Systems and methods for automatically generating top level index files

• US 9,998,515 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonic IP Incorporated (Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.)
• Original Assignee: DivX, LLC (f/k/a DivX CF Holdings LLC) (FIG LLC (d/b/a Fortress Investment Group LLC))
• Inventors: Braness, Jason, Wallin, Evan, Ferreira, Ederson
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaifer Harriman, Dant B
• Application Number:
  US15/009,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20160164939A1
• Time in Patent Office: 866 Days
• Field of Search: 713168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25825 involving client display capabilities, e.g. screen resolution of a mobile phone optimising the visualisation of content during browsing in the Internet G06F16/9577; processing of terminal status or physical abilities in wireless networks H04W8/22; authentication in wireless network security H04W12/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25841 involving the geographical location of the client retrieval from the Internet by querying based on geographical locations G06F16/9537; arrangements for identifying locations of receiving stations in broadcast systems H04H60/51; location of the user terminal in data switching networks H04L67/52; services making use of the location of users or terminals in wireless networks H04W4/02; locating users or terminals in wireless networks H04W64/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26258 for generating a list of items to be played back in a given order, e.g. playlist, or scheduling item distribution according to such list retrieval of multimedia data based on playlists G06F16/40
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6581 Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8352 involving content or source identification data, e.g. Unique Material Identifier [UMID]

Abstract

Systems and methods for automatically generating top level index files for use in adaptive bitrate streaming in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment of the method of the invention includes receiving a request from a playback device at a playback server, where the request identifies a piece of content, retrieving a list of assets associated with the identified piece of content using the playback server, filtering the list of assets using at least one predetermined criterion using the playback server, generating a top level index file describing each asset in the filtered list of assets using the playback server, and sending the top level index file to the playback device using the playback server.

Claims

1. A method for authorizing playback of content, comprising:

receiving a request for content from a playback device at a playback server, where the request includes a product identifier that identifies a device configuration;

identifying, using the playback server, based on the product identifier, a plurality of device capabilities including a device type and a device software version indicating a version number for an adaptive streaming software component implemented on the playback device;

retrieving, using the playback server, a list of assets associated with the identified piece of content, wherein each asset is a different stream associated with the piece of content;

filtering, using the playback server, the list of assets based on the plurality of device capabilities;

generating, using the playback server, a top level index file describing each asset in the filtered list of assets, wherein the top level index file identifies locations and bitrates of a plurality of alternative streams capable of being used to perform adaptive streaming of the content; and

sending the top level index file from the playback server to the playback device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for content from the playback device further comprises information regarding a web browser on the playback device being used to request the content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for content from the playback device further comprises information regarding an operating system of the playback device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is made via a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) on a network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the request including information includes (i) information describing a type of the playback device and (ii) information regarding the network bandwidth.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the list of assets based upon a version of a web browser on the playback device requesting content.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the top level index file is a SMIL file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the request from the playback device also includes information describing the capabilities of the playback device; and

the playback server filters the list of assets based upon the capabilities of the playback device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising retrieving at least one device capability based upon the product identifier using the playback server.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the device capability is at least one device capability selected from the group consisting of:

display aspect ratio, anticipated maximum network connection data rate, device outputs, supported formats, device buffer size, device resolution, device region, and device language.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the request from the playback device also includes information indicative of a geographic location of the playback device; and

the method further comprising filtering the list of assets based on whether an asset is permitted to be played back in the geographic location indicated by the request.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising filtering the list of assets based upon at least one language.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback server maintains a database of assets associated with specific pieces of content.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the top level index file describing each asset in the filtered list of assets comprises generating an XML string including a URI for each asset.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating an XML string including a SWITCH element to describe alternative streams for use in adaptive bitrate streaming.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the playback device is capable of playing back streams with an identified resolution, and the list of assets is filtered to exclude streams with the identified resolution from the filtered list of assets.

16. A playback device, comprising:

memory containing information used to identify capabilities of the playback device; and

a processor configured by a client application;

wherein the client application configures the processor to;

request, using the playback device, a top level index file from a playback server, where the request identifies a piece of content and includes a software version indicating a version number for an adaptive streaming software component implemented on the device;

receive, using the playback device, a top level index file from the playback server, where the top level index file identifies locations and bitrates of a plurality of different alternative streams capable of being used to perform adaptive streaming of the identified piece of content and accessible to the playback device;

select, using the playback device, an initial stream from the plurality of different alternative streams;

retrieve, using the playback device, at least a portion of the initial stream from the locations identified in the top level index file; and

play back, using the playback device, the portion of the initial stream.

17. The playback device of claim 16, wherein the top level index file describes each stream using an XML string including a URI identifying the location of the stream.

18. The playback device of claim 17, where the URI references a container file and the XML string for each stream includes an element that defines the size of a header section of the container file.

19. The playback device of claim 16, wherein at least one of the capabilities of the playback device is selected from the group consisting of:

display aspect ratio, anticipated maximum network connection data rate, device outputs, supported formats, device buffer size, display resolution, device region, and device language.

21. The playback device of claim 16, wherein the playback device is capable of playing back streams with an identified resolution, and the top level index file excludes descriptions of streams with the identified resolution.