Method and device for transmitting streaming media

• US 9,712,590 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2013
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Shaobo, Wang, Xin
• Primary Examiner(s): Higa, Brendan
• Application Number:
  US14/085,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20140089518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,336 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

A method and a device for transmitting streaming media are provided. The method includes: generating at least one index segment, where the at least one index segment includes index information of at least one media segment, and the at least one index segment is independent of the at least one media segment; generating storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment according to a generation rule of the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment; and storing the at least one index segment at a storage location corresponding to the storage location information, so that a client can obtain the at least one index segment from the storage location.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting streaming media, comprising:

generating at least one index segment, wherein the at least one index segment comprises index information of at least one media segment, and the at least one index segment and the at least one media segment are separate;

generating storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment according to a generation rule of the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment; and

storing the at least one index segment at a storage location corresponding to the storage location information, so that a client obtains the at least one index segment from the storage location; and

wherein;

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments from multiple encoding representations, wherein durations of the media segments of different encoding representations are different, wherein time boundaries of the at least one index segment and time boundaries of the at least one media segment are not aligned, wherein a particular media segment partially falls within a time range of a particular one index segment, and the particular one index segment only records index information of the particular one media segment that falls within the time range of the particular one index segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments of each encoding representation in the same time range, wherein boundaries of the index segment and the media segments are aligned;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment only comprises index information of one media segment of one encoding representation, wherein a duration of an index segment is equal to a duration of a media segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment is corresponding to an encoding representation and comprises information of multiple media segments from the encoding representation, wherein a duration of the index segment is the sum of durations of multiple media segments of the encoding representation.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request for a specific index segment in the at least one index segment from the client, wherein the request carries storage location information corresponding to the specific index segment; and

sending the specific index segment to the client.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing the generation rule of the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

generating a media presentation description file, wherein the media presentation description file carries the generation rule.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the generation rule is indicated through a uniform resource locator template.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one media segment belongs to one encoding representation, or belongs to multiple encoding representations.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one index segment is temporally continuous and has a continuous sequence number.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one index segment further comprises at least one of the following:

an identifier of the encoding representation to which the at least one media segment belongs, an identifier of the at least one media segment, and an identifier of a subsegment in the at least one media segment.

9. A method for transmitting streaming media, comprising:

obtaining a generation rule of storage location information corresponding to at least one index segment, wherein the at least one index segment comprises index information of at least one media segment, and the at least one index segment is independent of the at least one media segment;

generating storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment according to the generation rule; and

obtaining the at least one index segment from a storage location corresponding to the storage location information; and

wherein;

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments from multiple encoding representations, wherein durations of the media segments of different encoding representations are different, wherein time boundaries of the at least one index segment and time boundaries of the at least one media segment are not aligned, wherein a particular media segment partially falls within a time range of a particular one index segment, and the particular one index segment only records index information of the particular one media segment that falls within the time range of the particular one index segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments of each encoding representation in the same time range, wherein boundaries of the index segment and the media segments are aligned;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment only comprises index information of one media segment of one encoding representation, wherein a duration of an index segment is equal to a duration of a media segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment is corresponding to an encoding representation and comprises information of multiple media segments from the encoding representation, wherein a duration of the index segment is the sum of durations of multiple media segments of the encoding representation.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the obtaining the at least one index segment from the storage location corresponding to the storage location information comprises:

sending a request for a specific index segment in the at least one index segment to a server, wherein the request carries storage location information corresponding to the specific index segment; and

receiving the specific index segment from the server.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the obtaining the generation rule of the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment comprises:

obtaining a media presentation description file, wherein the media presentation description file carries the generation rule.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the generation rule is indicated through a uniform resource locator template.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one media segment belongs to one encoding representation, or belongs to multiple encoding representations.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one index segment is temporally continuous and has a continuous sequence number.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one index segment further comprises at least one of the following:

an identifier of the encoding representation to which the at least one media segment belongs, and/or an identifier of the at least one media segment, and/or an identifier of a subsegment in the at least one media segment.

16. A device for transmitting streaming media, comprising:

a memory for storing computer executable instructions; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

generate at least one index segment, wherein the at least one index segment comprises index information of at least one media segment, and the at least one index segment and the at least one media segment are separate;

generate storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment according to a generation rule of the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment; and

store the at least one index segment at a storage location corresponding to the storage location information, so that a client obtains the at least one index segment from the storage location; and

wherein;

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments from multiple encoding representations, wherein durations of the media segments of different encoding representations are different, wherein time boundaries of the at least one index segment and time boundaries of the at least one media segment are not aligned, wherein a particular media segment partially falls within a time range of a particular one index segment, and the particular one index segment only records index information of the particular one media segment that falls within the time range of the particular one index segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments of each encoding representation in the same time range, wherein boundaries of the index segment and the media segments are aligned;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment only comprises index information of one media segment of one encoding representation, wherein a duration of an index segment is equal to a duration of a media segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment is corresponding to an encoding representation and comprises information of multiple media segments from the encoding representation, wherein a duration of the index segment is the sum of durations of multiple media segments of the encoding representation.

17. The device according to claim 16, the processor being further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

receive a request for a specific index segment in the at least one index segment from the client, wherein the request carries storage location information corresponding to the specific index segment; and

send the specific index segment to the client.

18. The device according to claim 16, the processor being further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

establish the generation rule of the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment.

19. The device according to claim 16, the processor being further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

generate a media presentation description file, wherein the media presentation description file carries the generation rule.

20. A device for transmitting streaming media, comprising:

a memory for storing computer executable instructions; and

a processor operatively coupled to the memory, the processor being configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to;

obtain a generation rule of storage location information corresponding to at least one index segment, wherein the at least one index segment comprises index information of at least one media segment, and the at least one index segment is independent of the at least one media segment;

generate storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment according to the generation rule; and

obtain the at least one index segment from a storage location corresponding to the storage location information; and

wherein;

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments from multiple encoding representations, wherein durations of the media segments of different encoding representations are different, wherein time boundaries of the at least one index segment and time boundaries of the at least one media segment are not aligned, wherein a particular media segment partially falls within a time range of a particular one index segment, and the particular one index segment only records index information of the particular one media segment that falls within the time range of the particular one index segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments of each encoding representation in the same time range, wherein boundaries of the index segment and the media segments are aligned;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment only comprises index information of one media segment of one encoding representation, wherein a duration of an index segment is equal to a duration of a media segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment is corresponding to an encoding representation and comprises information of multiple media segments from the encoding representation, wherein a duration of the index segment is the sum of durations of multiple media segments of the encoding representation.

21. The device according to claim 20, wherein the processor being further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

obtain a media presentation description file, wherein the media presentation description file carries the generation rule.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein the processor being further configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to:

send a request for a specific index segment in the at least one index segment to a server, wherein the request carries storage location information corresponding to the specific index segment; and

receive the specific index segment from the server.

23. A system process for transmitting streaming media, comprising:

a server, comprising a processor, configured to generate at least one index segment, wherein the index segment includes index information of at least one media segment, and the index segment and the media segment are separate, to establish a generation rule of storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment, to generate the storage location information corresponding to the at least one index segment according to the generation rule, to store the at least one index segment at a storage location corresponding to the storage location information, and to generate a media presentation description file, wherein the media presentation description file carries the generation rule of the storage location information of the at least one index segment; and

a client, comprising a processor, in communication with the server and configured to obtain the media presentation description file from the server, to generate the storage location information of the index segment according to the generation rule carried in the media presentation description file, and to request the index segment from the server, wherein the server sends the index segment requested by the client to the client; and

wherein;

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments from multiple encoding representations, wherein durations of the media segments of different encoding representations are different, wherein time boundaries of the at least one index segment and time boundaries of the at least one media segment are not aligned, wherein a particular media segment partially falls within a time range of a particular one index segment, and the particular one index segment only records index information of the particular one media segment that falls within the time range of the particular one index segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment comprises index information of media segments of each encoding representation in the same time range, wherein boundaries of the index segment and the media segments are aligned;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment only comprises index information of one media segment of one encoding representation, wherein a duration of an index segment is equal to a duration of a media segment;

or

an index segment of the at least one index segment is corresponding to an encoding representation and comprises information of multiple media segments from the encoding representation, wherein a duration of the index segment is the sum of durations of multiple media segments of the encoding representation.