Uninterrupted playback of video streams using lower quality cached files

• US 9,819,978 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2016
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Park, Christopher Shingee, Brasch, Erin Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Asanbayev, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US15/044,785
• Publication Number:
  US 20160277776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2404 Monitoring of server processing errors or hardware failure error or fault detection G06F11/07; monitoring in general G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44029 for generating different versions
• 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 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/458 Scheduling content for creating a personalised stream, e.g. by combining a locally stored advertisement with an incoming stream; Updating operations, e.g. for OS modules ; time-related management operations arrangements for replacing or switching information during the broadcast or during the distribution H04H20/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/631 Multimode Transmission, e.g. transmitting basic layers and enhancement layers of the content over different transmission paths or transmitting with different error corrections, different keys or with different transmission protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6473 Monitoring network processes errors for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity H04L69/40
• 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 21/8193 dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

Disclosed are various embodiments for facilitating uninterrupted playback of video streams using lower quality cached files. A video file corresponding to an entirety of a video content feature encoded at a first quality is obtained. A video stream corresponding to the video content feature encoded at a second quality higher than the first quality is then obtained. The video stream is rendered for playback on a display. In response to detecting an unavailability of the video stream at a particular time in the video content feature, the video file is rendered for playback on the display in place of the video stream and commences at the particular time in the video content feature.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

at least one computing device; and

a video player application executable in the at least one computing device, wherein when executed the video player application causes the at least one computing device to at least;

obtain a video stream corresponding to a video content feature encoded at a first quality;

render the video stream for playback on a display;

detect an unavailability of the video stream;

obtain at least a portion of a video file from another computing device on a local network, the video file corresponding to an entirety of the video content feature encoded at a second quality lower than the first quality, wherein the other computing device is configured to at least determine when to obtain the video file based at least in part on a cost to obtain the video file via a network;

detect that an offline mode has been enabled;

render the video file for playback on the display in place of the video stream and commencing at a particular time in the video content feature when the offline mode is enabled; and

resume rendering of the video stream in place of the video file at a later time in the video content feature when the video stream becomes available.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed the video player application further causes the at least one computing device to at least select the video content feature for predictive caching based at least in part on a viewing history.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the video file is obtained before a user expression of interest in playing the video content feature through the video player application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the unavailability of the video stream corresponds to a loss of network connectivity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the other computing device is configured to at least determine whether to obtain the video file based at least in part on a measure of available data storage in a data store accessible to the other computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when executed the video player application further causes the at least one computing device to at least:

detect that the at least one computing device has switched from a first type of network connectivity to a second type of network connectivity; and

render the video file for playback on the display in place of the video stream based at least in part on the second type of network connectivity.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the video stream is unavailable further comprises determining that obtaining the video stream is associated with an unacceptable cost.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device, a user directive to play a video content feature;

obtaining, by the at least one computing device, a video stream corresponding to the video content feature in response to the user directive, the video stream being encoded at a first bitrate;

obtaining, by the at least one computing device, at least a portion of a video file from a client computing device on a local network, the video file corresponding to an entirety of the video content feature encoded at a second bitrate that is lower than the first bitrate, wherein the client computing device is configured to at least determine when to obtain the video file based at least in part on a cost to obtain the video file via a network;

determining, by the at least one computing device, that the video stream is unavailable;

detecting, by the at least one computing device, that an offline mode has been enabled; and

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video file in place of the video stream when the video stream is not available and commencing at a particular time when the offline mode is enabled.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting that the at least one computing device has switched from a first type of network connectivity to a second type of network connectivity; and

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video file based at least in part on the second type of network connectivity.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first type of network connectivity corresponds to a wireless local area network connection, and the second type of network connectivity corresponds to a cellular network connection.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting that the at least one computing device has switched from the second type of network connectivity to the first type of network connectivity; and

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video stream based at least in part on the first type of network connectivity.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the video file is obtained before the user directive.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining, by the at least one computing device, that the video stream is not available in response to detecting an interruption in network connectivity.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the first bitrate is at least an order of magnitude less than the second bitrate.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video stream in place of the video file when the video stream becomes available.

16. The method of claim 8, wherein determining that the video stream is unavailable further comprises determining, by the at least one computing device, that obtaining the video stream is associated with an unacceptable cost.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium embodying a program executable in at least one computing device, wherein when executed the program causes the at least one computing device to at least:

obtain a video stream corresponding to a video content feature encoded at a first bitrate;

render the video stream for playback on a display;

detect an interruption in the video stream;

obtain at least a portion of a video file from another computing device on a local network, the video file corresponding to an entirety of the video content feature encoded at a second bitrate lower than the first bitrate, wherein the other computing device is configured to at least determine when to obtain the video file based at least in part on a cost to obtain the video file via a network;

detect that an offline mode has been enabled;

render the video file for playback on the display in place of the video stream and commencing at a particular time in the video content feature when the offline mode is enabled; and

resume rendering of the video stream in place of the video file at a later time in the video content feature when the video stream becomes available.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the interruption corresponds to a loss of network connectivity.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein when executed the program further causes the at least one computing device to identify the video file to be obtained before receiving a user expression of interest in playing the video content feature.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the other computing device is configured to predictively cache the video file and at least one other video file.