Pre-Fetching Video Content

• US 20140010519A1
• Filed: 07/03/2013
• Published: 01/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kaltura Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FlixMaster, Inc. (Kaltura Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hayes, Christopher Douglas
• Granted Patent: US 10,165,245 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/248
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/442 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. detecting the failure of a recording device, monitoring the downstream bandwidth, the number of times a movie has been viewed, the storage space available from the internal hard disk arrangements for monitoring broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/29; arrangements for identifying or recognising characteristics with a direct linkage to broadcast information H04H60/35; monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; monitoring in wireless networks H04W24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/87 Regeneration of colour television signals H04N9/80 takes precedence

Abstract

A computing device plays at least one first video content segment. The video content segment may be a portion of an interactive video content sequence including multiple segments that may each be selected during play of one or more of the other segments. The computing device determines one or more second video content segments that are associated with the first video content segment. Such determination may be made by analyzing information describing an interactive video content sequence of which the video content segment is a part. The computing device attempts to load one or more second video content segments. In this way, play of the video content segments may reduce and/or avoid delays in changing the video content being played.

Claims

1. A system for pre-fetching video content, comprising:

at least one processing unit; and

at least one non-transitory storage medium storing instructions;

wherein the at least one processing unit executes the instructions to;

play at least one first video content segment;

determine at least one second video content segment is associated with the at least one first video content segment; and

attempt to load the at least one second video content segment.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one first video content segment and the at least one second video content segment are portions of an interactive video content sequence.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the at least one processing unit determines the at least one second video content segment is associated with the at least one first video content segment by analyzing information that describes the interactive video content sequence.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the information is at least one of:

separate from the at least one first video content segment and the at least one second video content segment;

or

embedded in the at least one first video content segment.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second video content segment comprises a plurality of video content segments that are each associated with the at least one first video content segment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one processing unit attempts to load the plurality of video content segments according to a priority scheme.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the priority scheme specifies to load a first of the plurality of video content segments before loading a second of the plurality of video content segments.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the priority scheme specifies to give preference to loading of a first of the plurality of video content segments over loading of a second of the plurality of video content segments.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the priority scheme is at least based on at least one of:

statistical information regarding selection of at least one of the plurality of video content segments;

a size of at least one of the plurality of video content segments;

or

an estimated load time of at least one of the plurality of video content segments.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit further:

plays a first video content segment of the plurality of video content segments; and

determines whether to retain other video content segments of the plurality of video content segments.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit determines to retain at least a first of the other video content segments because the first of the other video content segments is fully loaded.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing unit determines not to retain at least a first of the other video content segments because at least one of:

the first of the other video content segments is not fully loaded;

available storage for video content segments is below a threshold;

or

the first of the other video content segments is not selectable from the first video content segment of the plurality of video content segments.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one processing unit:

determines not to retain at least a first of the other video content segments that is not fully loaded; and

ceases loading the first of the other video content segments.

14. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of video content segments are each associated with the at least one first video content segment because each of the plurality of video content segments are selectable from at least one of the at least one first video content segment or at least one other of the plurality of video content segments.

15. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of video content segments are a subset of video content segments that are associated with the at least one first video content segment and the processing unit selects the plurality of video content segments as the subset based at least on:

available storage;

available communication bandwidth;

statistical information regarding selection of at least one of the video content segments;

16. The system of claim 1, wherein attempting to load the at least one second video content segment comprises at least one of attempting to move the at least one second video content segment into memory or attempting to obtain the at least one second video content segment from at least one repository computing device.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second video content segment is associated with the at least one first video content segment because the at least one second video content segment is selectable from the at least one first video content segment.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit further:

plays the at least one second video content segment;

determines at least one third video content segment is associated with the at least one second video content segment; and

attempts to load the at least one third video content segment.

19. A method for pre-fetching video content, comprising:

playing at least one first video content segment utilizing at least one processing unit;

determining, utilizing the at least one processing unit, at least one second video content segment is associated with the at least one first video content segment; and

attempting to load the at least one second video content segment utilizing the at least one processing unit.

20. A computer program product, comprising:

a first set of instructions, stored in at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by at least one processing unit to play at least one first video content segment;

a second set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to determine at least one second video content segment is associated with the at least one first video content segment; and

a third set of instructions, stored in the at least one non-transitory storage medium, executable by the at least one processing unit to attempt to load the at least one second video content segment.