Providing advanced playback and control functionality to video client

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11350184-B2
Application number	US-202117147138-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2021
Priority date	Dec 21, 2015
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing playback features to a device are disclosed. A manifest may be generated, which may comprise data associated with a content asset. A state file may be generated, which may comprise data associated with the manifest. Using one or more of the manifest and the state file, a device may modify segments of the content asset or may playback segments of the content asset.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a manifest of a plurality of manifests associated with a content asset, wherein each manifest is associated with a different version of the content asset and comprises: an indication of one or more content segments of the version of the content asset, an identifier associated with the version of the content asset, and one or more storage locations of the one or more content segments;
determining, using the manifest, at least one of the one or more content segments;
receiving a state file comprising an identifier associated with the version identifier of the received manifest and one or more playback features, wherein the identifier facilitates use of the state file with the manifest; and
using the state file to facilitate modifying, based on the one or more playback features, output of content associated with the at least one of the one or more content segments retrieved using the manifest.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the content comprises at least one of video on demand content, linear content, or network digital video recorder content.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the different versions of the content asset differ in relation to at least one of a bit rate of the at least one content segment, a language of the at least one content segment, an image size of the at least one content segment, a limitation of the at least one content segment, or a combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more playback features comprise one or more of an advertising cue, language information, content format, content manipulation, or entitlement information.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving the state file comprises receiving the state file by a media player that is not configured to decode, from the content, data indicating the one or more playback features.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state file is generated, by a transcoder, as part of a transcoding process associated with the content.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the state file is time synchronized, based on one or more time codes in the state file, with the manifest.

8. A device comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to:
receive a manifest of a plurality of manifests associated with a content asset, wherein each manifest is associated with a different version of the content asset and comprises: an indication of one or more content segments of the version of the content asset, an identifier associated with the version of the content asset, and one or more storage locations of the one or more content segments;
determine, using the manifest, at least one of the one or more content segments;
receive a state file comprising an identifier associated with the version identifier of the received manifest and one or more playback features, wherein the identifier facilitates use of the state file with the manifest; and
use the state file to facilitate modifying, based on the one or more playback features, output of content associated with the at least one of the one or more content segments retrieved using the manifest.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the content comprises at least one of video on demand content, linear content, or network digital video recorder content.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein the different versions of the content asset differ in relation to at least one of a bit rate of the at least one content segment, a language of the at least one content segment, an image size of the at least one content segment, a limitation of the at least one content segment, or a combination thereof.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the one or more playback features comprise one or more of an advertising cue, language information, content format, content manipulation, or entitlement information.

12. The device of claim 8 , wherein the instructions that cause the device to receive the state file cause the device to receive the state file by a media player that is not configured to decode, from the content, data indicating the one or more playback features.

13. The device of claim 8 , wherein the state file is generated, by a transcoder, as part of a transcoding process associated with the content.

14. The device of claim 8 , wherein the state file is time synchronized, based on one or more time codes in the state file, with the manifest.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause:
receiving a manifest of a plurality of manifests associated with a content asset, wherein each manifest is associated with a different version of the content asset and comprises: an indication of one or more content segments of the version of the content asset, an identifier associated with the version of the content asset, and one or more storage locations of the one or more content segments;
determining, using the manifest, at least one of the one or more content segments;
receiving a state file comprising an identifier associated with the version identifier of the received manifest and one or more playback features, wherein the identifier facilitates use of the state file with the manifest; and
using the state file to facilitate modifying, based on the one or more playback features, output of content associated with the at least one of the one or more content segments retrieved using the manifest.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the content comprises at least one of video on demand content, linear content, or network digital video recorder content.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the different versions of the content asset differ in relation to at least one of a bit rate of the at least one content segment, a language of the at least one content segment, an image size of the at least one content segment, a limitation of the at least one content segment, or a combination thereof.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the one or more playback features comprise one or more of an advertising cue, language information, content format, content manipulation, or entitlement information.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the receiving the state file comprises receiving the state file by a media player that is not configured to decode, from the content, data indicating the one or more playback features.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the state file is generated, by a transcoder, as part of a transcoding process associated with the content.

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Communications Man Llc

Inventors

• Lacivita Jeremy
• Niland Daniel
• Fulton Curtis

Classifications

• H04N7/165

  Centralised control of user terminal (subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345); Registering at central (by two-way working H04N7/17309) · CPC title

• H04N21/8133

  specifically related to the content, e.g. biography of the actors in a movie, detailed information about an article seen in a video programme · CPC title

• H04N21/8547

  involving timestamps for synchronizing content · CPC title

• H04L67/06

  specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP] · CPC title

• H04N21/8456 Primary

  by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments · CPC title