Content-aware predictive bitrate ladder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10735739-B2
Application number	US-201816235105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 28, 2018
Priority date	Dec 28, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses may encode a media content item based on metadata from previous encoding. The encoding may also generate encoding metadata, which may comprise a qualitative or quantitative characterization of the encoded media content item. A prediction engine may, based on this metadata, determine new encoding settings for the same or a different video resolution. The prediction engine may cause an encoded media content item to be stored and may cause encoding of the media content item using the new encoding settings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, metadata indicative of encoding of a media content item at a first resolution and a first bitrate;
determining, based on a quality of the encoding of the media content item at the first resolution and the first bitrate, to encode the media content item at a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is higher than the first resolution;
determining, based on the metadata and based on the determining to encode the media content item at the second resolution, a second bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution; and
sending, to an encoder, an indication of the determined second bitrate for encoding of the media content item at the second resolution.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, a third bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution; and
sending an indication of the determined third bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized; and
sending, based on the determining that the quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized, an indication of a higher bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is optimized; and
sending, based on the determining that the quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is optimized, an indication of a new bitrate for encoding the media content item at a third resolution higher than the second resolution.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized; and
sending, based on the determining that the quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized, an indication of a lower bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
sending, to a second encoder different from the encoder, and based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, an indication to encode the media content item.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, a third bitrate for encoding the media content item at a third resolution higher than the second resolution; and
sending the determined third bitrate for encoding the media content item at the third resolution.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized; and
sending, based on the determining that the quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized, an indication of a lower frame rate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, based on a history of metadata from encodings of a second media content item, a metadata trend;
determining, based on the metadata trend and on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, a third bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution; and
sending an indication of the determined third bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

10. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, metadata indicative of encoding of a media content item at a first resolution and a first bitrate;
determining, based on the metadata, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the first resolution and the first bitrate is optimized;
determining, based on the quality of the media content item encoded at the first resolution and the first bitrate being optimized, to encode the media content item at a second resolution higher than the first resolution;
determining, based on the metadata and based on the determining to encode the media content item at the second resolution, a second bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution; and
sending, to an encoder, an indication of the second bitrate.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
sending, to a second encoder different from the encoder, and based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, an indication to encode the media content item.

12. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized; and
sending, based on the determining that the quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is not optimized, an indication of a higher bitrate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

13. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, based on second metadata indicative of encoding of the media content item at the second resolution and the second bitrate, that a quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is optimized; and
sending, based on the determining that the quality of the media content item encoded at the second resolution and the second bitrate is optimized, an indication of a new bitrate for encoding the media content item at a third resolution higher than the second resolution.

14. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
determining, based on the metadata, a frame rate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution; and
sending, to the encoder, an indication of the frame rate for encoding the media content item at the second resolution.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the determined frame rate is lower than a second frame rate associated with the media content item encoded at the first resolution and the first bitrate.

16. A method comprising:
receiving, by a computing device, metadata indicative of encoding of a media content item at a first resolution and a first bitrate;
determining, based on a quality of the encoding of the media content item at the first resolution and the first bitrate, to encode the media content item at a second resolution, wherein the second resolution is high

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Mao Weidong
• Giladi Alexander
• Balk Alex

Classifications

• H04N21/23418 Primary

  involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics (television picture signal circuitry for scene change detection H04N5/147; filtering for image enhancement G06T5/00; methods or arrangements for recognising scenes G06V20/00; arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59) · CPC title

• H04L65/70

  Media network packetisation · CPC title

• H04N21/222

  Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end {(provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56)} · CPC title

• H04N21/231

  Content storage operation, e.g. caching movies for short term storage, replicating data over plural servers, prioritizing data for deletion · CPC title

• H04N21/21815

  comprising local storage units · CPC title