Method and system for modifying a media stream having a variable data rate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10270832-B1
Application number	US-201615395313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2016
Publication date	Apr 23, 2019
Grant date	Apr 23, 2019

Abstract

In one aspect, an example method for modifying a media stream having a variable data rate includes: (i) receiving, by a first computing system, a media stream generated by a second computing system, the media stream representing media content and having a variable data rate; (ii) determining, by the first computing system, a target constant data rate at which a third computing system has requested to receive the media stream; and (iii) while receiving the media stream: (a) modifying, by the first computing system, the media stream to have a modified data rate that is based on the determined target constant data rate; and (b) transmitting, by the first computing system, to the third computing system, the media stream having the modified data rate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing system, a media stream generated by an end-user device, the media stream representing media content and having a variable data rate;
transmitting, by the computing system, to a server device, data representing a request for an indication of a target constant data rate at which a video-broadcasting system has requested to receive the media stream;
receiving, by the computing system, from the server device, the indication of the target constant data rate in response to the request; and
while receiving the media stream:
(i) modifying, by the computing system, the media stream to have a modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate; and
(ii) transmitting, by the computing system, to the video-broadcasting system, the media stream having the modified data rate, wherein the video-broadcasting system is configured to receive the media stream having the modified data rate and broadcast the media stream having the modified data rate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the media stream to the video-broadcasting system comprises transmitting the media stream to a streaming media server configured for receiving the media stream and for transmitting the media stream to the video-broadcasting system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the media stream to have the modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate comprises modifying the media stream to have a modified data rate that has a predefined threshold extent of similarity to the target constant data rate.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein modifying the media stream to have the modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate comprises:
based on the variable data rate and the target constant data rate, determining a quantity of null packets to add into the media stream to cause the media stream to have the modified data rate; and
adding null packets of the quantity into the media stream.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, upon execution by a processor, cause performance of a set of acts comprising:
receiving, by a computing system, a media stream generated by an end-user device, the media stream representing media content and having a variable data rate;
transmitting, by the computing system, to a server device, data representing a request for an indication of a target constant data rate at which a video-broadcasting system has requested to receive the media stream;
receiving, by the computing system, from the server device, the indication of the target constant data rate in response to the request; and
while receiving the media stream:
(i) modifying, by the computing system, the media stream to have a modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate; and
(ii) transmitting, by the computing system, to the video-broadcasting system, the media stream having the modified data rate, wherein the video-broadcasting system is configured to receive the media stream having the modified data rate and broadcast the media stream having the modified data rate.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein transmitting the media stream to the video-broadcasting system comprises transmitting the media stream to a streaming media server configured for receiving the media stream and for transmitting the media stream to the video-broadcasting system.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein modifying the media stream to have the modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate comprises modifying the media stream to have a modified data rate that has a predefined threshold extent of similarity to the target constant data rate.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5 , wherein modifying the media stream to have the modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate comprises:
based on the variable data rate and the target constant data rate, determining a quantity of null packets to add into the media stream to cause the media stream to have the modified data rate; and
adding null packets of the quantity into the media stream.

9. A computing system configured for performing a set of acts comprising:
receiving a media stream generated by an end-user device, the media stream representing media content and having a variable data rate;
transmitting, to a server device, data representing a request for an indication of a target constant data rate at which a video-broadcasting system has requested to receive the media stream;
receiving, from the server device, the indication of the target constant data rate in response to the request; and
while receiving the media stream:
(i) modifying the media stream to have a modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate; and
(ii) transmitting, to the video-broadcasting system, the media stream having the modified data rate, wherein the video-broadcasting system is configured to receive the media stream having the modified data rate and broadcast the media stream having the modified data rate.

10. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein transmitting the media stream to the video-broadcasting system comprises transmitting the media stream to a streaming media server configured for receiving the media stream and for transmitting the media stream to the video-broadcasting system.

11. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein modifying the media stream to have the modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate comprises modifying the media stream to have a modified data rate that has a predefined threshold extent of similarity to the target constant data rate.

12. The computing system of claim 9 , wherein modifying the media stream to have the modified data rate that is based on the target constant data rate comprises:
based on the variable data rate and the target constant data rate, determining a quantity of null packets to add into the media stream to cause the media stream to have the modified data rate; and
adding null packets of the quantity into the media stream.

Assignees

• Tribune Broadcasting Co Llc

Inventors

• Hundemer Hank J
• Lasher Dana A
• Lasher Richard M

Classifications

• H04L65/4015

  where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference · CPC title

• H04L65/602 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L61/6068

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L65/80 Primary

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04L2101/668

  Internet protocol [IP] address subnets · CPC title