurality of clients to which the video is distributed over a period of time;

dynamically determining a video-quality threshold associated with each fragment based on the calculated weighted apportionment, wherein the weight associated with the dynamically determined video-quality threshold of the fragment is determined based on an analysis of the video-quality metric and subscriber priority associated with the fragment with respect to video-quality metrics and subscriber priorities associated with other segments of the plurality of fragments;

receiving, from a client device, a request for a fragment of a bit stream of the encoded video, the request indicating a video quality required by the client device for the requested fragment; and

responsive to the video quality of the requested fragment exceeding the video-quality threshold for the requested fragment, selecting another fragment having a lower video quality than the video quality of the requested fragment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fragments of an encoded bitstream of the video are combined into a bitstream for delivery over a network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the video-quality threshold associated with a fragment based on available bandwidth allocated to the fragment and video quality of the segment.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining the video-quality threshold associated with each fragment based on at least one of the following:

content of the requested segment;

subscriber priority associated with the requested fragment, the subscriber priority being defined by a service provider of the video comprising the requested fragment;

program priority associated with the requested segment; and

target video quality of the requested segment.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a segment responsive to the video quality associated with the segment exceeding the corresponding video-quality threshold; and

re-encoding the selected segment into a new segment, the new segment being an alternate version of the requested segment having a lower video quality than the video quality of the request segment.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fragments are recombined and repackaged into an MPEG2 transport stream.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the weight associated with the dynamically determined video-quality threshold of the fragment is determined based on a ratio between a product of video-quality metric and subscriber priority associated with the fragment and a sum of products of video-quality metric and subscriber priority associated with each of the other segments of the plurality of fragments.

7. A system for joint management of video quality and bandwidth in adaptive bitrate streaming, the system comprising:

a computer processor for executing computer program instructions; and

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable computer program instructions for;

encoding a video to produce one or more bit streams;

creating a plurality of fragments of a bit stream of the encoded video;

generating a video-quality metric for each fragment of the plurality fragments bases on a plurality of attributes associated with each fragment, the video-quality metric indicating a video quality of the fragment;

calculating a weighted apportionment of total available bandwidth allocated to a plurality of clients to which the video is distributed over a period of time;

dynamically determining a video-quality threshold associated with each fragment based on the calculated weighted apportionment, wherein the weight associated with the dynamically determined video-quality threshold of the fragment is determined based on an analysis of the video-quality metric and subscriber priority associated with the fragment with respect to video-quality metrics and subscriber priorities associated with other segments of the plurality of fragments;

receiving, from a client device, a request for a fragment of a bit stream of the encoded video, the request indicating a video quality required by the client device for the requested fragment; and

responsive to the video quality of the requested fragment exceeding the video-quality threshold for the requested fragment, selecting another fragment having a lower video quality than the video quality of the requested fragment.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of fragments of an encoded bitstream of the video are combined into a bitstream for delivery over a network.

9. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

determining the video-quality threshold associated with a fragment based on available bandwidth allocated to the fragment and video quality of the segment.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising determining the video-quality threshold associated with each fragment based on at least one of the following:

content of the requested segment;

subscriber priority associated with the requested fragment, the subscriber priority being defined by a service provider of the video comprising the requested fragment;

program priority associated with the requested segment; and

target video quality of the requested segment.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting a segment responsive to the video quality associated with the segment exceeding the corresponding video-quality threshold; and

re-encoding the selected segment into a new segment, the new segment being an alternate version of the requested segment having a lower video quality than the video quality of the request segment.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of fragments are recombined and repackaged into an MPEG2 transport stream.