Rendering content and time-shifted playback operations for personal over-the-top network video recorder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10735800-B2
Application number	US-201715443118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 12, 2013
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

Live streaming video content is processed and stored for real-time delivery of the content, future VoD viewing of the content, and time-shifted viewing of the content, by manipulating a common manifest or playlist. Previously stored content may be reordered and/or recombined in order to provide a personalized content viewing experience.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for effectuating time-shifted playback operations with respect to a real-time streaming program at a client device, the real-time streaming program processed into one or more distinct encodings each including a respective set of sequential segments, the method comprising:
receiving a time-shift request from a user of the client device while playing the real-time streaming program;
responsive to receiving the time-shift request from the user, determining a target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device in a manner that depends on a type of the time-shift request from the user; and
subsequent to determining the target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device:
restarting a media player of the client device, the media player performing;
generating a new master manifest request containing the target wall-clock time as a new timestamp for restarting the real-time streaming program at a corresponding video position; and
responsive to receiving a new master manifest, generating one or more variant manifest requests for specifying a particular encoding of the real-time streaming program,
wherein a variant manifest is provided as a sliding-window variant manifest constructed from the new master manifest based on the target wall-clock time, and
wherein the sliding-window variant manifest is constructed by adding a new reference to a next segment and removing an existing reference to an earliest segment in a predetermined window of most recent segments.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the time-shift request is a pause request; and
obtaining a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and setting the current playback wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the current playback wall-clock timestamp is calculated as a sum of a wall-clock time corresponding to a video position at a last playback action and a time duration of playback since the last playback action.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the time-shift request is a rewind request; and
calculating a rewind target wall-clock timestamp by subtracting a rewind duration from a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and setting the rewind target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
determining that the time-shift request is a fast forward request; and
calculating a fast forward target wall-clock timestamp by adding a fast forward time duration to a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and setting the fast forward target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

6. An apparatus for effectuating time-shifted playback operations with respect to a real-time streaming program at a client device, the real-time streaming program processed into one or more distinct encodings each including a respective set of sequential segments, the apparatus comprising:
a processor; and
a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing program instructions for performing the following acts when executed by the processor:
receive a time-shift request from a user of the client device while playing the real-time streaming program;
responsive to receiving the time-shift request from the user, determine a target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device in a manner that depends on a type of the time-shift request from the user; and
subsequent to determining the target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device:
restart a media player of the client device;
generate a new master manifest request containing the target wall-clock time as a new timestamp for restarting the real-time streaming program at a corresponding video position; and
responsive to receiving a new master manifest, generate one or more variant manifest requests for specifying a particular encoding of the real-time streaming program,
wherein a variant manifest is provided as a sliding-window variant manifest constructed from the new master manifest based on the target wall-clock time, and
wherein the sliding-window variant manifest is constructed by adding a new reference to a next segment and removing an existing reference to an earliest segment in a predetermined window of most recent segments.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions configured to:
determine that the time-shift request is a pause request; and
obtain a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and set the current playback wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 , wherein the current playback wall-clock timestamp is calculated as a sum of a wall-clock time corresponding to a video position at a last playback action and a time duration of playback since the last playback action.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions configured to:
determine that the time-shift request is a rewind request; and
calculate a rewind target wall-clock timestamp by subtracting a rewind duration from a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and set the rewind target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions configured to:
determine that the time-shift request is a fast forward request; and
calculate a fast forward target wall-clock timestamp by adding a fast forward time duration to a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and set the fast forward target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

Assignees

• Ericsson Ab

Inventors

• Ma Kevin J
• Hickey Robert
• Tweedale Paul
• Navali Prabhudev
• Li Man
• Biagini Daniel

Classifications

• H04N21/23109 Primary

  by placing content in organized collections, e.g. EPG data repository (details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video databases G06F16/739) · CPC title

• H04L65/65

  Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP] · CPC title

• H04N21/2747

  Remote storage of video programmes received via the downstream path, e.g. from the server · CPC title

• H04N21/2187

  Live feed · CPC title

• H04N21/812

  involving advertisement data (advertising per se G06Q30/02) · CPC title