Retrieving and caching adaptive bitrate stream segments based on network congestion

• US 9,253,231 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: O'Callaghan, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gillis, Brian J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ballard, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US14/134,069
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/612 for unicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS

Abstract

A cache device may receive a request for a first segment of an adaptive bitrate stream. The request may identify a particular time interval, of the adaptive bitrate stream, to which the first segment corresponds. The request may further identify a first bitrate at which the first segment is encoded. The cache device may determine a network congestion level of a network associated with the adaptive bitrate stream. The cache device may determine, based on the network congestion level, a second bitrate that is different from the first bitrate. The cache device may obtain a second segment of the adaptive bitrate stream. The second segment may be encoded at the second bitrate. The cache device may store the second segment for delivery to a client device.

Claims

1. A cache device, comprising:

one or more processors to;

receive, from a client device, a first request for a first segment of an adaptive bitrate stream,

the first segment including content corresponding to a particular time interval of the adaptive bitrate stream, and

the request identifying a first bitrate at which the first segment is encoded;

receive, from a network monitoring device, congestion information that indicates a network congestion level of a network associated with the cache device;

predict that other content corresponding to the adaptive bitrate stream is likely to be requested by the client device or another client device;

determine, based on the network congestion level and predicting that the other content is likely to be requested, a second segment to be requested from a content server,

the second segment being encoded at a second bitrate that is different from the first bitrate;

send a second request for the second segment encoded at the second bitrate to the content server based on the first request received from the client device for the first segment encoded at the first bitrate;

obtain the second segment from the content server based on the second request; and

cache the second segment for providing to the client device or another client device.

2. The cache device of claim 1, where the second segment includes the other content, the other content corresponding to a different time interval than the particular time interval;

and

where the one or more processors are further configured to;

receive a request for a segment corresponding to the different time interval,

the request, for the segment corresponding to the different time interval, identifying a bitrate other than the second bitrate; and

provide, based on receiving the request for the segment corresponding to the different time interval, the second segment.

3. The cache device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further configured to:

provide the second segment to the client device; and

provide information identifying the second bitrate to the client device,

the information identifying the second bitrate causing the client device to request an additional segment encoded at the second bitrate.

4. The cache device of claim 1, where the second segment includes the other content, and

the other content corresponding to a later time interval than the particular time interval,

the later time interval occurring after the particular time interval in the adaptive bitrate stream.

5. The cache device of claim 1, where the first bitrate is higher than the second bitrate;

and

where the one or more processors, when determining the second segment, are configured to;

determine that the network congestion level is greater than or equal to a threshold; and

determine the second segment based on determining that the network congestion level is greater than or equal to the threshold.

6. The cache device of claim 1, where the first bitrate is lower than the second bitrate;

and

where the one or more processors, when determining the second segment, are configured to;

determine that the network congestion level is less than or equal to a threshold; and

determine the second segment based on determining that the network congestion level is less than or equal to the threshold.

18. The cache device of claim 1, where the one or more processors, when predicting that the other content is likely to be requested, are to:

determine a sequence of segments of the adaptive bitrate stream beginning with a segment after the first segment,

the sequence of segments including the second segment, and

where the one or more processors, when sending the second request, are to;

send the second request for the sequence of segments encoded at the second bitrate.

19. The cache device of claim 1, where the one or more processors are further to:

receive a manifest file associated with the adaptive bitrate stream,

the manifest file identifying available time intervals and available bitrates of the adaptive bitrate stream;

store the manifest file; and

where the one or more processors, when determining the second segment, are to;

determine the second bitrate using the manifest file.

20. The cache device of claim 19, where the one or more processors are further to:

determine that the manifest file is of a type that is readable by the cache device; and

where the one or more processors, when storing the manifest file, are to;

store the manifest file based on determining that the manifest file is of the type that is readable by the cache device.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions comprising:

one or more instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive a first request for a first segment of a first media stream encoded at a first bitrate,

the first segment including content corresponding to a particular time interval of the first media stream,

the first media stream being a first version of an adaptive bitrate stream;

receive, from a network monitoring device, congestion information that indicates a network congestion level of a network via which the media stream is to be provided;

predict that other content corresponding to the adaptive bitrate stream is likely to be requested;

determine a second segment of a second media stream encoded at a second bitrate based on the network congestion level, the first bitrate, and predicting that the other content is likely to be requested,

the second media stream being a second version of the adaptive bitrate stream, and

the second bitrate being different from the first bitrate;

send a second request for the second segment encoded at the second bitrate to a content server based on the first request received for the first segment encoded at the first bitrate;

receive the second segment based on requesting the second segment; and

cache the second segment for delivery to a client device.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

provide the second segment to at least one of;

a first client device from which the first request for the first segment was received;

or

a second client device other than the first client device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to provide the second segment, cause the one or more processors to:

mark the second segment as a high priority segment,

marking the second segment as a high priority segment causing one or more network devices to treat the second segment with a higher priority than other traffic.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

receive a plurality of requests, associated with the adaptive bitrate stream, from a plurality of client devices,

the plurality of requests including the first request,

the plurality of client devices including the client device; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the second segment, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the second segment based on the plurality of requests from the plurality of client devices.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the one or more processors to:

compare the network congestion level to a threshold; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the second segment, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the second segment based on comparing the network congestion level to the threshold.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 7, where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to receive the congestion information, cause the one or more processors to:

receive multiple indicators of the network congestion level; and

compute a congestion score based on the multiple indicators; and

where the one or more instructions, that cause the one or more processors to determine the second segment, cause the one or more processors to;

determine the second segment based on the congestion score.

13. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a cache device, a first request for a first segment of an adaptive bitrate stream,

the request identifying a particular time interval, of the adaptive bitrate stream, to which the first segment corresponds, and

the request further identifying a first bitrate at which the first segment is encoded;

receiving, by the cache device and from a network monitoring device, congestion information that indicates a network congestion level of a network associated with the adaptive bitrate stream;

predicting, by the cache device, that other content corresponding to the adaptive bitrate stream is likely to be requested;

determining, by the cache device, a second bitrate that is different from the first bitrate based on the network congestion level and predicting that the other content is likely to be requested;

sending, by the cache device, a second request for a second segment encoded at the second bitrate to a content server based on the first request for the first segment encoded at the first bitrate;

obtaining, by the cache device and via the network, a second segment of the adaptive bitrate stream based on the second request,

the second segment being encoded at the second bitrate; and

storing, by the cache device, the second segment for delivery to a client device.

14. The method of claim 13, where receiving the first request for the first segment comprises:

receiving the first request for the first segment from the client device; and

where the method further comprises;

providing the second segment to the client device based on receiving the first request for the first segment.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a third request for a third segment from the client device,

the third request for the third segment identifying a different time interval, that is different than the particular time interval, and further identifying the first bitrate; and

providing the second segment to the client device based on receiving the third request for the third segment.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a manifest file associated with the adaptive bitrate stream,

the manifest file identifying available time intervals and available bitrates of the adaptive bitrate stream;

storing the manifest file; and

where determining the second bitrate comprises;

determining the second bitrate using the manifest file.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the manifest file is of a type that is readable by the cache device; and

where storing the manifest file comprises;

storing the manifest file based on determining that the manifest file is of the type that is readable by the cache device.