Managing multiple dynamic media streams

• US 9,294,526 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2009
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: George, Sam J., Guillet, Shane C., Sirivara, Sudheer, Sood, Vishal, Freelander, Jack E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US12/647,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20110161485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,276 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/229, 709/231, 709/246, 709/247, 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/208, 709/209, 709/210, 709/211, 709/232, 709/233, 709/248, 725/115, 725/116, 725/40, 370/241, 370/252, 370/253, 370/352, 370/353, 370/395.2, 370/395.21, 370/395.4, 370/395.41, 370/395.42, 370/395.43, 370/461, 370/464, 370/468, 718/104, 712/220, 712/225
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/613 for the control of the source by the destination control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components specially adapted for selective content distribution H04N21/637
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8586 by using a URL processing chained hypermedia data for information retrieval G06F16/94; information retrieval from the Internet by using URLs G06F16/955; URL in broadcast information H04H20/93; Web-based protocols H04L67/02

Abstract

A coordinated adaptive streaming system provides a level of intelligence between adaptive streaming heuristics applied to multiple multi-bitrate streams playing on a client computer at the same time. The system receives a media event that includes multiple multi-bitrate streams and plays two or more of the streams. Each stream registers with the coordinated adaptive streaming system so that the system is aware of each of the streams. The system receives a priority indication from each stream that indicates the priority of the stream relative to other streams associated with the media event. The system uses the received priority indications to make adaptive streaming decisions. Thus, the coordinated adaptive streaming system provides playback that more closely aligns with a user'"'"'s priorities and provides a higher quality experience to a user viewing multiple concurrent media streams.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for monitoring multiple dynamic media streams playing concurrently on a client computer system having a processor, the method comprising:

receiving, by the processor, media information that describes multiple multi-bitrate streams available from a network, wherein each of the multi-bitrate streams is encoded at multiple bitrates and carries content from a media source different than media sources associated with the other multi-bitrate streams;

receiving, by the processor, a priority indication for each of the multi-bitrate streams, the priority indication indicates a priority of one of the multi-bitrate streams relative to other multi-bitrate streams;

receiving, by the processor, from the network at least two of the multi-bitrate streams described by the received media information and performing concurrent playback of the at least two multi-bitrate streams in the client computer system;

monitoring, by the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams during playback; and

upon detecting over utilization of client resources in the client computer system during playback of the at least two multi-bitrate streams, reducing, by the processor, a bitrate of playback of one of the multi-bitrate streams with a lower priority to a lower bitrate value so that at least one multi-bitrate stream with a higher priority can use at least some of the client resources concurrently consumed by the multi-bitrate stream with the lower priority.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, with the processor, media information comprises accessing, with the processor, a webpage that contains an embedded multiple stream video presentation.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving, with the processor, media information comprises receiving, with the processor, a manifest that includes a list of multi-bitrate streams and an indication of each multi-bitrate stream'"'"'s playback priority.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring, with the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams comprises waiting, with the processor, a specified monitor interval between sampling the at least two multi-bitrate streams to adapt to changing client resource conditions.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring, with the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams comprises, upon detecting that a selected multi-bitrate stream is not currently enabled, determining, with the processor, whether the selected multi-bitrate stream has been re-enabled a threshold number of times before attempting to re-enable the selected multi-bitrate stream.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring, with the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams comprises after enabling a disabled stream, waiting, with the processor, a specified monitor interval before starting additional multi-bitrate streams.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring, with the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams comprises sampling, with the processor, playback performance of one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams to determine whether playback of the one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams satisfies a specified threshold bitrate.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring, with the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams comprises sampling, with the processor, playback performance of one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams to determine whether playback of the one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams satisfies a specified threshold frame rate.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring, with the processor, the at least two multi-bitrate streams comprises, upon determining that one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams is enabled and playing back at a threshold level, selecting, with the processor, another one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams with a lower priority and determining whether to enable the selected another one of the at least two multi-bitrate streams.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein reducing, by the processor, a bitrate of playback of one of the multi-bitrate streams with a lower priority comprises disabling, by the processor, playback of one or more multi-bitrate streams that are lower in priority than the multi-bitrate stream with the lower priority.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the priority indication for each of the multi-bitrate streams includes a disable stream threshold bitrate and an enable stream threshold bitrate.

12. A computing system for coordinating bitrate adjustments of multiple dynamic media streams, the computing system comprising:

a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory containing instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a process comprising;

receiving information describing two or more media streams, wherein each of the media streams is encoded at multiple bitrates and carries content from a media source different than media sources associated with content of the other media streams;

receiving a registration indication for each of the two or more media streams, wherein the registration indication includes priority information that indicates a relative priority of each of the media streams;

initializing each of the two or more media streams for concurrent playback; and

monitoring the concurrent playback of the two or more media streams and reducing a bitrate of playback of at least one of the media streams with a lower relative priority to a lower bitrate value in response to one or more resource conditions that change during the concurrent playback of the two more media streams.

13. The computing system of claim 12 wherein initializing each media stream for concurrent playback includes starting, by the processor, the media streams one at a time and allowing each stream to complete startup before starting a next stream.

14. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the process performed by the processor further includes receiving, by the processor, dynamic changes to a priority of at least one stream while the streams are concurrently playing.

15. The computing system of claim 12 wherein monitoring the concurrent playback includes monitoring, by the processor, the concurrent playback at periodic intervals and traversing a list of the streams to determine whether each stream is playing back at a threshold acceptable bitrate.

16. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the process performed by the processor further includes:

determining, by the processor, if currently playing streams are each playing at a threshold acceptable bitrate and if there are disabled streams; and

in response to determining that the currently playing streams are playing at a threshold acceptable bitrate and there are disabled streams, enabling, by the processor, at least one of the disabled streams.

17. The computing system of claim 12 wherein the process performed by the processor further includes determining, by the processor, if currently playing streams are each playing at a threshold acceptable bitrate, and in response to determining that at least one currently playing streams is not playing at a threshold acceptable bitrate, disabling, by the processor, at least one of the currently playing streams.

18. The computing system of claim 12 the process performed by the processor further includes receiving, by the processor, input from a user that determines at least one priority for at least one stream.

19. A computer-readable storage device comprising instructions for controlling a computer system to startup multiple adaptive streams, wherein the instructions executable by a processor cause the processor to perform actions comprising:

receiving information identifying first and second streams and associated relative priorities for playback of the first and second streams, wherein;

each of the first and second streams is encoded at multiple bitrates;

the first stream carries content from a first media source; and

the second stream carries content from a second media source different than the first media source, the second stream having a priority lower than the first stream;

receiving a selection of the first stream to begin playback;

starting playback of the selected first stream;

during playback of the first stream, sampling resource usage of the computer system to determine whether the selected first stream is playing back at a threshold quality level;

upon determining that the first stream is playing back at the threshold quality level,

starting playback of the second stream concurrently with playback of the first stream;

monitoring the first and second streams during concurrent playback; and

upon detecting over utilization of resources in the computer system during concurrent playback of the first and second streams, reducing a bitrate of playback of the second stream with the lower priority to a lower bitrate value so that the first stream uses at least some of the resources concurrently consumed by the second stream.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19 wherein the actions performed by the processor further includes, after starting playback of the second stream, waiting, by the processor, for a predetermined period of time before repeating the sampling, selecting, and starting operations.