Apparatus and method for providing streaming contents

• US 10,362,130 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2016
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Helios Streaming, LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Ideahub, Inc.
• Inventors: Thang, Truong Cong, Lee, Jin Young, Bae, Seong Jun, Kang, Jung Won, Jung, Soon Heung, Park, Sang Taick, Ryu, Won, Kim, Jae Gon
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US15/069,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20160198013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/30 in combination with information about buffer occupancy at either end or at transit nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• 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 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network 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: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23805 Controlling the feeding rate to the network, e.g. by controlling the video pump
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6547 comprising parameters, e.g. for client setup

Abstract

A method and apparatus for an adaptive Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming service using metadata of content are provided. The metadata may include a minBufferTime attribute indicating a minimum amount of initially buffered media content. A terminal may receive content from a server before playback of the content, and may buffer the content by at least the minimum amount. The metadata may include a range attribute that designates a range of a target indicated by a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). The terminal may receive bytes designated by the range attribute from the URL, and may play back the content using the received bytes.

Claims

1. A method for providing media content performed by a processor in a server, the method comprising:

receiving a request for the media content from a client;

transmitting the media to the client based on a Media Presentation Description (MPD) of the media content,

wherein the MPD comprises one or more periods,

wherein the period comprises one or more groups,

wherein the group comprises one or more representations,

wherein the representation comprises one or more segments,

wherein the representation includes bandwidth attribute related to bandwidth for a hypothetical constant bitrate channel in bits per second (bps),

wherein the client is assured of having enough data continuously playout after buffering for minbuffertime, when the representation is delivered to the client,

wherein the segment includes sub-segments indexed by segment index,

wherein the MPD includes at least one of (i) frame rate, or (ii) timescale describing the number of time units in one second.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the representations starts from a start time of the period and continues to an ending point of the period.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the start time of the period is determined below methods,

i) when a start attribute exists in a first period element of the first period, a start time of the first period is equal to the start attribute,

ii) when a start attribute does not exist in the first period element of the first period, and when a second period element of the second period includes a duration attribute, the start time of the first period is determined by adding the duration attribute of the second period element to a start time of the second period,

iii) when a start attribute does not exist in the first period element of the first period, and when the first period is the first of the one or more periods, the start time of the first period is set to 0,

wherein the second period is previous period with respect to the first period.

4. A server for providing media content, the server comprising:

one or more processor configured to;

receive a request for the media content from a client;

transmit the media to the client based on a Media Presentation Description (MPD) of the media content,

wherein the MPD comprises one or more periods,

wherein the period comprises one or more groups,

wherein the group comprises one or more representations,

wherein the representation comprises one or more segments,

wherein the representation includes bandwidth attribute related to bandwidth for a hypothetical constant bitrate channel in bits per second (bps),

wherein the client is assured of having enough data continuously playout after buffering for minbuffertime, when the representation is delivered to the client,

wherein the segment includes sub-segments indexed by segment index,

wherein the MPD includes at least one of (i) frame rate, or (ii) timescale describing the number of time units in one second.

5. The server of claim 4, wherein each of the representations starts from a start time of the period and continues to an ending point of the period.

6. The server of claim 5, wherein the start time of the period is determined below methods,

i) when a start attribute exists in a first period element of the first period, a start time of the first period is equal to the start attribute,

ii) when a start attribute does not exist in the first period element of the first period, and when a second period element of the second period includes a duration attribute, the start time of the first period is determined by adding the duration attribute of the second period element to a start time of the second period,

iii) when a start attribute does not exist in the first period element of the first period, and when the first period is the first of the one or more periods, the start time of the first period is set to 0,

wherein the second period is previous period with respect to the first period.