Deterministically skewing synchronized events for content streams

• US 9,906,757 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2009
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Akamai Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Frink, Craig, Hluchyj, Michael G., Krishnan, Santosh, Lawler, Christopher, Pond, Daniel, Ryan, Robert, Zhu, Qin-Fan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mendoza, Junior
• Application Number:
  US12/393,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20100218227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,288 Days
• Field of Search: 725 86-103, 725116, 725117, 370229-231, 370235, 370351, 370390
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23106 involving caching operations prefetching while addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means within memory systems or architectures G06F12/0862; caching at an intermediate stage in a data network H04L67/568
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• 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 7/17327 with deferred transmission or handling of upstream communications

Abstract

Described are computer-based methods and apparatuses, including computer program products, for deterministically skewing synchronized events for content streams. A first content stream comprising at least one content processing location is buffered in a first buffer, wherein the first buffer is associated with a first processing delay parameter. A second content stream is buffered in a second buffer, the second content stream comprising at least one content processing location, the second buffer being associated with a second processing delay parameter that is different from the first processing delay parameter. The first content stream is processed at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream at a first content processing time based on the first processing delay parameter. The second content stream is processed at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream at a second content processing time based on the second processing delay parameter.

Claims

1. A computerized method performed by a video delivery system, the method comprising:

with a video delivery system that transmits content streams to devices across one or more networks;

buffering a first content stream comprising at least one content processing location in a first buffer, wherein the first buffer is associated with a first processing delay parameter;

buffering a second content stream in a second buffer, the second content stream comprising at least one content processing location, the second buffer being associated with a second processing delay parameter that the video delivery system selects to be different from the first processing delay parameter, to distribute the video delivery system'"'"'s processing of the first content stream and the second content stream over time;

modifying content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream at a first content processing time based on the first processing delay parameter;

modifying content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream at a second content processing time based on the second processing delay parameter;

after the modification of the content of the first and second content streams, and independent of subscriber input, adjusting timing of the first content stream and second content stream, based at least in part on the first processing delay parameter and the second processing delay parameter, so as to preserve a timing relationship between the first content stream and the second content stream and transmit, at the same time, the modified content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream to a first device of a first subscriber, and the modified content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream to a second device of a second subscriber, the adjustment comprising;

buffering the first content stream in a third buffer associated with a first transmission delay parameter;

buffering the second content stream in a fourth buffer associated with a second transmission delay parameter;

transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device associated with the first subscriber based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmitting one or more video frames from the fourth buffer to the second device associated with the second subscriber based on the second transmission delay parameter,

wherein the first transmission delay parameter offsets the first processing delay parameter and the second transmission delay parameter offsets the second processing delay parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, as a result of the adjustment, the second content stream has the same delivery time as the first content stream.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying content comprises performing ad insertions, graphical overlays, transrating, transformations, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, as a result of the adjustment, a first delivery time of the at least one content processing location of the first content stream and a second delivery time of the at least one content processing location of the second content stream are equal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second content stream is a copy of the first content stream.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the third buffer allows simultaneous read access to the one or more video frames at a plurality of locations, the method further comprising:

transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device associated with the first subscriber beginning at a first location in the buffer based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the second device associated with the second subscriber beginning at a second location in the buffer based on a third transmission delay parameter.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a content request from the first device, wherein the content associated with the content request is buffered in a fifth buffer; and

maintaining the first transmission delay parameter for the first device with the fifth buffer.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein maintaining comprises:

pointing a read pointer associated with the first device at a location in the fifth buffer based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmitting one or more video frames from the fifth buffer to the first device beginning with a video frame at the location pointed to by the read pointer.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device comprises:

transmitting a video frame beginning at the first location from the third buffer to the first device, the first location pointed to by a read pointer associated with the first device; and

advancing the read pointer to the next location in the buffer.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pointing a read pointer associated with the first device at a location in the third buffer based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device beginning with a video frame at the location pointed to by the read pointer.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

buffering the first content stream in the third buffer comprises generating index information, the index information comprising location data for the one or more video frames in the third buffer; and

the method further comprises;

pointing a read pointer associated with the first device at a location in the third buffer based on the first transmission delay parameter and the index information; and

transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device beginning with a video frame at the location pointed to by the read pointer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content stream, the second content stream, or both is a MPEG-2 transport stream, an Adobe RTMP-based stream, an interleaved RTSP-based stream, or any combination thereof.

13. A system comprising:

a first buffer associated with a first processing delay parameter;

a second buffer associated with a second processing delay parameter, wherein the second processing delay parameter is selected by the system to be different from the first processing delay parameter to distribute the system'"'"'s processing of content in the first buffer and content in the second buffer over time; and

an ingest module in communication with the first buffer and the second buffer configured to;

buffer a first content stream comprising at least one content processing location in the first buffer;

buffer a second content stream in the second buffer, the second content stream comprising at least one content processing location;

modify content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream at a first content processing time based on the first processing delay parameter;

modify content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream at a second content processing time based on the second processing delay parameter;

after the modification of the content of the first and second content streams, and independent of subscriber input, adjust timing of the first content stream and second content stream, based at least in part on the first processing delay parameter and second processing delay parameter, so as to preserve a timing relationship between the first content stream and the second content stream and transmit, at the same time, the modified content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream to a first device of a first subscriber, and the modified content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream to a second device of a second subscriber, the adjustment comprising;

buffer the first content stream in a third buffer associated with a first transmission delay parameter;

buffer the second content stream in a fourth buffer associated with a second transmission delay parameter;

transmit one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device associated with the first subscriber based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmit one or more video frames from the fourth buffer to the second device associated with the second subscriber based on the second transmission delay parameter,

wherein the first transmission delay parameter offsets the first processing delay parameter and the second transmission delay parameter offsets the second processing delay parameter.

14. A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a computer readable non-transitory storage medium, the computer program product including instructions that upon execution by a microprocessor cause a data processing apparatus to:

buffer a first content stream comprising at least one content processing location in a first buffer, wherein the first buffer is associated with a first processing delay parameter;

buffer a second content stream in a second buffer, the second content stream comprising at least one content processing location, the second buffer being associated with a second processing delay parameter that is selected by the data processing apparatus to be different from the first processing delay parameter to distribute the data processing apparatus'"'"'s processing of the first content stream and the second content stream over time;

modify content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream at a first content processing time based on the first processing delay parameter;

modify content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream at a second content processing time based on the second processing delay parameter;

after the modification of the content of the first and second content streams, and independent of subscriber input, adjust timing of the first content stream and second content stream, based at least in part on the first processing delay parameter and second processing delay parameter, so as to preserve a timing relationship between the first content stream and the second content stream and transmit, at the same time, the modified content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream to a first device of a first subscriber, and the modified content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream to a second device of a second subscriber, the adjustment comprising;

buffer the first content stream in a third buffer associated with a first transmission delay parameter;

buffer the second content stream in a fourth buffer associated with a second transmission delay parameter;

transmit one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device associated with the first subscriber based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmit one or more video frames from the fourth buffer to the second device associated with the second subscriber based on the second transmission delay parameter,

wherein the first transmission delay parameter offsets the first processing delay parameter and the second transmission delay parameter offsets the second processing delay parameter.

15. A system comprising:

means for buffering a first content stream comprising at least one content processing location in a first buffer, the first buffer being associated with a first processing delay parameter;

means for buffering a second content stream comprising at least one content processing location in a second buffer, the second buffer being associated with a second processing delay parameter that the system selects to be different from the first processing delay parameter to distribute the system'"'"'s processing of the first content stream and the second content stream over time;

means for;

modifying content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream at a first content processing time based on the first processing delay parameter; and

modifying content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream at a second content processing time based on the second processing delay parameter;

means for, after the modification of the content of the first and second content streams, and independent of subscriber input, the system to adjust timing of the first content stream and second content stream, based at least in part on the first processing delay parameter and second processing delay parameter, so as to preserve a timing relationship between the first content stream and the second content stream and transmit, at the same time, the modified content of the first content stream at the at least one content processing location of the first content stream to a first device of a first subscriber, and the modified content of the second content stream at the at least one content processing location of the second content stream to a second device of a second subscriber, the adjustment comprising;

buffering the first content stream in a third buffer associated with a first transmission delay parameter;

buffering the second content stream in a fourth buffer associated with a second transmission delay parameter;

transmitting one or more video frames from the third buffer to the first device associated with the first subscriber based on the first transmission delay parameter; and

transmitting one or more video frames from the fourth buffer to the second device associated with the second subscriber based on the second transmission delay parameter,

wherein the first transmission delay parameter offsets the first processing delay parameter and the second transmission delay parameter offsets the second processing delay parameter.