Apparatus, system, and method for multi-bitrate content streaming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10951680-B2
Application number	US-202016876604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2020
Priority date	Apr 30, 2004
Publication date	Mar 16, 2021
Grant date	Mar 16, 2021

Abstract

An apparatus for multi-bitrate content streaming includes a receiving module configured to capture media content, a streamlet module configured to segment the media content and generate a plurality of streamlets, and an encoding module configured to generate a set of streamlets. The system includes the apparatus, wherein the set of streamlets comprises a plurality of streamlets having identical time indices and durations, and each streamlet of the set of streamlets having a unique bitrate, and wherein the encoding module comprises a master module configured to assign an encoding job to one of a plurality of host computing modules in response to an encoding job completion bid. A method includes receiving media content, segmenting the media content and generating a plurality of streamlets, and generating a set of streamlets.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for adaptive-rate content streaming of video playable on one or more end user stations over the Internet, the system comprising:
at least one processor executing non-transitory executable instructions for generating at least one virtual timeline corresponding to the video;
wherein the video encoded at a plurality of different bitrates creating a plurality of streams including a low quality stream, a medium quality stream, and a high quality stream, the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream each comprising a group of streamlets encoded at a respective one of the plurality of different bitrates, each group of streamlets comprising at least first and second streamlets, each of the streamlets corresponding to a portion of the video;
wherein at least one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream is encoded at a bitrate of no less than 600 kbps; and
wherein the first streamlet of each of the groups of streamlets has the same first duration and encodes the same first portion of the video in each of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream, and wherein the first streamlet of the low quality stream encodes the same first portion of the video at a different bitrate than the first streamlet of the high quality stream and the first streamlet of the medium quality stream.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further for generating a plurality of virtual timelines wherein each virtual timeline corresponds to each of t the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the video is a live event video.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the video includes archived content.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second streamlet of each of the groups of streamlets each has the same second duration and corresponds to the same second portion of the video in the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream, the second streamlet of the low quality stream having the same bitrate as the first streamlet of the low quality stream.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the first and second durations are different.

7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising: a
plurality of web servers located at different locations across the internet, each web server configured to: receive at least one streamlet request over one or more internet connections from the one or more end user stations to retrieve the first streamlet storing a portion of the video, wherein the at least one streamlet request from the one or more end user stations includes a request for a currently selected first streamlet from one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream based upon a determination by the end user station to select a higher or lower bitrate version of the streams; retrieve from the storage device the requested first streamlet from the currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream; and send the retrieved first streamlet from the currently selected one of the different copies to the requesting one of the end user stations over the one or more network connections.

8. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first web server configured to:
receive at least one virtual timeline request over the one or more internet connections from the one or more end user stations to retrieve a virtual timeline; and send the virtual timeline to the requesting one of the end user stations over the one or more network connections.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the first web server is further configured to:
receive at least one streamlet request over one or more internet connections from the one or more end user stations to retrieve the first streamlet storing the first portion of the video,
wherein the at least one streamlet request from the one or more end user stations includes a request for a currently selected first streamlet from one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream based upon a determination by the end user station to select a higher or lower bitrate version of the video; retrieve from the storage device the requested first streamlet from the currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream; and send the retrieved first streamlet from the currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream to the requesting one of the end user stations over the one or more network connections.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one virtual timeline corresponds to the currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual timeline defines a playlist for a user to view.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual timeline comprises a file that is configured to define a playlist for a user to view.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the virtual timeline comprises at least one quantum media extension (QMX).

14. An end user station to stream a video over a network from a server for playback of the video, the content player device comprising:
a processor;
a digital processing apparatus memory device comprising non-transitory machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
establish one or more network connections between the end user station and the server, wherein the server is configured to access at least one of a plurality of groups of streamlets;
wherein the video is encoded at a plurality of different bitrates to create a plurality of streams including at least a low quality stream, a medium quality stream, and a high quality stream, each of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream comprising a group of streamlets encoded at the same respective one of the different bitrates, each group comprising at least first and second streamlets, each of the streamlets corresponding to a portion of the video;
wherein at least one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream is encoded at a bit rate of no less than 600 kbps; and wherein the first streamlets of each of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream and the high quality stream each has an equal playback duration and each of the first streamlets encodes the same portion of the video at a different one of the different bitrates;

select a specific one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream based upon a determination by the end user station to select a higher or lower bitrate version of the streams;
place at least one virtual timeline request for at least one virtual times based on the selected one of the he low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream; and
receive the at least one virtual timeline.

15. The end user station of claim 14 , wherein the non-transitory machine-readable instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:
place one or more streamlet requests to the server over the one or more network connections for the first streamlet of the selected stream; receive the requested first streamlet from the server via the one or more network connections wherein the one or more streamlet requests are based on the at least one virtual timeline; and
provide the received first streamlet for playback of the video.

Assignees

• Dish Tech Llc

Inventors

• Brueck David F
• Hurst Mark B
• Major R Drew

Classifications

• H04L65/70

  Media network packetisation · CPC title

• H04N7/24 Primary

  Systems for the transmission of television signals using pulse code modulation (H04N21/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04L67/568

  Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching · CPC title

• H04L65/61

  for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio · CPC title

• H04L67/60

  Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources (admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70) · CPC title