System and methods for video and audio data distribution

• US 8,867,610 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Realtime Adaptive Streaming LLC (Realtime Data Compression Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Realtime Data LLC (Realtime Data Compression Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fallon, James J., McErlain, Stephen J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bocure, Tesfaldet
• Application Number:
  US14/134,926
• Publication Number:
  US 20140105270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 306 Days
• US Class Current: 375/240.01
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/30 Compression speech analysis-synthesis for redundancy reduction G10L19/00; for image communication H04N; Expansion; Suppression of unnecessary data, e.g. redundancy reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/3084 using adaptive string matching, e.g. the Lempel-Ziv method
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 7/6094 according to reasons other than compression rate or data type
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/103 Selection of coding mode or of prediction mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/164 Feedback from the receiver or from the transmission channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock

Abstract

Data compression and decompression methods for compressing and decompressing data based on an actual or expected throughput (bandwidth) of a system. In one embodiment, a controller tracks and monitors the throughput (data storage and retrieval) of a data compression system and generates control signals to enable/disable different compression algorithms when, e.g., a bottleneck occurs so as to increase the throughput and eliminate the bottleneck.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, a parameter or an attribute of at least a portion of a data block having video or audio data;

selecting one or more compression algorithms from among a plurality of compression algorithms to apply to the at least the portion of the data block based upon the determined parameter or attribute and a throughput of a communication channel, at least one of the plurality of compression algorithms being asymmetric; and

compressing the at least the portion of the data block with the selected compression algorithm after selecting the one or more, compression algorithms.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the compressed data block.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving at least a portion of the at least stored portion of the compressed data block based upon a user command or the throughput of the communication channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting comprises:

selecting the one or more compression algorithms to apply to the at least the portion of the data block based upon the determined parameter or attribute, the throughput of the communication channel, and a frequency of access of at least a portion of a second compressed or uncompressed data block.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein compressing comprises:

compressing the at least the portion of the data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms based upon a user command.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each compression algorithm from among the plurality of compression algorithms is asymmetric.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the throughput of the communication channel by utilization of a portion of a memory device.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving at least a portion of the at least stored portion of the compressed data block based upon a utilization of one or more central processing units (CPUs).

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a controller configured to;

determine a parameter or an attribute of at least a portion of a data block having video or audio data, and

select one or more compression algorithms from among a plurality of compression algorithms to determine a plurality of compression algorithms to apply to the at least the portion of the data block based upon the determined parameter or attribute and a throughput of a communication channel, at least one of the plurality of compression algorithms being asymmetric; and

a data compression system configured to compress the at least the portion of the data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a storage medium configured to store a portion of the at least compressed portion of the data block.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data compression system is further configured to retrieve at least a portion of the at least stored portion of the at least compressed portion of the data block based upon the throughput of the communication channel or a user command.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data compression system is further configured to:

retrieve at least a portion of the at least stored portion of the at least compressed portion of the data block based upon the throughput of the communication channel; and

retrieve at least a portion of a second compressed data block, compressed with one or more second compression algorithms from among the plurality of compression algorithms, based upon a second throughput of the communication channel,

wherein at least one of the one or more second compression algorithms are different from at least one of the selected one or more compression algorithms, and

wherein the second throughput of the communication channel is different from the throughput of the communication channel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to retrieve at least a portion of a third compressed data block that was compressed with one or more third compression algorithms from among the plurality compression algorithms based upon a third throughput of the communication channel, the third throughput of the communication channel differing from the first or the second throughputs of the communication channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to select the one or more compression algorithms to apply to the at least the portion of the data block based upon the determined parameter or attribute, the throughput of the communication channel, and a frequency of access of at least the portion of a second compressed or uncompressed data block.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the data compression system is configured to compress the at least the portion of the data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms based upon a user command.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein each compression algorithm from among the plurality of compression algorithms is asymmetric.

17. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the throughput of the communication channel by utilization of a portion of a memory device.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the data compression system is further configured to retrieve at least a portion of the at least stored portion of the compressed data block based upon a utilization of one or more central processing units (CPUs).

19. A method, comprising:

determining a plurality of compression algorithms;

selecting one or more compression algorithms from among the determined plurality of compression algorithms based upon a frequency of access of at least a portion of a compressed or uncompressed data block, at least one of the plurality of compression algorithms being asymmetric; and

compressing, at least a portion of a second data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

storing at least a portion of the at least compressed portion of the at least the portion of the second data block.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

retrieving at least a portion of the at least compressed portion of the at least the portion of the second data block based upon a throughput of a communication channel or a user command.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

selecting one or more second compression algorithms from among the determined plurality compression algorithms to apply to at least a portion of the second data block based upon a throughput of a communication channel.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein compressing comprises:

compressing the at least the portion of the second data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms based upon a user command.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein each compression algorithm from among the plurality of compression algorithms is asymmetric.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a controller configured to;

determine a plurality of compression algorithms, at least one of the plurality of compression algorithms being asymmetric, and

select one or more compression algorithms from among the determined plurality of compression algorithms based upon a frequency of access of at least a portion of a compressed or uncompressed data block; and

a data compression system configured to compress at least a portion of a second data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

a storage medium configured to store at least portion of the compressed portion of the at least the portion of the second data block.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the data compression system is further configured to retrieve a portion of the stored portion of the at least compressed portion of the at least the portion of the second data block based upon a throughput of a communication channel or a user command.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the controller is further configured to select one or more second compression algorithms from among the determined plurality compression of algorithms to apply to the at least the portion of the second data block based upon a throughput of a communication channel.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the data compression system is configured to compress the at least the portion of the second data block with the selected one or more compression algorithms based upon a user command.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein each compression algorithm from among the plurality of compression algorithms is asymmetric.