Multi-Bitrate Video With Dynamic Blocks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016248474-A1
Application number	US-201514630107-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 24, 2015
Priority date	Feb 24, 2015
Publication date	Aug 25, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for providing dynamic block control of multi-bitrate video are described. In some embodiments, a computing device may determine transcoder conditions of a transcoder independent of a client device. The computing device may dynamically adjust a block size of one or more blocks of a stream based on the transcoder conditions. In some embodiments, a computing device may receive a stream. The client device may package the stream into a first packaged stream having a first block size and a second packaged stream having a second block size less than the first block size. In some embodiments, a client device may determine an actual minimum number of blocks to buffer prior to initiating content playback based on a received predicted network and/or transcoder quality of service forecast. The client device may adjust its preset minimum number of blocks to the actual minimum number of blocks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
determining one or more transcoder conditions of a transcoder independent of a client device; dynamically adjusting a block size of one or more blocks of a requested stream based on the one or more transcoder conditions; and transmitting the requested stream to the client device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamically adjusting the block size further comprises dynamically adjusting an I-frame interval of the one or more blocks.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the block size further comprises dynamically adjusting a size of a group of pictures of one of the one or more blocks.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the block size further comprises dynamically adjusting a number of groups of pictures of one of the one or more blocks.

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining network conditions of a network comprising a cable modem termination system, wherein the dynamic adjusting of the block size is based on the network conditions.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the block size of the one or more blocks of the requested stream is on a per-client-device basis or a per-group-of-client-devices basis.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more blocks are one or more real blocks, the method further comprising:
interleaving one or more blank blocks with the one or more real blocks based on network conditions and the transcoder conditions.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the requested stream comprises an initial portion comprising a first set of blocks and a subsequent portion comprising a second set of blocks, the initial portion comprising a number of blocks equivalent to a preset number of blocks the client device is to buffer prior to initiating content playback, the method further comprising:
decreasing, via a transcoder or a packager, a block size of the first set of blocks; and increasing, via the transcoder or the packager, a block size of the second set of blocks at a rate below a threshold to prevent the client device from switching to a different stream having a different bitrate lower than a bitrate of the requested stream.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic adjusting of the block size of the one or more blocks of the requested stream is to enable a client device to switch from the requested stream to another stream without causing interruption in content playback.

10 . A method comprising:
receiving, at a packager, a stream from a transcoder; and packaging, at the packager, the stream into a first packaged stream having a first block size and a second packaged stream having a second block size less than the first block size, wherein the second block size is based on network conditions of a headend device.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
receiving, from a client device, a request for the first packaged stream; masking the second packaged stream as the first packaged stream; and transmitting, to the client device, the second packaged stream masked as the first packaged stream.

12 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
in response to a change in a network or transcoder conditions, reducing the block size of the second packaged stream by decreasing a number of groups of pictures packaged into one or more blocks of the second packaged stream.

13 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the second block size of the second packaged stream is based on transcoder conditions of a transcoder.

14 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the second packaged stream comprises an initial portion and a subsequent portion, wherein the initial portion comprises a number of blocks equivalent to a preset number of blocks that a client device is to buffer prior to initiating content playback, the method further comprising:
after transmitting the initial portion to the client device, increasing the second block size of the subsequent portion at a rate below a threshold to prevent the client device from switching to a different packaged stream having a different bitrate lower than a bitrate of the second packaged stream.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the increasing the second block size further comprises increasing a number of groups of pictures included in one or more blocks of the subsequent portion.

16 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
interleaving one or more blank blocks into an initial portion of the second packaged stream.

17 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
adjusting a number of groups of pictures in one or more blocks of the first packaged stream to align the first packaged stream with the second packaged stream at a transition point to permit a client device to switch from the second packaged stream to the first packaged stream without causing an interruption in content playback.

18 . A method comprising:
receiving, at a client device configured to buffer a preset minimum number of blocks prior to initiating content playback, a predicted network and transcoder quality of service forecast; determining, at the client device and based on the predicted network and transcoder quality of service forecast, an actual minimum number of blocks to buffer prior to initiating the content playback such that playback is uninterrupted for a predetermined period of time; and adjusting, at the client device, the preset minimum number of blocks to the actual minimum number of blocks.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the actual minimum number of blocks is less than the preset minimum number of blocks.

20 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving an updated predicted network and transcoder quality of service forecast; updating the actual minimum number of blocks based on the updated predicted network and transcoder quality of service forecast; and adjusting the preset minimum number of blocks to the updated actual minimum number of blocks.

Assignees

• Comcast Cable Comm Llc

Inventors

• Gilson Ross

Classifications

• H04N19/12

  Selection from among a plurality of transforms or standards, e.g. selection between discrete cosine transform [DCT] and sub-band transform or selection between H.263 and H.264 · CPC title

• H04B3/06 Primary

  by the transmitted signal · CPC title

• H04N21/23611

  Insertion of stuffing data into a multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bitrate (synchronisation arrangements in time-division multiplex systems using bit stuffing for systems with different or fluctuating information rates H04J3/073) · CPC title

• H04N19/177

  the unit being a group of pictures [GOP] · CPC title

• H04N21/2401

  Monitoring of the client buffer · CPC title