Class-based intelligent multiplexing over unmanaged networks

• US 9,800,945 B2
• Filed: 04/26/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ActiveVideo Networks, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brockmann, Ronald A., Hoeben, Maarten
• Primary Examiner(s): AYNALEM, NATHNAEL B
• Application Number:
  US14/696,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20150230002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 912 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/233 Processing of audio elementary streams monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2335 involving reformatting operations of audio signals, e.g. by converting from one coding standard to another details of audio signal transcoding G10L19/173
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234345 the reformatting operation being performed only on part of the stream, e.g. a region of the image or a time segment
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• 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 21/2407 Monitoring of transmitted content, e.g. distribution time, number of downloads arrangements for monitoring programmes for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26216 involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• 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 21/6379 directed to encoder , e.g. for requesting a lower encoding rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64738 Monitoring network characteristics, e.g. bandwidth, congestion level data switched network analysis H04L41/14; monitoring functioning in data switched networks H04L43/0817; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64769 for rate control flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• 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

Switched digital television programming for video-on-demand and other interactive television services are combined utilizing class-based, multi-dimensional decision logic to simultaneously optimize video quality and audio uniformity while minimizing latency during user interactions with the system over an unmanaged network. For example, a method of adapting content-stream bandwidth includes generating a content stream for transmission over an unmanaged network with varying capacity; sending the content stream, via the unmanaged network, toward a client device; monitoring the capacity of the unmanaged network; determining whether an aggregate bandwidth of an upcoming portion of the content stream fits the capacity, wherein the upcoming portion of the content stream corresponds to a respective frame time and includes video content and user-interface data; and, in response to a determination that the aggregate bandwidth does not fit the capacity, reducing a size of the upcoming portion of the content stream.

Claims

1. A method of adapting content-stream bandwidth, comprising:

generating a content stream for transmission over an unmanaged network with varying capacity;

sending the content stream, via the unmanaged network, toward a client device;

monitoring the capacity of the unmanaged network;

determining whether an aggregate bandwidth of an upcoming portion of the content stream fits the capacity, wherein the upcoming portion of the content stream corresponds to a respective frame time and includes video content and user-interface data;

prioritizing maintaining a frame rate of the video content over latency for the user-interface data when the user-interface data is application-timer induced; and

in response to a determination that the aggregate bandwidth of the upcoming portion of the content stream does not fit the capacity, reducing a size of the upcoming portion of the content stream, comprising delaying the user-interface data, wherein the user-interface data are included in one or more portions of the content stream that come after the upcoming portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reducing further comprises decreasing a frame rate of the video content while maintaining a quality of the video content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the upcoming portion of the content stream further includes audio data; and

the reducing further comprises sending the audio data ahead in a portion of the content stream that precedes the upcoming portion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending ahead, in the upcoming portion, one or more video frames for respective portions of the content stream that come after the upcoming portion.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the upcoming portion of the content stream further includes audio data; and

the reducing leaves the audio data unaffected.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

sending the content stream comprises sending bursts of TCP segments; and

monitoring the capacity of the unmanaged network comprises receiving acknowledgments of the bursts, the acknowledgments including timestamps, and using the timestamps to determine the capacity of the unmanaged network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein using the timestamps to determine the capacity of the unmanaged network comprises:

building a histogram of arrival times in accordance with the timestamps; and

deriving the capacity from the histogram.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

generating a content stream for transmission over an unmanaged network with varying capacity;

monitoring the capacity of the unmanaged network;

determining whether an aggregate bandwidth of an upcoming portion of the content stream fits the capacity, wherein the upcoming portion of the content stream corresponds to a respective frame time and includes video content and user-interface data;

prioritizing maintaining a frame rate of the video content over latency for the user-interface data when the user-interface data is application-timer induced; and

in response to a determination that the aggregate bandwidth of the upcoming portion of the content stream does not fit the capacity, reducing a size of the upcoming portion of the content stream, comprising delaying the user-interface data, wherein the user-interface data are included in one or more portions of the content stream that come after the upcoming portion.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured for execution by an electronic device, the one or more programs comprising instructions for:

generating a content stream for transmission over an unmanaged network with varying capacity;

monitoring the capacity of the unmanaged network;

determining whether an aggregate bandwidth of an upcoming portion of the content stream fits the capacity, wherein the upcoming portion of the content stream corresponds to a respective frame time and includes video content and user-interface data;

prioritizing maintaining a frame rate of the video content over latency for the user-interface data when the user-interface data is application-timer induced; and

in response to a determination that the aggregate bandwidth of the upcoming portion of the content stream does not fit the capacity, reducing a size of the upcoming portion of the content stream, comprising delaying the user-interface data, wherein the user-interface data are included in one or more portions of the content stream that come after the upcoming portion.