Media content redirection

• US 9,900,628 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2017
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Swan, Mark, Mao, Weidong, Kotay, Sree, Vickers, Mark, Roowalla, Mohsin, Kennedy, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): PIERORAZIO, MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US15/449,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20170339435A1
• Time in Patent Office: 354 Days
• Field of Search: 725 5
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41265 having a remote control device for bidirectional communication between the remote control device and client device unidirectional remote control device H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time

Abstract

A first device may request that multimedia content be made available on a second device. The first device may send the request to a server. The server mat notify the second device of the multimedia content. Based on how quickly the server receives a request, from the second device, for the content, the server mat determine how to ingest the multimedia content from a content source. The server mat ingest the multimedia content in full or in part prior to sending the multimedia content to the second device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a computing device and from a first device, a first request to direct multimedia content to a second device, wherein the first request comprises a resource address associated with the multimedia content;

in response to determining that a second request for the multimedia content at the second device was received within a threshold amount of time after the first request;

initiating retrieval, by the computing device and from the resource address, of a subset of segments of the multimedia content;

receiving, by the computing device, the subset of segments of the multimedia content;

transcoding, by the computing device and based on characteristics of the second device, the subset of segments of the multimedia content; and

sending, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the multimedia content, the subset of segments of the multimedia content.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device and from the first device, a third request to direct second multimedia content to the second device, wherein the third request comprises a second resource address associated with the second multimedia content; and

in response to determining that a fourth request for the second multimedia content at the second device was not received within the threshold amount of time after the third request, initiating retrieval, by the computing device and from the second resource address, of an entirety of the second multimedia content.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device and after expiration of the threshold amount of time after the third request, the fourth request;

determining, by the computing device and responsive to the fourth request, that the entirety of the second multimedia content is received and transcoded; and

sending, by the computing device and to the second device, the entirety of the second multimedia content.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device and after expiration of the threshold amount of time after the third request, the fourth request;

determining, by the computing device and responsive to the fourth request, that the entirety of the second multimedia content is not yet received and transcoded;

determining, by the computing device, that a subset of segments of the second multimedia content is received and transcoded; and

sending, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding the entirety of the second multimedia content, the subset of segments of the second multimedia content.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

initiating retrieval, by the computing device and from the second resource address, of a subset of segments of a remainder of the second multimedia content;

receiving, by the computing device, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content;

transcoding, by the computing device and based on characteristics of the second device, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content; and

sending, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the remainder of the second multimedia content, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the computing device and to the second device, a message prompting for instruction on when to send the multimedia content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating retrieval comprises transmitting, to a uniform resource locator (URL) of a source hosting the multimedia content, an HTTP GET request for the multimedia content.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource address comprises one of a uniform resource identifier (URI) or a URL.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device is associated with a first user and the second device is associated with a second user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises a server, wherein the first device comprises a computer, and wherein the second device comprises one of a display device, a smart phone, a set top box, or a digital video recorder.

11. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

receive, from a first device, a first request to direct multimedia content to a second device, wherein the first request comprises a resource address associated with the multimedia content;

in response to determining that a second request for the multimedia content at the second device was received within a threshold amount of time after the first request;

initiate retrieval, from the resource address, of a subset of segments of the multimedia content;

receive, by the computing device, the subset of segments of the multimedia content;

transcode, based on characteristics of the second device, the subset of segments of the multimedia content; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the multimedia content, the subset of segments of the multimedia content.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computing device to:

receive, from the first device, a third request to direct second multimedia content to the second device, wherein the third request comprises a second resource address associated with the second multimedia content; and

in response to determining that a fourth request for the second multimedia content at the second device was not received within the threshold amount of time after the third request, initiate retrieval, from the second resource address, of an entirety of the second multimedia content.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computing device to:

receive, from the second device and after expiration of the threshold amount of time after the third request, the fourth request;

determine, responsive to the fourth request, that the entirety of the second multimedia content is received and transcoded; and

send, to the second device, the entirety of the second multimedia content.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computing device to:

receive, from the second device and after expiration of the threshold amount of time after the third request, the fourth request;

determine, responsive to the fourth request, that the entirety of the second multimedia content is not yet received and transcoded;

determine that a subset of segments of the second multimedia content is received and transcoded; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding the entirety of the second multimedia content, the subset of segments of the second multimedia content.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the computing device to:

initiate retrieval, from the second resource address, of a subset of segments of a remainder of the second multimedia content;

receive the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content;

transcode, based on the characteristics of the second device, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the remainder of the second multimedia content, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content.

16. A system comprising:

a first device comprising;

one or more processors; and

memory storing first instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the first device, cause the first device to;

send, to a computing device, a first request to direct multimedia content to a second device, wherein the first request comprises a resource address associated with the multimedia content;

the second device, wherein the second device comprises;

one or more processors; and

memory storing second instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the second device, cause the second device to;

receive, from the computing device, an indication of the multimedia content;

send, to the computing device and within a threshold amount of time after the first request, a second request for the multimedia content;

receive, from the computing device, a subset of segments of the multimedia content; and

the computing device, wherein the computing device comprises;

one or more processors; and

memory storing third instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, cause the computing device to;

receive, from the first device, the first request to direct the multimedia content to the second device;

in response to determining that the second request was received within the threshold amount of time after the first request;

initiate retrieval, from the resource address, of the subset of segments of the multimedia content;

receive, by the computing device, the subset of segments of the multimedia content;

transcode, based on characteristics of the second device, the subset of segments of the multimedia content; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the multimedia content, the subset of segments of the multimedia content.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the third instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

receive, from the first device, a third request to direct second multimedia content to the second device, wherein the third request comprises a second resource address associated with the second multimedia content; and

in response to determining that a fourth request for the second multimedia content at the second device was not received within the threshold amount of time after the third request, initiate retrieval, from the second resource address, of an entirety of the second multimedia content.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the third instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

receive, from the second device and after expiration of the threshold amount of time after the third request, the fourth request;

determine, responsive to the fourth request, that the entirety of the second multimedia content is received and transcoded; and

send, to the second device, the entirety of the second multimedia content.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the third instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

receive, from the second device and after expiration of the threshold amount of time after the third request, the fourth request;

determine, responsive to the fourth request, that the entirety of the second multimedia content is not yet received and transcoded;

determine that a subset of segments of the second multimedia content is received and transcoded; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding the entirety of the second multimedia content, the subset of segments of the second multimedia content.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the third instructions, when executed by the one or more processors of the computing device, further cause the computing device to:

initiate retrieval, from the second resource address, of a subset of segments of a remainder of the second multimedia content;

receive the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content;

transcode, based on the characteristics of the second device, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content; and

send, to the second device and before receiving and transcoding an entirety of the remainder of the second multimedia content, the subset of segments of the remainder of the second multimedia content.