Media service and method for delivery of stored media

• US 9,124,671 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2011
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Original Assignee: Imagine Communications Limited (Gores Broadcast Holdings LLC)
• Inventors: Roth, Todd Stuart, Moote, Stanley Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jensen
• Application Number:
  US13/313,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20130151493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 707/703, 707/736
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• 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 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612

Abstract

A system includes an application programming interface (API) configured to process a transaction request that specifies data content located at a storage medium. A request processor associated with the API can be configured to determine a delivery format for the data content in response to the transaction request. A file converter can be configured to transform the data content into the delivery format in accordance with the transaction request.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store computer executable instructions comprising a media service, the media service comprising:

a request processor configured to process a transaction request for a given media asset and to determine a delivery format for corresponding media data content in response to the transaction request; and

a file converter configured to;

access media data content stored in a non-transitory storage medium configured to store the media data content for a plurality of media assets in a storage format for the given media asset from the storage medium, wherein the transaction request comprises a playlist request that specifies an arrangement of elements, the arrangement of elements comprising at least a plurality media segments in which each media segment corresponds to a portion of the given media asset; and

transform the arrangement of elements, including at least the accessed media data content, from the storage format into the delivery format based on the transaction request, the arrangement of elements specified by the playlist including a parameter that specifies at least timing requirements for broadcasting each element, including each of the media segments, in the delivery format, wherein transforming the arrangement of elements comprises;

converting a resolution of each of the plurality of media segments in response to the transaction request to another resolution corresponding to the delivery format; and

transwrapping each of the plurality of media segments from a storage container type associated with the storage format to a delivery container type associated with the delivery format.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the delivery format is specified in the transaction request.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the delivery format is specified in a subscriber profile associated with the transaction request.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the delivery format is specified based on the transaction request and the subscriber profile associated with the transaction request.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the playlist request specifies at least two of a programming segment, a segment of media data content to be removed, a bar, leader, or header to be added to the media data content, a black space insert into the media data content, a break in the media data content, a calendar or time insert into the media data content, or a data spot insert into the media data content.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the transaction request specifies that the media data content is to be delivered in view of metadata specifications that are stored in associated with the media data content for the given media asset.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the metadata specifications are conditionally mapped to a target profile to satisfy the transaction request, wherein the conditional mapping includes processing the transaction request to determine which of the metadata specifications are to be fulfilled.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6, wherein the metadata specification specifies an extensible authentication protocol (EAP) for the media data content for the given media asset, a program and system information protocol (PSIP) for the media data content for the given media asset, or a temporal component for the media data content for the given media asset.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the media service provides transaction-based billing for retrieval of the media data content based on a size of the media data content for the given media asset and profile requested, the non-transitory computer readable medium further comprising an application programming interface that provides a storage-based billing for the media data content based on at least one of the size of the media data content or type of the media data content requested.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the file converter is configured to perform at least one of transcoding, resolution conversion, transwrapping, or metadata conversion based on the transaction request.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising a cloud processor to transform the media data content for the given media asset into a storage format of the storage medium that mitigates storage requirements for the media data content for the given media asset, the storage format being different from each delivery format of the given media asset.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the cloud processor is configured to transcode the media data content for the given media asset into a single storage format compatible with the storage medium and stores a metadata file associated with the media data content for the given media asset.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the cloud processor is configured to store the media data content for each of the plurality of media assets at the storage medium in accordance with a native format specified via a storage request.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein in response to the transaction request the file converter dynamically inserts tracking information into the corresponding media content having the delivery format concurrently with transforming the arrangement of elements from the storage format to the delivery format, wherein the tracking information includes a watermark identifying a source of the media content.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein a given element of the arrangement of elements includes selected media content and wherein the playlist request specifies that the selected media content is to be inserted into the given media asset.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the playlist request specifies timing information that specifies a time schedule to insert the selected media content into the given media asset.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein a given element of the elements includes selected media content and wherein the playlist request specifies that the selected media content is to be overlaid onto the accessed media content.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein the playlist request specifies timing information that specifies a time schedule to overlay the selected media content onto the accessed media content.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the playlist request specifies a time and duration of a concatenation of the accessed media content.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the accessed content comprises a plurality of the elements, each of the plurality of the elements are arranged as specified by the playlist request in a single media file in the delivery format.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein the media service provides transaction-based billing for retrieval of the media data content based on a number and type of operations performed by the media service to form the single media file and based on a number and type of the elements specified by the playlist request.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving a transaction request for a media data file stored on a storage medium in a storage format, the media data file comprising a plurality of media segments each corresponding to a respective portion of a given media asset;

determining an appropriate delivery format for each of the media segments of the media data file and an appropriate broadcast time for each of the media segments based on the transaction request; and

converting each of the media segments of the media data file from the storage format to the appropriate delivery format to complete the transaction request, wherein the converting comprises;

converting resolution of each of the media segments of the media data file stored on the storage medium in response to the transaction request to another resolution corresponding to the appropriate delivery format; and

transwrapping each of the media segments of the media file from a storage container type associated with the storage format to a delivery container type associated with the appropriate delivery format.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the delivery format is specified in the transaction request.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the delivery format is specified in a profile associated with the transaction request, the method further comprising access the profile in response to the transaction request to determine the delivery format.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising transcoding the media data file into a single storage format that mitigates storage requirements of the storage medium.

26. The method of claim 15, wherein the converting further comprises adding metadata of the media file to include a description of media content in the media data file.