Transmitting Digital Media Streams to Devices

• US 20080301315A1
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Manapragada, Srinivas, Cheng, Stephen, Simmons, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,979,931 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23418 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47208 for requesting near-video-on-demand content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17336 Handling of requests in head-ends

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including medium-encoded computer program products for transmitting digital media streams. In one aspect, a computer-implemented method includes identifying and transmitting a sequence of frames in a digital video transmission, the sequence of frames comprising an initial frame and subsequent frames corresponding to the initial frame, the subsequent frames comprising data that incrementally updates the initial frame, and initiating a new transmission of the sequence of frames to a new device after sending one of the subsequent frames in the digital media transmission, the initiating comprising generating information to cause the new device to inhibit presenting the new transmission until after frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames have been received by the new device, and transmitting, to the new device, the information and the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying and transmitting a sequence of frames in a digital video transmission, the sequence of frames comprising an initial frame and subsequent frames corresponding to the initial frame, the subsequent frames comprising data that incrementally updates the initial frame; and

initiating a new transmission of the sequence of frames to a new device after previously sending one of the subsequent frames in the digital media transmission, the initiating comprising generating information to cause the new device to inhibit presenting the new transmission until after frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames have been received by the new device, and transmitting, to the new device, the information and the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the information and the frames comprises:

sending a first message to the new device to inhibit presenting;

sending the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames to the new device; and

sending a second message to the new device to resume presenting.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending the second message to the new device to resume presenting upon receiving a message indicating receipt of the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying and transmitting the sequence comprises retrieving the frames from a storage medium and transmitting the frames to clients.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying and transmitting the sequence comprises receiving the frames from a publisher and transmitting the frames to clients.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising initiating the new transmission in response to a request.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the request is received from the new device.

8. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

identifying and transmitting a sequence of frames in a digital video transmission, the sequence of frames comprising an initial frame and subsequent frames corresponding to the initial frame, the subsequent frames comprising data that incrementally updates the initial frame; and

initiating a new transmission of the sequence of frames to a new device after previously sending one of the subsequent frames in the digital media transmission, the initiating comprising generating information to cause the new device to inhibit presenting the new transmission until after frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames have been received by the new device, and transmitting, to the new device, the information and the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein transmitting the information and the frames comprises:

sending a first message to the new device to inhibit presenting;

sending the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames to the new device; and

sending a second message to the new device to resume presenting.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, the operations further comprising sending the second message to the new device to resume presenting upon receiving a message indicating receipt of the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein identifying and transmitting the sequence comprises retrieving the frames from a storage medium and transmitting the frames to clients.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein identifying and transmitting the sequence comprises receiving the frames from a publisher and transmitting the frames to clients.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, the operations further comprising initiating the new transmission in response to a request.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the request is received from the new device.

15. A system comprising:

a publisher configured to publish a digital video transmission; and

a streaming media engine configured to;

identify and transmit a sequence of frames in the digital video transmission, the sequence of frames comprising an initial frame and subsequent frames corresponding to the initial frame, the subsequent frames comprising data that incrementally updates the initial frame; and

initiate a new transmission of the sequence of frames to a new device after sending one of the subsequent frames in the digital media transmission, wherein the engine configured to initiate the new transmission is fither configured to generate information to cause the new device to inhibit presenting the new transmission until after frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames have been received by the new device, and transmit, to the new device, the information and the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the streaming media server configured to transmit the information and the frames is further configured to:

send a first message to the new device to inhibit presenting;

send the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames to the new device; and

send a second message to the new device to resume presenting.

17. The system of claim 16, the streaming media engine fuirher configured to send the second message to the new device to resume presenting upon receiving a message indicating receipt of the frames between and including the initial frame and the one of the subsequent frames.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the streaming media engine further configured to identify and transmit the sequence is further configured to retrieve the frames from a storage medium and transmit the frames to clients.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the streaming media engine configured to identify and transmit the sequence is further configured to receive the frames from a publisher and transmit the frames to clients.

20. The system of claim 19, the streaming media server further configured to initiate the new transmission in response to a request.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the request is received from the new device.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the publisher is integrated with the streaming media engine.