HTTP adaptive streaming server with automatic rate shaping

• US 9,628,532 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2014
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Ericsson AB (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: McHugh, Kevin, Phillips, Chris, Dasher, Charles Hammett
• Primary Examiner(s): Baturay, Alicia
• Application Number:
  US14/266,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 709227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6332 directed to client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An adaptive streaming server and a method are described herein for determining if a congestion level within a network exceeds a predetermined threshold and when this occurs then one or more lower bit rate segments of a content stream will be transmitted to a client.

Claims

1. An adaptive streaming server for transmitting a content stream through a network to a client, the adaptive streaming server comprising

a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server comprising an input interface configured to receive a request from the client to play the content stream;

a segmenting unit configured to receive multiple files of the content stream where the multiple files are encoded at different bit rates;

the segmenting unit further configured to segment each of the multiple files into a plurality of segments;

a segment storage unit configured to store the plurality of segments;

a bandwidth monitor configured to monitor a congestion level within the network; and

the HTTP server further comprising;

a processing unit comprising a processor which executes processor-executable instructions stored in a memory to generate a master manifest while taking into account the congestion level within the network and taking into account a number of clients playing the content stream, wherein the master manifest includes a plurality of child manifests, wherein the first child manifest has references to the segments having a first bit rate, the second child manifest has references to the segments having a second bit rate, and the third child manifest has references to the segments having a third bit rate, and wherein the first bit rate is higher than the second bit rate which is higher than the third bit rate.

2. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth monitor is configured to monitor the congestion level within the network by calling out to third party devices or systems to determine a current network load across all of the network.

3. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the bandwidth monitor is configured to monitor the congestion level within the network by calling out to third party devices or systems to determine a current network load across a particular segment of the network.

4. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the HTTP server is configured to send the master manifest to a plurality of clients and when the congestion level within the network exceeds the predetermined threshold then the server is further configured to allow a portion of the clients to continue to be sent segments associated with the first child manifest whereas when another portion of the clients requests segments associated with the first child manifest then send segments corresponding to the requested segments to the another portion of the clients where the corresponding segments have a bit rate that is less than the first bit rate.

5. The adaptive streaming server of claim 4, wherein the portion of the clients which are sent segments associated with the first child manifest have purchased the content stream while the another portion of the clients which are sent the corresponding segments have not purchased the content stream.

6. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the content stream is a linear broadcast.

7. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the content stream is a video-on-demand broadcast.

8. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the client is one of:

a personal computer, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) capable television.

9. The adaptive streaming server of claim 1, wherein the processor further executes the processor-executable instructions stored in the memory to determine, during the streaming of the content to the client, that the congestion level exceeds a predetermined threshold at which the master manifest is now construed to be a pseudo master manifest wherein the first child manifest is actually considered to be the second child manifest such that upon receipt of a request from the client to retrieve a segment associated with the first child manifest will rather than provide the requested segment instead provide the client with a corresponding segment from the second child manifest or the third child manifest.

10. A method in an adaptive streaming server for transmitting a content stream through a network to a client, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the client to play the content stream;

receiving multiple files of the content stream where the multiple files are encoded at different bit rates;

segmenting each of the multiple files into a plurality of segments;

storing the plurality of segments;

monitoring a congestion level within the network;

generating a master manifest while taking into account the congestion level within the network and taking into account a number of clients playing the content stream, wherein the master manifest comprises a plurality of child manifests, wherein the first child manifest has references to the segments having a first bit rate, the second child manifest has references to the segments having a second bit rate, and the third child manifest has references to the segments having a third bit rate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring operation further comprises calling out to third party devices or systems to determine a current network load across all of the network.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the monitoring operation further comprises calling out to third party devices or systems to determine a current network load across a particular segment of the network.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending the master manifest to a plurality of clients and when the congestion level within the network exceeds the predetermined threshold then allowing a portion of the clients to continue to be sent segments associated with the first child manifest whereas when another portion of the clients requests segments associated with the first child manifest then sending segments corresponding to the requested segments to the another portion of the clients where the corresponding segments have a bit rate that is less than the first bit rate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the portion of the clients which are sent segments associated with the first child manifest have purchased the content stream while the another portion of the clients which are sent the corresponding segments have not purchased the content stream.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the content stream is a linear broadcast.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the content stream is a video-on-demand broadcast.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the client is one of:

a personal computer, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) capable television.

18. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, during the streaming of the content to the client, that the congestion level exceeds a predetermined threshold and now construing the master manifest to be a pseudo master manifest in which the first child manifest is actually considered to be the second child manifest such that upon receiving a request from the client to retrieve a segment associated with the first child manifest will rather than provide the requested segment instead provide the client with a corresponding segment from the second child manifest or the third child manifest.

19. An adaptive streaming server for transmitting a content stream through a network to a client, the adaptive streaming server comprising:

a server comprising an input interface configured to receive a request from the client to play the content stream;

a segmenting unit configured to receive multiple files of the content stream where the multiple files are encoded at different bit rates and further configured to segment each of the multiple files into a plurality of segments;

a segment storage unit configured to store the plurality of segments;

the server further comprising;

a processing unit configured to generate a master manifest that includes a plurality of child manifests, wherein the first child manifest has references to the segments having a first bit rate, the second child manifest has references to the segments having a second bit rate, and the third child manifest has references to the segments having a third bit rate, and wherein the first bit rate is higher than the second bit rate which is higher than the third bit rate, wherein the processing unit comprises a processor and a memory;

an output interface configured to send the master manifest to the client;

the input interface configured to receive a request from the client to fetch a specific one of the segments corresponding to the content stream;

the processing unit configured to obtain the requested segment from the segment storage unit;

the output interface configured to send the requested segment to the client;

a bandwidth monitor configured to monitor a congestion level within the network; and

the processing unit is configured to determine whether the congestion level within the network exceeds a predetermined threshold;

the server when the network exceeds the predetermined threshold is configured such that whenever the client requests a segment associated with the first child manifest the client is sent the segment which has a bit rate that is less than the first bit rate by;

the input interface configured to receive a request from the client to fetch one of the segments associated with the first child manifest corresponding to the content stream;

the processing unit configured to obtain the requested segment and rate shape the obtained requested segment so that the obtained segment has a bit rate that is less than the first bit rate; and

,

the output interface configured to send the obtained segment which has the bit rate that is less than the first bit rate to the client.

20. A method implemented by an adaptive streaming server for transmitting a content stream through a network to a client, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the client to play the content stream;

receiving multiple files of the content stream where the multiple files are encoded at different bit rates;

segmenting each of the multiple files into a plurality of segments;

storing the plurality of segments;

generating a master manifest that includes a plurality of child manifests, wherein the first child manifest has references to the segments having a first bit rate, the second child manifest has references to the segments having a second bit rate, and the third child manifest has references to the segments having a third bit rate, and wherein the first bit rate is higher than the second bit rate which is higher than the third bit rate;

sending the master manifest to the client;

receiving a request from the client to fetch a specific one of the segments corresponding to the content stream;

obtaining the requested segment;

sending the requested segment to the client;

monitoring a congestion level within the network;

determining whether the congestion level within the network exceeds a predetermined threshold and when the network exceeds the predetermined threshold and whenever the client requests a segment associated with the first child manifest the client is sent the segment which has a bit rate that is less than the first bit rate by;

receiving a request from the client to fetch one of the segments associated with the first child manifest corresponding to the content stream;

obtaining the requested segment and rate shaping the obtained requested segment so that the obtained segment has a bit rate that is less than the first bit rate; and

,

sending the obtained segment which has the bit rate that is less than the first bit rate to the client.