Method of smooth transition between advertisement stream and main stream

• US 9,621,616 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2013
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Saturn Licensing LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hironaka, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, James
• Application Number:
  US14/028,405
• Publication Number:
  US 20150081923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A system and method for processing and displaying at least two media content streams, a first content stream and an auxiliary content stream. The system receives, stores, decodes and displays at least two consecutive media content streams. The media content streams include an initial XML which includes a memory allocation datum in relation to the auxiliary content stream. The system utilizes the memory allocation datum to download and store auxiliary media content while the first content is being decoded and displayed.

Claims

1. A method for transition between at least two media streams, comprising:

transmitting by a streaming media receiver of a first content request to a content provider, requesting a first media stream, the streaming media receiver comprising a stream management module, a memory, a decoder module and a display module;

receiving by the streaming media receiver of an XML file, the XML file comprising XML and including a first location for the first media stream, at least one auxiliary location for at least one auxiliary media stream, at least one timecode for determining a start display time for the at least one auxiliary media stream, and a memory allocation datum indicating a quantity of memory;

receiving of the first media stream by the streaming media;

storing of the first media stream in the memory;

buffering, decoding, and displaying of the first media stream by the streaming media receiver;

repetitively determining by the stream management module of an available memory quantity equal to a quantity of the memory not used for storing the first media stream, after the first media stream has been entirely stored in the memory;

repetitively comparing the memory allocation datum to the available memory quantity;

receiving of the at least one auxiliary media stream by the streaming media receiver when the available memory quantity is equal to or greater than the memory allocation datum;

storing of the at least one auxiliary media stream in the memory; and

decoding and displaying of the at least one auxiliary media stream when the at least one timecode is reached.

2. The method for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 1, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

3. A method for transition between at least two media streams, comprising:

receiving of a first streaming media content request by a content provider, requesting a first media stream, the content provider including at least one module configured for receiving and processing the first streaming media content request;

transmitting by the content provider of an XML file to a streaming media receiver, the XML file comprising XML,

including a first location for the first media stream,

at least one auxiliary location for at least one auxiliary media stream,

at least one timecode for determining a start display time for the at least one auxiliary media stream, and

a memory allocation datum indicating a quantity of memory, wherein the memory allocation datum is used to determine a download start time of the auxiliary media stream.

4. The method for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving of a first media stream request at the first location of the first media stream; and

transmitting the first media stream to the streaming media receiver.

5. The method for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 4, wherein the first media stream comprises an MPEG-4 media stream.

6. The method for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 4, further comprising:

receiving of an auxiliary media stream request at the at least one auxiliary location for the at least one auxiliary media stream; and

transmitting the at least one auxiliary media stream to the streaming media receiver.

7. The method for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 6, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

8. A system for transition between at least two media streams, comprising:

a first media stream;

at least one auxiliary media stream;

a streaming media receiver, the streaming media receiver comprising a stream management module, a memory, a decoder module, and a display module, whereby the streaming media receiver receives, stores, decodes and displays the first media stream and the at least one auxiliary media stream; and

an XML file comprising XML, whereby the XML file includes a first location of the first media stream, a second location of the at least one auxiliary media stream, at least one timecode for a display start time of the at least one auxiliary media stream, and a memory allocation datum indicating a quantity of memory, wherein the memory allocation datum is used to determine a download start time of the auxiliary media stream.

9. The system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 8, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

10. The system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 8, wherein the stream management module is configured for repetitively determining of an available memory quantity equal to a quantity of the memory not used for storing the first media stream, after the first media stream has been entirely stored in the memory.

11. The system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 10, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

12. The system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 10, wherein the stream management module is configured for comparing the memory allocation datum to the available memory quantity and receiving of the at least one auxiliary media stream by the streaming media receiver when the available memory quantity is equal to or greater than the memory allocation datum.

13. The system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 12, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

14. A method for making a system for transition between at least two media streams, comprising:

providing a first media stream at a first location;

providing at least one auxiliary media stream at an auxiliary location;

providing a content provider configured to transmit an XML file;

providing a streaming media receiver, the streaming media receiver comprising a stream management module, a memory, a decoder module, and a display module, whereby the streaming media receiver receives, stores, decodes and displays the first media stream and the at least one auxiliary media stream; and

providing the XML file comprising XML, whereby the XML file includes the first location of the first media stream, the auxiliary location of the at least one auxiliary media stream, at least one timecode for a display start time of the at least one auxiliary media stream, and a memory allocation datum indicating a quantity of memory, wherein the memory allocation datum is used to determine a download start time of the auxiliary media stream.

15. The method for making the system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 14, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

16. The method for making the system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 14, wherein the stream management module is configured for repetitively determining of an available memory quantity equal to a quantity of the memory not used for storing the first media stream, after the first media stream has been entirely stored in the memory.

17. The method for making the system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 16, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.

18. The method for making the system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 16, wherein the stream management module is configured for comparing the memory allocation datum to the available memory quantity and receiving of the at least one auxiliary media stream by the streaming media receiver when the available memory quantity is equal to or greater than the memory allocation datum.

19. The method for making the system for transition between the at least two media streams according to claim 18, wherein the media streams comprise MPEG-4 media streams.