Streaming media from a server delivering individualized content streams to clients

• US 9,549,000 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2014
• Issued: 01/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Panje, Krishna Prasad, Franks, William P., Moorthy, Praveen N., Moroney, Paul, Sahasranaman, Murali
• Primary Examiner(s): Parry, Chris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stiltner, Weiwei
• Application Number:
  US14/207,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20140281010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/203
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1045 Proxies, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• 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 65/65 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 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• 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: 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 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method for preparing media content to be streamed to a client divides a stream of the media content at the server into multiple media segments. Each of the multiple media segments is to be stored as an individual file in a memory in a transfer protocol compliant format. A top-level manifest file is generated, which has a plurality of Universal Resource Locators (URLs). The plurality of URLs indicates an ordering of the multiple media segments to recreate the stream of media content. Responsive to a client request received over a network to present the media content in a trick play mode of operation, a modified manifest file is obtained based on the top-level manifest file. The modified manifest file includes a subset of the plurality of URLs indicating an ordering of media segments that create a representation of the stream of media content presentable in the trick play mode of operation.

Claims

1. A method of preparing media content to be streamed to a client, the method comprising:

dividing, at a server, a stream of the media content into multiple media segments or chunks, each of the multiple media segments or chunks to be stored as an individual file in a memory in a transfer protocol compliant format;

generating a top-level manifest file having a plurality of Universal Resource Locators (URLs), the plurality of URLs indicating an ordering of the multiple media segments or chunks to recreate the stream of media content; and

responsive to a client request received over a network to present the media content in a trick play mode of operation, obtaining a modified manifest file based on the top-level manifest file, the modified manifest file comprising a subset of the plurality of URLs indicating an ordering of media segments or chunks that create a representation of the stream of media content presentable in the trick play mode of operation while excluding a number of the multiple media segments or chunks from the ordering.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the trick play mode of operation presents the media content at a rate N times a normal presentation rate, N being an integer greater than one, the subset of the plurality of media segments excluding every (N−

1) out of N successive media segments.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the trick play mode is a fast-forward or fast-rewind mode of operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the subset of the plurality of updated multiple media segments begin with a last media segment read by the client prior to receiving the client request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified manifest file is a rolling manifest file with a limited number of URLs in which URLs are removed on a rolling basis to thereby providing a sliding window of media content segments accessible to the client.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the server and the client communicate with one another over a local area network (LAN).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the client request is received in accordance with a Representational State Transfer (REST) protocol.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the client request that is received includes a REST command to retrieve the modified manifest file, the REST command having a parameter associated therewith for specifying the trick play mode of operation and a rate of play at which the trick play mode is to present the media content item.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transfer protocol compliant format is hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) based live streaming (HLS).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the media content has a duration extending from a start time and the client request includes a request to present the media content at a specified time after the start time and wherein the subset of the plurality of URLs in the modified manifest file creates a representation of the stream of media content beginning at the specified time.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the specified time corresponds to a last of the media segments read by the client prior to receiving the client request.

9. A method of preparing media content to be streamed to a client, the method comprising:

dividing, at a server, a stream of the media content into multiple media segments, each of the multiple media segments to be stored as an individual file in a memory in a transfer protocol compliant format;

generating a top-level manifest file having a plurality of Universal Resource Locators (URLs), the plurality of URLs indicating an ordering of the multiple media segments to recreate the stream of media content; and

responsive to a client request received over a network to present the media content in a trick play mode of operation, obtaining a modified manifest file based on the top-level manifest file, the modified manifest file comprising a subset of the plurality of URLs indicating an ordering of media segments that create a representation of the stream of media content presentable in the trick play mode of operation,

wherein the manifest file includes a plurality of tags, a first of the tags indicating a number of media segments available before the media segments included within the sliding window and a second of the tags indicating a number of media segments available after the media segments included in the sliding window.