Adaptive profile switching system and method for media streaming over IP networks

• US 9,565,482 B1
• Filed: 07/30/2015
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Video Flow Ltc.
• Original Assignee: Video Flow Ltc.
• Inventors: Rozenberg, Adi, Touriel, Limor
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHNURR, JOHN R
• Application Number:
  US14/813,369
• Publication Number:
  US 20170034589A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6373 for rate control , e.g. request to the server to modify its transmission rate flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6583 Acknowledgement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A system for adaptively streaming video content over an IP network, comprising devices and non-transitory computer-readable storage media having executable computer modules, comprising a sender device interacting with the network, the device configured to send a video stream to the network and to receive a recovery packet stream from the network; at least one receiving device configured to receive the at least one video stream from the network and to transmit a respective recovery packet stream back to the sender device through the network; a bandwidth probe configured to be periodically sent with the video stream to the at least one receiving device to determine respective instantaneous network bandwidths; at least one profile configured to be chosen by the sender device to generate the video stream, based upon respective instantaneous network bandwidths, wherein the video stream is adaptively changed, based upon instantaneous network bandwidths and the respective recovery packet stream.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method using at least one profile for adaptively streaming video content over a public IP network, the method comprising the steps of:

using at least one stream generator to select at least one profile to send at least one video stream from a sender device to the network, the sender device employing User Datagram Protocol (UDP) over a connection chosen from the list including;

unicast and VPN;

using a segmentation process to segment the at least one video stream associated with the at least one profile into a list of segments containing a GOP a group of pictures (GOP), to detect a start of the respective GOP, and to record a corresponding start time code;

operating a profile selection module, included in the at least one stream generator, to fetch respective groups of pictures (GOPs) and to stream respective GOPs sequentially, based upon a command from an adaptive rate process module, to provide respective continuous RTP streams to the network;

receiving the at least one video stream from the network by at least one receiving Automatic Repeat-reQuest (ARQ) device, the network having an instantaneous network bandwidth for the at least one video stream, and the at least one ARQ receiving device transmitting a request for at least one recovery packet back to the sender device through the network upon at least one lost packet occurrence;

preparing to send a recovery packet stream by the sender device to the at least one ARQ receiving device in response to the request for at least one recovery packet;

limiting the recovery packet stream by the at least one stream generator, serving to give priority to the at least one video stream over the recovery packet stream, the at least one video stream having an initial media stream bandwidth;

periodically probing the instantaneous network bandwidth, employing ARQ protection of probing, to simulate an increase in the instantaneous network bandwidth by sending an expendable dummy packet stream in parallel to the least one video stream, the dummy packet stream sent from the sender device to the at least one receiving device to determine a resultant profile media stream bandwidth which yields a packet loss lower than a defined packet loss threshold;

calculating and monitoring a protection potential, the protection potential calculated from a number of packets requested to be corrected but currently waiting, a number of packets requested to be corrected and currently being addressed, and a maximum correction index characteristic of bandwidth limits;

comparing the protection potential to a protection threshold to determine a resultant profile media stream bandwidth; and

adjusting the initial media stream bandwidth, relative to the instantaneous network bandwidth and the protection potential, by reselecting at least one profile for the sender device to use for sending the at least one video stream over a connection chosen from the list including;

unicast and VPN.

2. The method of claim 1, whereby limiting the recovery packet stream is performed by a decision process that calculates a budget of recovery packets to be transmitted during a time period for the at least one video stream, the process serving to limit a rate of error recovery requests in the instantaneous network bandwidth.

3. The method of claim 2, whereby a backoff decision process is performed upon receipt of a new error request, the backoff decision process further including evaluation of an error request queue, the queue having at least one error request, regarding a number of error requests in the queue over time.

4. The method of claim 3, whereby the at least one stream generator interacts with the sender device and the adaptive rate process module, the adaptive process module serving to perform a rate probe of the instantaneous network bandwidth and to determine the resultant profile media stream bandwidth.

5. The method of claim 4, whereby network bandwidth probing is controlled by a rate probe process calculating a number of dummy packets in the dummy packet stream.

6. The method of claim 5, whereby the resultant profile media stream bandwidth has a value higher than the initial media stream bandwidth when there is no lost dummy packet occurrence.

7. The method of claim 5, whereby the resultant profile media stream bandwidth has a value lower than the initial media stream bandwidth when there is lost packet occurrence.

8. A system for adaptively streaming video content over a public IP network, comprising devices and non-transitory computer-readable storage media having executable computer modules, comprising:

a sender device interacting with the network, the sender device configured to send a video stream to the network using at least one profile selected by at least one stream generator, the sender device configured to use User Datagram Protocol (UDP) over a connection chosen from the list including;

unicast and VPN;

a segmentation process module configured to segment the at least one video stream associated with the at least one profile into a list of segments containing a GOP a group of pictures (GOP), to detect a start of the respective GOP, and to record a corresponding start time code;

a profile selection module, included in the at least one stream generator configured to fetch respective groups of pictures (GOPs) and to stream respective GOPs sequentially, based upon a command from an adaptive rate process module, to provide respective continuous RTP streams to the network;

at least one receiving Automatic Repeat-reQuest (ARQ) device configured to receive the at least one video stream from the network, the network having an instantaneous network bandwidth for the at least one video stream, and the at least one ARQ receiving device further configured to transmit a request for at least one recovery packet back to the sender device through the network upon at least one lost packet occurrence;

the at least one stream generator further configured to limit the recovery packet stream and to give priority to the at least one video stream over the recovery packet stream, the at least one video stream having an initial media stream bandwidth;

a rate probe configured to periodically probe the instantaneous network bandwidth, employing ARQ protection of probing, to simulate an increase in the instantaneous network bandwidth by sending an expendable dummy packet stream in parallel to the least one video stream, the dummy packet stream configured to be sent from the sender device to the at least one receiving device to determine a resultant profile media stream bandwidth which yields a packet loss lower than a defined packet loss threshold;

a protection potential configured to be calculated and monitored, the protection potential calculated from a number of packets requested to be corrected but currently waiting, a number of packets requested to be corrected and currently being addressed, and a maximum correction index characteristic of bandwidth limits;

the protection potential further configured to be compared to a protection threshold to determine a resultant profile media stream bandwidth; and

the at least one stream generator, further configured to adjust the initial media stream bandwidth relative to the instantaneous network bandwidth and the protection potential, by reselecting at least one profile for the sender device to use for sending the at least one video stream over a connection chosen from the list including;

unicast and VPN.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein a decision process module is configured to limit the recovery packet stream in the instantaneous network bandwidth by a calculation of a budget of recovery packets to be transmitted during a time period for the at least one video stream.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a backoff decision process module is configured to be operative upon receipt of a new error request, the backoff decision process module further configured to evaluate an error request queue, the queue having at least one error request, regarding a number of error requests in the queue over time.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one stream generator is further configured to interact with the sender device and the adaptive rate process module, the adaptive process module further configured to perform the rate probe of the instantaneous network bandwidth and to determine the resultant profile media stream bandwidth.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the rate probe is further configured to be controlled by a rate probe process module configured to calculate a number of dummy packets in the dummy packet stream.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the resultant profile media stream bandwidth has a value higher than the initial media stream bandwidth when there is no lost dummy packet occurrence.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the resultant profile media stream bandwidth has a value lower than the initial media stream bandwidth when there is lost packet occurrence.