System and method for selecting a transition point for transitioning between media streams

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10097604-B2
Application number	US-201314133340-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2013
Priority date	Aug 1, 2013
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

A computer system generates a first decompressed media stream based on a first compressed media stream. While providing the first decompressed media stream to the presentation device, the computer system receives a content-transition indication to switch to a second decompressed media stream. In response to receiving the content-transition indication, the computer system selects a first transition point in first content corresponding to the first compressed media stream and selects a second transition point in second content corresponding to the second compressed media stream. The second transition point is selected in accordance with a bandwidth available for receiving the second compressed media stream and the first transition point is selected based on the second transition point. The computer system requests the second compressed media stream starting at the second transition point and ceases to provide the first decompressed media stream at the first transition point in the first content.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
at a computer system including one or more processors and memory:
generating a first decompressed media stream based on a first compressed media stream;
providing the first decompressed media stream to a presentation device;
while providing the first decompressed media stream to the presentation device:
receiving a content-transition indication indicating that a second decompressed media stream is to be provided to the presentation device instead of the first decompressed media stream, wherein receiving the content-transition indication includes detecting user input selecting a media content affordance associated with requesting presentation of the second decompressed media stream;
in response to receiving the content-transition indication:
determining a predicted buffering time for buffering a second compressed media stream corresponding to the second decompressed media stream based on a bandwidth available for receiving the second compressed media stream;
identifying a plurality of candidate transition points in the second compressed media stream;
selecting a future transition point at which to start buffering the second compressed media stream based on the predicted buffering time, including selecting the future transition point from the plurality of candidate transition points based on the predicted buffering time for buffering the second compressed media stream;
requesting the second compressed media stream starting at the future transition point;

generating the second decompressed media stream based on the second compressed media stream starting at the future transition point; and

after generating the second decompressed media stream:
ceasing to provide the first decompressed media stream; and
starting to provide the second decompressed media stream at the future transition point.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first compressed media stream and the second compressed media stream correspond to different source content.

3. The method of claim 1 , including:
determining a respective quantity of data corresponding to the second compressed media stream for downloading as buffered media based on:
a target play time of the buffered media; and
a bit rate of the second compressed media stream;

wherein the predicted buffering time for buffering the second compressed media stream is based on:
the respective quantity of data; and
the bandwidth available for receiving the second compressed media stream.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including receiving a portion of the second compressed media stream starting at the future transition point.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the future transition point is a second transition point; and
the method further includes:
prior to receiving the content-transition indication, receiving the first compressed media stream;
selecting a first transition point based on the second transition point; and
after selecting the first transition point, terminating receipt of the first compressed media stream after receiving data corresponding to the first transition point.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein:
the first decompressed video stream includes first video content that is divided into a first plurality of groups of frames;
the second decompressed video stream includes second video content that is divided into a second plurality of groups of frames;
the first transition point is selected so as to occur at a boundary of a first group of frames in the first plurality of groups of frames; and
the second transition point is selected so as to occur at a boundary of a second group of frames in the second plurality of groups of frames.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein:
the first transition point corresponds to an end of a scene in the first decompressed media stream; and
the second transition point corresponds to a beginning of a scene in the second decompressed media stream.

8. The method of claim 1 , including:
while providing the first decompressed media stream to the presentation device:
storing first buffered data corresponding to the first decompressed media stream; and
receiving the second compressed media stream; and

after receiving the second compressed media stream and prior to starting to provide the second decompressed media stream, providing the first buffered data corresponding to the first decompressed media stream to the presentation device while preparing to generate the second decompressed media stream.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the method further includes, while providing the first decompressed media stream to the presentation device, ceasing to generate the first decompressed media stream; and
the first buffered data corresponding to the first decompressed media stream is provided to the presentation device after ceasing to generate the first decompressed media stream.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the first decompressed media stream is generated using a first codec;
the second decompressed media stream is generated using a second codec; and
the method further includes providing the first buffered data to the presentation device after the first codec has ceased to generate the first decompressed media stream and before the second codec has started to generate the second decompressed media stream.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the first decompressed media stream is generated using a first codec;
the second decompressed media stream is generated using a second codec; and
the method further includes providing the first buffered data to the presentation device after the first codec has ceased to generate the first decompressed media stream and after the second codec has started to generate the second decompressed media stream.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein:
the first decompressed media stream is generated using a first codec;
the first buffered data is stored in a decompressed buffer; and
the method further includes, after the first codec has ceased to generate the first decompressed media stream:
continuing to provide the first buffered data to the presentation device;
storing second buffered data corresponding to the second decompressed media stream in the decompressed buffer; and
in accordance with a determination that an end of the first buffered data has been reached, starting to provide the second buffered data to the presentation device.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the future transition point is a second transition point; and
the method further includes:
selecting a first transition point based on the second transition point; and
after selecting the first transition point, ceasing to generate the first decompressed media stream after first buffered data corresponding to the first transition point has been generated.

14. The method of claim 13 , further including, after receiving the content-transition indication and prior to ceasing to generate the first decompressed media stream, storing sufficient decompressed media content in the first buffered data to continue providing the first decompressed media stream to the presentation device until the first transition point is reached.

15. A computer system, the computer system comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
generating a first decompressed media stream based on a first compressed media stream;
providing the first decompressed media stream to a presentation device;
while providing th

Assignees

• Spotify Ab

Inventors

• Hoffert Eric
• Strigeus Ludvig
• Oman Andreas
• Arvidsson Oskar

Classifications

• H04N21/2402

  Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available (traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876) · CPC title

• H04L65/60 Primary

  Network streaming of media packets · CPC title

• H04N21/44016

  involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip · CPC title

• H04L65/4084

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04N21/8458

  involving uncompressed content · CPC title