Content server media stream management

• US 9,591,044 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 03/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Karlsson, Kent, dlund, Anders, Stiers, Todd
• Primary Examiner(s): Madamba, Glenford
• Application Number:
  US14/298,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/232, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• 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 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided to manage media stream transmissions at a content server. A content server detects that a user on a device such as a mobile device has stopped playing a live media stream. The content server maintains information associating the user with the media stream and time information. When the content server detects that a user wishes to resume playing a media stream, the user can continue viewing the media stream from where stoppage occurred. In many instances, the content server stores many hours of live media stream data and allows a user to select a particular starting point.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining a plurality of channel buffers at a content server, the content server operable to provide a plurality of media streams to a plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of channel buffers are prefilled and refreshed with the plurality of media streams including first media content encoded at a plurality of different quality levels;

receiving a first request for first media content from a user, the first request identifying a first bandwidth and a first position in the first media content;

selecting a first media stream from the plurality of media streams by using first bandwidth characteristics corresponding to a first device, wherein the first media stream is a live stream;

transmitting the first media stream to the user beginning with packets having timestamps corresponding to the first position;

receiving a stop request for the first media content from the first device, wherein the first media stream continues to buffer at the content server even after receiving the stop request from the first device such that the user may resume the first media stream at a later time without missing portions of the first media stream;

receiving a second request for first media content from the user, the second request identifying a second bandwidth and a second position in the first media content;

selecting a second media stream from the plurality of media streams by using second bandwidth characteristics corresponding to a second device;

transmitting the second media stream to the user beginning with packets having timestamps corresponding to the second position, wherein the user makes the first request from the first device and the second request from the second device different from the first device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second request is a command to resume playback.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first request is a command to establish a session.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein information at the content server is maintained after an indication that the first media stream is no longer being played is received.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first media stream is no longer being played when a session is stopped.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile device and the second device is a set-top box.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile device and the second device is a computer system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein bandwidth characteristics comprise network bandwidth characteristics and device characteristics.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein device characteristics comprise display size and resolution.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first device uses time information and sequence number information to decode the media stream for playback.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media streams encode different quality levels of the same program.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media streams encode different quality levels of a live program.

13. A server comprising:

a plurality of channel buffers prefilled and refreshed with a plurality of media streams including first media content encoded at a plurality of different quality levels;

an input interface operable to receive a first request for first media content from a user, the first request identifying a first bandwidth and a first position in the first media content and a second request for first media content from the user, the second request identifying a second bandwidth and a second position in the first media content;

a physical processor operable to select a first media stream from the plurality of media streams by using first bandwidth characteristics corresponding to a first device and a second media stream from the plurality of media streams by using second bandwidth characteristics corresponding to a second device, wherein the first media stream is a live stream;

an output interface operable to transmit the first media stream to the user beginning with packets having timestamps corresponding to the first position and transmit the second media stream to the user beginning with packets having timestamps corresponding to the second position, wherein the user makes the first request from the first device and the second request from the second device different from the first device,

wherein the input interface is further operable to receive a stop request for the first media content from the first device, wherein the first media stream continues to buffer at the server even after receiving the stop request from the first device such that the user may resume the first media stream at a later time without missing portions of the first media stream.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the second request is a command to resume playback.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first request is a command to establish a session.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein information at the content server is maintained after an indication that the first media stream is no longer being played is received.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first media stream is no longer being played when a session is stopped.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the first device is a mobile device and the second device is a set-top box.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the first device is a mobile device and the second device is a computer system.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

computer code for maintaining a plurality of channel buffers at a content server, the content server operable to provide a plurality of media streams to a plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of channel buffers are prefilled and refreshed with the plurality of media streams including first media content encoded at a plurality of different quality levels;

computer code for receiving a first request for first media content from a user, the first request identifying a first bandwidth and a first position in the first media content;

computer code for selecting a first media stream from the plurality of media streams by using first bandwidth characteristics corresponding to a first device, wherein the first media stream is a live stream;

computer code for transmitting the first media stream to the user beginning with packets having timestamps corresponding to the first position;

computer code for receiving a stop request for the first media content from the first device, wherein the first media stream continues to buffer at the content server even after receiving the stop request from the first device such that the user may resume the first media stream at a later time without missing portions of the first media stream;

computer code for receiving a second request for first media content from the user, the second request identifying a second bandwidth and a second position in the first media content;

computer code for selecting a second media stream from the plurality of media streams by using second bandwidth characteristics corresponding to a second device;

computer code for transmitting the second media stream to the user beginning with packets having timestamps corresponding to the second position, wherein the user makes the first request from a first device and the second request from a second device different from the first device.