Bitrate selection for video streaming

• US 9,854,020 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kum, Sang-Uok, John, Sam, Foucu, Thierry, Yang, Lei, Converse, Alexander Jay, Benting, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Perungavoor, Sath V
• Assistant Examiner(s): Young, Patricia I
• Application Number:
  US14/622,292
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• 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
• 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 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2385 Channel allocation H04N21/266 takes precedence; Bandwidth allocation H04N21/24 takes precedence ; allocation of channels according to the instantaneous demands of the users in time-division multiplex systems H04J3/1682; admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896; negotiating bandwidth in wireless networks H04W28/16
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/01 Conversion of standards , e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level

Abstract

A plurality of videos associated with a plurality of video resolutions may be received. A minimum bitrate may be identified for each of the video resolutions based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point. Furthermore, a maximum bitrate may be identified for each of the video resolutions based on a second bitrate point where the rate of change of the quality of the videos is below a threshold value. The identified minimum bitrates and the maximum bitrates may be assigned to the video resolutions.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of videos associated with a plurality of video resolutions;

identifying, by a processing device, a minimum bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point, the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponding to converting the videos from the first video resolution to the second video resolution at a client device;

identifying a maximum bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a second bitrate point where a rate of change of the quality of the videos is below a threshold value; and

assigning the identified minimum bitrates and the maximum bitrates to the video resolutions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the minimum bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the first bitrate point of each of the videos, and wherein the identifying of the maximum bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the threshold value of each of the videos.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the client device, a request for one of the videos;

identifying an achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

transmitting a transcoding of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the minimum bitrate and maximum bitrate for one of the video resolutions.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the achievable bitrate of the client device is between the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate for the one of the video resolutions and the achievable bitrate is based on video processing and bandwidth capabilities associated with the client device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate for one of the video resolutions comprises identifying the transcoding of the requested video at a particular video resolution associated with the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

identifying a change in the achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

switching the transmitting of the requested video from the transcoding to a second transcoding based on the change in the achievable bitrate of the client device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transcoding of the requested video is at a first bitrate and a first video resolution and the second transcoding of the requested video is at a second bitrate and a second video resolution, wherein the first bitrate is different than the second bitrate and the first video resolution is different than the second video resolution.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed, cause a processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a plurality of videos associated with a plurality of video resolutions;

identifying a minimum bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a first bitrate point associated with the videos where a quality of the videos at a first video resolution that is upscaled to a second video resolution is better than a quality of the videos at the second video resolution at bitrates below the first bitrate point, the upscaling of the first video resolution corresponding to converting the videos from the first video resolution to the second video resolution at a client device;

identifying a maximum bitrate for each of the video resolutions based on a second bitrate point where a rate of change of the quality of the videos is below a threshold value; and

assigning the identified minimum bitrates and the maximum bitrates to the video resolutions.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the identifying of the minimum bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the first bitrate point of each of the videos, and wherein the identifying of the maximum bitrate for each of the video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the threshold value of each of the videos.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the client device, a request for one of the videos;

identifying an achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

transmitting a transcoding of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the minimum bitrate and maximum bitrate for one of the video resolutions.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the achievable bitrate of the client device is between the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate for the one of the video resolutions and the achievable bitrate is based on video processing and bandwidth capabilities associated with the client device.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the transmitting of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate for one of the video resolutions comprises identifying the transcoding of the requested video at a particular video resolution associated with the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

identifying a change in the achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

switching the transmitting of the requested video from the transcoding to a second transcoding based on the change in the achievable bitrate of the client device.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the transcoding of the requested video is at a first bitrate and a first video resolution and the second transcoding of the requested video is at a second bitrate and a second video resolution, wherein the first bitrate is different than the second bitrate and the first video resolution is different than the second video resolution.

15. A system comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled with the memory and to;

identify a plurality of videos;

identifying a plurality of target video resolutions associated with the videos;

identify a minimum bitrate for each of the target video resolutions based on a crossover point associated with the videos, wherein the crossover point is defined by a bitrate value where a quality of the videos at a first target video resolution that is upscaled to a second target video resolution is improved over a quality of the videos at the second target video resolution at bitrates below the bitrate value that defines the crossover point, the upscaling of the first target video resolution corresponding to converting the videos from the first target video resolution to the second target video resolution at a client device;

identify a maximum bitrate for each of the target video resolutions based on a point of diminishing return that is defined by a second bitrate value where a rate of change of improving quality of the videos is below a threshold value; and

assign the identified minimum bitrates and the maximum bitrates to the target video resolutions.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the identifying of the minimum bitrate for each of the target video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the crossover point of each of the videos, and wherein the identifying of the maximum bitrate for each of the target video resolutions is further based on a cumulative distribution associated with the threshold value of each of the videos.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor is further to:

receive, from the client device, a request for one of the videos;

identify an achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

transmit a transcoding of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the minimum bitrate and maximum bitrate for one of the target video resolutions.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the achievable bitrate of the client device is between the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate for the one of the target video resolutions and the achievable bitrate is based on video processing and bandwidth capabilities associated with the client device.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the transmitting of the requested video based on the achievable bitrate of the client device and the minimum bitrate and maximum bitrate for one of the target video resolutions comprises identifying the transcoding of the requested video at a particular target video resolution associated with the minimum bitrate and the maximum bitrate.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the processor is further to:

identify a change in the achievable bitrate associated with the client device; and

switch the transmitting of the requested video from the transcoding to a second transcoding based on the change in the achievable bitrate of the client device.