Systems and methods to provide trick play during streaming playback

• US 9,510,029 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2011
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dish Technologies LLC (Dish Network Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Echostar Advanced Technologies L.L.C. (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Hurst, Mark B.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOSSAIN, FARZANA E
• Application Number:
  US13/027,220
• Publication Number:
  US 20120210216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 725/88, 725/131, 725/134, 725/141, 725/142, 725/151
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• 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 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for providing trick play functions such as fast forward, rewind or slow motion during playback of streaming media content. Multiple sets of streamlets or other media files that represent the same media stream are encoded differently from each other (e.g., at different frame rates and/or frame directions), and each set of files is simultaneously maintained at a server. Files encoded at a first format are made available to the client device during regular playback, and files encoded at a different frame rate and/or a different direction of encoding are made available to support trick play.

Claims

1. A method executable by a client device to process a media stream of media content that is received via a network, the method comprising:

requesting a first data file representing a first portion of the media stream at the client device via the network, wherein the first data file is encoded with a predetermined duration of the media content with a first number of video frames;

rendering the video frames of the first data file at a first frame rate by the client device to thereby playback the first portion of the media stream represented by the first data file;

receiving a user instruction at the client device to perform a trick play function that adapts the playback speed of the media stream;

in response to the user instruction to adapt the playback speed of the media stream, requesting a second data file representing a second portion of the media stream via the network at the client device, wherein the second data file is encoded with the same predetermined duration of the media content as the first data file with a second number of video frames that is different than the first number of video frames used to encode the first data file; and

performing the trick play function to adapt the playback speed of the media stream by rendering the frames of the second data file so that the predetermined duration of the media content represented by the second data file is rendered over a different period of time than the same predetermined duration of the media content represented by the first data file without degradation of the first frame rate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of frames contained in the first data file is greater than the number of frames contained in the second data file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the trick play function is a rewind function.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the frames of the second data file are encoded in reverse order in comparison to the first data file.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein the second data file is encoded such that frames containing content occurring later in time during regular playback of the media stream are positioned for decoding prior to frames that occur later in time during regular playback.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein the first data file and the second data file are separate media files identified by a shared time index and wherein the separate media files representing the first and second portions of the media stream are requested according to the shared time index.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the second data file is encoded such that the frames of the second data file are arranged in reverse order in comparison to the frames of the first data file.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the second data file is encoded such that frames containing content occurring later in time during regular playback of the media stream are positioned for decoding before frames that occur sooner in time during regular playback.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the trick play function is a fast forward function, and wherein the first data file is encoded with more video frames than the second data file.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first and second data files are separate media files identified by a shared time index, and wherein the shared time index of the second object follows the shared time index of the first data file to indicate a subsequent portion of the media content having the predetermined duration, and wherein the media file representing the first data file contains more video frames than the media file representing the second data file encoded at the lower frame rate even though both data files represent the same duration of the media stream.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first data file is received in response to a first HTTP GET request for the first data file, and wherein the second data file is received in response to a second HTTP GET request for the second data file.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first and second HTTP GET requests are placed to a file service on the network, and wherein the first and second data files are received from the file service in a file-based format.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the file service is a content delivery network.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the number of video frames in the first data file is approximately four times the number of video frames in the second data file.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a third data file representing a third portion of the media stream via the network, wherein the third data file encodes the same predetermined duration of the encoded media content with a third number of video frames that is different than the first number and the second number; and

rendering at least some of the third portion of the media stream encoded by the third data file for playback to thereby continue the trick play function instructed by the user.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the rendering of the third portion provides the trick play function at a faster playback rate than the rendering of the second portion.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the first number of video frames is greater than the second number of video frames, and wherein the second number of video frames is greater than the third number of video frames.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein a second number of video frames is greater than a first number of video frames, and wherein the trick play function instructed by the user is a slow motion function.

19. A method executable by a data processing system to provide a media stream that represents a media program to a client device via a network, the method comprising:

maintaining a first set of files that collectively represents the media stream, wherein each of the first set of files is sequentially ordered according to a time index so that each of the first set of files represents a predetermined duration of the media program that is encoded at a first frame rate;

simultaneously maintaining a second set of files that collectively represents the same media stream sequentially-ordered according to the same time index as the first set of files, wherein each of the second set of files represents the same predetermined duration of the media program that is encoded at a second frame rate that is different from the first frame rate so that the files of the second set represent the same portions of the media program as the files of the first set but with different numbers of video frames;

sequentially providing files from the first set of files to the client device via the network during normal playback of the media stream to thereby allow the client device to render the media stream at a playback frame rate; and

sequentially providing files from the second set of files to the client device during a trick play operation in which the playback speed of the media stream is altered to thereby allow the client device to render the different number of video frames of the second set of at the same playback frame rate as the first set of files so that the predetermined duration of the media program represented by the second set of files is rendered over a different period of time to thereby adapt the playback speed of the media program without degradation in the frame rate.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the second frame rate of the files provided during the trick play operation is less than the first frame rate of the files provided during normal playback of the media stream.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein the files from the first set of files are sequentially provided according to the time index in a first direction during the normal playback of the media stream, wherein the trick play operation is a rewind operation, and wherein the files provided from the second set of files are sequentially provided according to the time index in a second direction opposite the first direction during the rewind operation.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the frames in each of the second set of files are encoded in reverse order in comparison to the first set of files.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein each of the second set of files is encoded such that frames containing content occurring later in time during normal playback of the media stream are positioned for decoding before frames that occur later in time during normal playback.

24. The method of claim 19 further comprising maintaining a third set of files that collectively represents the same media stream sequentially-ordered according to the same time index as the first and second sets of files, wherein each of the third set of files is encoded at a third frame rate that is different from either the first or the second frame rates so that the files of the third set represent the same portions of the media program as the files of the first and second sets encoded with different numbers of video frames, and wherein files are provided from the third set of files to the client device via the network to thereby accelerate a rate of the trick play operation.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the files from the second set of files are provided in response to a user of the client device instructing the trick play operation.

26. A data processing system that provides a media stream of media content to a client device via a network, the data processing system comprising:

an interface to the network;

a database configured to simultaneously maintain a first set of files and a second set of files that each collectively represent the same media stream and that are each sequentially ordered according to a common time index, wherein each of the second set of files represents the same predetermined duration of the media content as the files of the first set of files, but wherein the second set of files is encoded at a different frame rate from the first set of files so that the second set of files represents the same predetermined duration of the media content with a different number of video frames from the first set of files; and

a file server in communication with the database and the interface, wherein the file server is configured to sequentially provide files from the first set of files to the client device via the network during normal playback of the media stream to thereby permit the client device to render video frames of the first set of files for playback at a playback frame rate, and, in response to a user of the client device instructing a trick play operation that adapts a playback speed of the media stream, to provide files from the second set of files having the different frame rate to the client device during the trick play operation to thereby permit the client device to perform the trick play operation by rendering the different number of video frames in the second set of files for playback at the same playback frame rate as the first set of files so that the predetermined duration of the media program represented by the second set of files is rendered over a different period of time to thereby adapt the playback speed of the first media program without degradation in the playback frame rate during the trick play operation.

27. The data processing system of claim 26 wherein the file server is configured to sequentially provide the files from the first set of files according to the common time index in a first direction during the normal playback of the media stream, wherein the trick play operation is a rewind operation, and wherein the files provided from the second set of files are sequentially provided according to the common time index in a second direction opposite the first direction during the rewind operation.

28. The data processing system of claim 26 wherein the frames in each of the second set of files are encoded in reverse order in comparison to the first set of files.

29. The data processing system of claim 26 wherein each of the second set of files is encoded such that frames containing content occurring later in time during normal playback of the media stream are positioned for decoding before frames that occur later in time during normal playback.

30. The data processing system of claim 26 wherein the first and second sets of files have different frame rates so that the number of frames contained in first set of files is different than the number of frames contained in the second set of files.

31. The data processing system of claim 26 wherein the database is further configured to simultaneously maintain a third set of files that is sequentially ordered according to the common time index and that collectively represents the same media stream as the first and second sets of files, wherein each file in the third set of files is encoded such that video frames containing content occurring later in time during normal playback of the media stream are positioned for decoding before frames that occur later in time during normal playback.

32. The data processing system of claim 31 wherein the media server is configured to provide the second set of files when the trick play operation is a fast forward operation and the third set of files when the trick play operation is a rewind operation.

33. The data processing system of claim 32 wherein the second and third sets of files are each encoded at a lower frame rate than the first set of files.