Client, a content creator entity and methods thereof for media streaming

• US 9,137,555 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2011
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Frjdh, Per, Einarsson, Torbjrn
• Primary Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/876,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20130185756A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,443 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/30 using hierarchical techniques, e.g. scalability H04N19/63 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/31 in the temporal domain
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/503 involving temporal prediction adaptive coding with adaptive selection between spatial and temporal predictive coding H04N19/107; adaptive coding with adaptive selection among a plurality of temporal predictive coding modes H04N19/109
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23439 for generating different versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2387 Stream processing in response to a playback request from an end-user, e.g. for trick-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440281 by altering the temporal resolution, e.g. by frame skipping television signal recording using magnetic recording on tape for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8455 involving pointers to the content, e.g. pointers to the I-frames of the video stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and arrangements for accomplishing trick modes. This is achieved by assigning samples within a track to sample groups, wherein all samples within a sample group belong to one temporal level and by allowing the client to access one temporal level independently of lower temporal levels. In this way, the flexibility for the client regarding play out of different frame rates is increased which can result in a lower bandwidth utilization.

Claims

1. A method in a content creator computing device for enabling trick modes of a system of files, the files comprising at least one initialization segment and at least one media segment, wherein the at least one media segment comprises at least one track having a plurality of media samples and the at least one initialization segment comprises descriptions of the at least one media segment, the method comprising:

identifying media samples within one track having identical temporal levels;

grouping the media samples into sample groups such that all media samples in a sample group have identical temporal levels;

marking the sample groups with temporal level information indicating the temporal level of the media samples of the respective sample group in the at least one initialization segment;

adding information to the at least one initialization segment that indicates at least one sample group that has a temporal level greater than zero that can be decoded independently without using samples having lower temporal levels; and

transmitting the at least one initialization segment to a client computing device to enable selective download and trick modes for the sample groups.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the temporal level information is associated with a sample grouping type.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the temporal level information is a sample group description index.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sample group description index comprises a rate_factor parameter which is a positive integer indicative of an increased time progression that is achievable for a given sample group having a given temporal level by playing all samples having the given temporal level and samples having lower temporal levels at an original sample rate.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the sample group description index comprises a data_offset parameter that is an integer pointing to a start of a first sample relative to a start of a media segment with the temporal level of the sample.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the added information is included in a sample group description.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a predefined parameter in a Segment Type box (STYP) of the media segment is used to signal that samples of the media segment are grouped such that samples of a lower temporal level precede those of a higher temporal level.

8. A content creator entity for enabling trick modes of a system of files, the files comprising at least one initialization segment and at least one media segment, wherein the at least one media segment comprises at least one track having a plurality of media samples and the at least one initialization segment comprises descriptions of the at least one media segment, the content creator entity comprising:

a processor configured to;

identify media samples within one track having identical temporal levels;

group the media samples into sample groups such that all media samples in a sample group have identical temporal levels;

mark the sample groups with temporal level information indicating the temporal level of the samples of the respective sample group in the at least one initialization segment; and

add information to the at least one initialization segment that indicates at least one sample group that has a temporal level greater than zero that can be decoded independently without using samples having lower temporal levels; and

transmit the at least one initialization segment to a client computing device to enable selective download and trick modes for the sample groups.

9. The content creator entity of claim 8, wherein the temporal level information is associated with a sample grouping type.

10. The content creator entity of claim 9, wherein the temporal level information is a sample group description index.

11. The content creator entity of claim 10, wherein the sample group description index comprises a rate_factor parameter which is a positive integer indicative of an increased time progression that is achievable for a given sample group having a given temporal level by playing all samples having the given temporal level and samples having lower temporal levels at an original sample rate.

12. The content creator entity of claim 10, wherein the sample group description index comprises a data_offset parameter that is an integer pointing to a start of a first sample relative to a start of a media segment with the temporal level of the sample.

13. The content creator entity of claim 8, wherein the added information is included in a sample group description.

14. The content creator entity of claim 8, wherein a predefined parameter in a Segment Type box (STYP) of the media segment is used to signal that samples of the media segment are grouped such that samples of a lower temporal level precede those of a higher temporal level.