Adaptive bitrate management for streaming media over packet networks

• US 7,987,285 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2008
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OptiMorphix, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bytemobile Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Breg, Fabian, Melnyk, Miguel A., Stavrakos, Nicholas J., Penner, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miah; Razu A
• Application Number:
  US12/170,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20090019178A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,112 Days
• Field of Search: 709230-237, 370/506
• US Class Current: 709/233
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/25 with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/263 Rate modification at the source after receiving feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/283 in response to processing delays, e.g. caused by jitter or round trip time [RTT]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/32 by discarding or delaying data units, e.g. packets or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/197 including determination of the initial value of an encoding parameter H04N19/56 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2343 involving reformatting operations of video signals for distribution or compliance with end-user requests or end-user device requirements video transcoding H04N19/40; media packet handling at the source H04L65/762
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234381 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. decreasing the frame rate by frame skipping
• 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 21/2662 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 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6377 directed to server one-way streaming services wherein the source is controlled by the destination H04L65/613
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6437 Real-time Transport Protocol [RTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/658 Transmission by the client directed to the server
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6582 Data stored in the client, e.g. viewing habits, hardware capabilities, credit card number arrangements where receivers interact with the broadcast H04H20/38

Abstract

A method including receiving a receiver report from a terminal; estimating one or more network conditions of a media network based at least in part on the receiver report; determining an optimal session bitrate based on the estimated one or more network conditions; and providing media data to the terminal based on the optimal session bitrate.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a receiver report from a terminal;

estimating one or more network conditions of a media network using the receiver report;

determining an optimal session bitrate using the estimated one or more network conditions, wherein determining the optimal session bitrate further comprises;

determining stability criterion using the estimated one or more network conditions, wherein determining stability criterion includes at least one of;

comparing a media time in transit and a round trip time estimate; and

comparing a bitrate received with a current bitrate session; and

determining the stability of the media network; and

providing the optimal session bitrate based at least in part on the media-network-stability determination; and

providing media data to the terminal according to the optimal session bitrate.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining or incrementally increasing a current bitrate when the stability of the media network is considered normal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a current bitrate when the stability of the network is not normal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating the optimal session bitrate between audio media data and video media data to produce an optimal audio bitrate and an optimal video bitrate;

and encoding audio and video media data according to the optimal audio bitrate and the optimal video bitrate.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing media data to the terminal includes providing the encoded audio media data and the encoded video media data based on the optimal audio bitrate and the optimal video titrate.

6. A method comprising:

receiving a receiver report from a terminal;

estimating one or more network conditions of a media network using the receiver report;

determining stability criterion, wherein determining stability criterion comprises at least one of;

comparing a media time in transit and a round trip time estimate; and

comparing a bitrate received with a current bitrate session; and

determining the stability of the media network using the determined stability criterion;

controlling a session bitrate based at least in part on the media-network-stability determination; and

providing the session bitrate to an encoder for transmitting media data according to the provided session bitrate.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the session bitrate includes maintaining or incrementally increasing a current bitrate when the stability of the media network is considered normal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein controlling the session bitrate includes adjusting a current bitrate when the stability of the network is considered not normal.

9. A method comprising:

receiving an optimal session bitrate;

allocating the optimal session bitrate between audio and video media to produce an optimal audio bitrate and an optimal video bitrate, wherein allocating the optimal session bitrate between audio and video media is based at least in part on privileging either the audio media or the video media over the other;

encoding audio and video media data according to the optimal audio bitrate and the optimal video bitrate; and

providing the encoded audio and video data for transmittal to a terminal.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising dropping frames of the encoded video data.

11. A system comprising:

a terminal, having a media player, configured to provide a receiver report; and

an adaptive bitrate manager configured to;

receive the receiver report,

estimate one or more network conditions using the receiver report,

determine stability criterion using the estimated one or more network conditions, wherein determine stability criterion includes at least one of;

comparing a media time in transit and a round trip estimate, and

comparing a bitrate received with a current bitrate session, and

determine the stability of the media network,

determine an optimal session bitrate based at least in part on the media-network-stability determination, and

provide media data to the terminal according to the optimal session bitrate.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the adaptive titrate manager further comprises an adaptive titrate controller for receiving the receiver report and calculating an optimal session bitrate.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the adaptive bitrate manager further comprises an encoder for obtaining the optimal session bitrate, allocating the optimal session titrate between audio and video media to produce an optimal audio titrate and an optimal video titrate, encoding audio and video data according to the optimal audio titrate and the optimal video bitrate, and providing the encoded audio and video data for transmittal to the terminal.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instruction that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for processing a receiver report, the method comprising:

receiving the receiver report from a terminal;

estimating one or more network conditions of a media network using the receiver report;

determining stability criterion, wherein determining stability criterion comprises at least one of;

comparing a media time in transit and a round trip time estimate; and

comparing a bitrate received with a current bitrate session; and

determining the stability of the media network using the determined stability criterion;

controlling a session bitrate based at least in part on the media-network-stability determination; and

providing the session bitrate to an encoder for transmitting media data according to the provided session bitrate.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instruction that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method for processing an optimal session bitrate, the method comprising:

receiving the optimal session bitrate;

allocating the optimal session bitrate between audio and video media to produce an optimal audio bitrate and an optimal video bitrate, wherein allocating the optimal session bitrate between audio and video media is based at least in part on privileging either the audio media or the video media over the other;

encoding audio and video media data according to the optimal audio bitrate and the optimal video bitrate; and

providing the encoded audio and video data for transmittal to a terminal.

16. A terminal comprising:

a buffer configured to receive media data packets transmitted by an adaptive bitrate manager over a media network; and

a media player configured to receive media data packets and provides a receiver report to the adaptive bitrate manager configured to;

receive the receiver report,

estimate one or more network conditions of the media network using the receiver report,

determine stability criterion using the estimated one or more network conditions, wherein determine stability criterion includes at least one of;

comparing a media time in transit and a round trip time estimate, and

comparing a bitrate received with a current bitrate session; and

determine the stability of the media network,

determine an optimal session bitrate based at least in part on the media-network-stability determination, and

provide media data to the buffer according to the optimal session bitrate.