APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR ADAPTIVE-RATE SHIFTING OF STREAMING CONTENT

• US 20150039782A1
• Filed: 10/16/2014
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Technologies LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Major, Robert Drew, Hurst, Mark B.
• Granted Patent: US 9,407,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/60 Network streaming of media packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25808 Management of client data terminal profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4331 Caching operations, e.g. of an advertisement for later insertion during playback
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• 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 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64769 for rate control flow control in packet networks H04L47/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64792 Controlling the complexity of the content stream, e.g. by dropping packets intermediate media network packet handling H04L65/765; proxy provisioning conversion or adaptation for reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data H04L67/5651; negotiation of resources in wireless networks H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/845 Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

An apparatus for adaptive-rate shifting of streaming content includes an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets. The agent controller module is further configured to continuously monitor streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly request higher or lower quality streamlets. A staging module is configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player. A system includes a data communications network, a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams, and the apparatus. A method includes simultaneously requesting at least portions of a plurality of streamlets, continuously monitoring streamlet requests and subsequent responses, and accordingly requesting higher or lower quality streamlets, and staging the streamlets and arranging the streamlets for playback on a content player.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adaptive-rate content streaming, the apparatus comprising:

an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets;

the agent controller module further configured to continuously monitor the progress of subsequent responses to streamlet requests, and in accordance with the progress of the responses, request higher or lower quality streamlets; and

a staging module configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the agent controller module is configured to establish multiple Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connections with a content server, and request streamlets of varying nitrates.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each streamlet former comprises a portion of a content file.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the streamlet comprises a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol file.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the agent controller module is configured to generate a performance factor according to the responses to streamlet requests.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the agent controller module is configured to upshift to a higher quality streamlet when the performance factor is greater than a selected threshold and the agent controller module determines the higher quality playback can be sustained according to a combination of factors.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the combination of factors is selected from the group consisting of an amount of contiguously available streamlets stored in the staging module, a minimum safety margin, and a current read ahead margin.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the agent controller module is configured to downshift to a lower quality streamlet when the performance factor is less than a second selected threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the agent controller module is further configured to anticipate streamlet requests and pre-request streamlets to enable fast-forward, skip randomly, and rewind functionality.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the agent controller module is configured to initially request low quality streamlets to enable instant playback of the content file, and subsequent upshifting according to the performance factor.

11. A system for adaptive-rate content streaming, the system comprising:

a data communications network;

a content server coupled to the data communications network and having a content module configured to process content and generate a plurality of high and low quality streams;

each of the high, and low quality streams comprising a plurality of streamlets;

an agent controller module configured to simultaneously request at least portions of a plurality of streamlets;

the agent controller module further configured to continuously monitor the progress of subsequent responses to streamlet requests, and in accordance with the progress of the responses, request higher or lower-quality streamlets; and

a staging module configured to stage the streamlets and arrange the streamlets for playback on a content player.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the agent controller module is configured to establish multiple Transmission Control protocol (TCP) connections with the content server, and request streamlets of varying filtrates.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein each streamlet further comprises a portion of a content file.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the agent controller module is configured to generate a performance factor according to the responses to streamlet requests.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent controller module is configured to upshift to a higher quality streamlet when the performance factor is greater than a selected threshold and the agent, controller module determines the higher quality playback can be sustained according to a combination of factors.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the combination of factors is selected from the group consisting of an amount of contiguously available streamlets stored in the staging module, a minimum safety margin, and a current read ahead margin.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the agent controller module is configured to downshift to a lower quality streamlet, when the performance factor is less than a second selected threshold.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the agent controller module is further configured to anticipate streamlet requests and pre-request streamlets to enable fast-forward, skip randomly, and rewind functionality.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the agent controller module is configured to initially request low quality streamlets to enable instant playback of the content file, and subsequent upshifting according to the performance factor.

20. A method for presenting rate-adaptive streams, the method comprising;

simultaneously requesting at least portions of a plurality of streamlets;

continuously monitoring the progress of subsequent responses to streamlet requests, and in accordance with the progress of the responses, requesting higher or lower quality streamlets; and

staging the streamlets and arranging the streamlets for playback on a content player.