Uninterrupted playback of video streams using lower quality cached files

• US 10,070,163 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• 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:
  US15/785,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20180054637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 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 may be obtained from another client on a local network. 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. The video file may then be sent to yet another client on the local network.

Claims

1. 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 another computing device on a local network, the video file corresponding to the video content feature encoded at a second bitrate that is lower than the first bitrate;

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

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video file in place of the video stream in response to the offline mode being enabled;

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

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video stream in place of the video file in response to the offline mode being disabled.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the at least one computing device, a broadcast message from the other computing device via the local network, the broadcast message indicating that the video file is cached by the other computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least a portion of the video file is obtained from the other computing device before the user directive to play the video content feature is received.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the at least one computing device, an interruption in the video stream at a time of interruption in the video content feature;

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video file in place of the video stream commencing at the time of interruption in response to detecting the interruption; and

resuming rendering, by the at least one computing device, of the video stream in place of the video file when the video stream becomes available.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting, by the at least one computing device, that availability of the video stream is associated with an unacceptable cost;

rendering for display, by the at least one computing device, the video file in place of the video stream in response to detecting that the availability of the video stream is associated with the unacceptable cost; and

resuming rendering, by the at least one computing device, of the video stream in place of the video file when availability of the video stream is associated with an acceptable cost.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the at least one computing device, the video file to a client computing device on the local network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the video file corresponds to an entirety of the video content feature.

8. A method, comprising:

obtaining, by a first client computing device, a video file corresponding to a video content feature, the video file being encoded using a first bitrate;

receiving, by the first client computing device, a user directive to play the video feature after the video file is received;

obtaining, by the first client computing device, a video stream corresponding to the video feature in response to the user directive, the video stream being encoded at a second bitrate that is greater than the first bitrate;

determining, by the first client computing device, that an offline mode is enabled;

rendering for display, by the first client computing device, the video file in place of the video stream in response to the offline mode being enabled;

determining, by the first client computing device, that the offline mode has been disabled;

rendering for display, by the first client computing device, the video stream in place of the video file in response to the offline mode being disabled; and

sending, by the first client computing device, the video file to a second client computing device via a local network.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising initializing one or more components of the first client computing device to facilitate playback of the video file before receiving the user directive.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein initializing the one or more components further comprises initializing a decoding component to decode the video file.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein initializing the one or more components further comprises initializing a decryption component to decrypt the video file.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending a broadcast message via the local network, the broadcast message indicating that the video file is cached by the first client computing device.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the video file is obtained by the first client computing device from a third client computing device via the local network.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising purging, by the first client computing device, the video file from a local cache.

15. A system, comprising:

a first client computing device; and

at least one application executable in the first client computing device, wherein when executed the at least one application causes the first client computing device to at least;

obtain a video file via a local network from a second client computing device that has predictively cached the video file, the video file corresponding to a video content feature, the video file being encoded using a first bitrate;

receive a user directive to play the video feature after the video file is received;

obtain a video stream corresponding to the video feature in response to the user directive, the video stream being encoded at a second bitrate that is greater than the first bitrate;

determine that an offline mode has been enabled;

render for display the video file in place of the video stream in response to the offline mode being enabled

determine that the offline mode has been disabled; and

render for display video stream in place of the video file in response to the offline mode being disabled.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein when executed the at least one application further causes the first client computing device to at least send the video file to a third client computing device via the local network.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein when executed the at least one application further causes the first client computing device to at least send a broadcast message via the local network after obtaining the video file, the broadcast message indicating that the video file is cached by the first client computing device.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein when executed the at least one application further causes the first client computing device to at least receive a broadcast message via the local network, the broadcast message indicating that the video file is cached by the second client computing device.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the video file corresponds to an entirety of the video content feature.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein when executed the at least one application further causes the first client computing device to at least, before the user directive is received, initialize a decryption component to decrypt the video file and initialize a decoding component to decode the video file.