Adaptive video over multicast

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018248806-A1
Application number	US-201715442924-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 27, 2017
Priority date	Feb 27, 2017
Publication date	Aug 30, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques are described for managing streaming video profile selections of downstream client devices for a network device. The network device receives multicast network communications for a first video streaming profile of a plurality of video streaming profiles, for a video content item. The network device is subscribed to multicast communications from an upstream network device, for a video stream corresponding to the first video streaming profile. Embodiments determine network state information at the network device that specifies at least a measure of upstream network error. Upon determining that the network state information satisfies one or more criteria, data communications from the network device to a downstream client device for the video stream corresponding to the first video streaming profile are throttled.

First claim

We claim:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving, at a network device, multicast network communications for a first video streaming profile, of a plurality of video streaming profiles, for a video content item, wherein the network device is subscribed to multicast communications from an upstream network device, for a video stream corresponding to the first video streaming profile; determining network state information at the network device that specifies at least a measure of upstream network error; and upon determining that the network state information satisfies one or more criteria, throttling data communications from the network device to a downstream client device for the video stream corresponding to the first video streaming profile.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein throttling the data communications from the network device to the downstream client device further comprises:
determining a transmission rate for use in throttling the data communications, wherein the data communications from the network device to the downstream client device, are throttled such that one or more data packets of the video stream are transmitted at the determined transmission rate.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the determined transmission rate is determined based on a predefined transfer function that takes as input, at least in part, the network state information.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the predefined transfer function is a non-linear function.

5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein at least one data packet of the video stream specifies a duration of a video segment to which the packet belongs and an intended bitrate for the video stream, wherein at least a portion of the video segment is contained within the at least one data packet.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the predefined transfer function takes as input the duration of the video segment and the intended bitrate for the video stream corresponding to the first video profile.

7 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the predefined transfer function further takes as input an amount of time taken to receive at least one data packet, at the network device, from the upstream network device.

8 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the predefined transfer function is adapted to cause the downstream client device to shift to a second video streaming profile of the plurality of video streaming profiles, as a result of a perceived lack of bandwidth on a network connection between the network device and the downstream client device.

9 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
subsequent to throttling data communications, determining that the downstream client device has not requested the lower bitrate video streaming profile, within a predefined window of time from beginning to throttle the data communications; and further throttling data communications to the downstream client device, for the first multicast stream, of at least one subsequent data packet of the first multicast stream, to a second transmission rate that is less than the determined transmission rate.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the network state information comprises at least one of (i) a measure of upstream network congestion, (ii) a measure of a network retransmission rate, (iii), a measure of an upstream network delay, relative to a playback time of one or more data packets for the at least one multicast stream, and (iv) a measure of latency at an upstream network device.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmission of the at least one data packet of the first multicast stream is throttled to a reduced transmission rate, despite a network connection between the network device and the downstream client device having sufficient available network bandwidth to transmit the at least one data packet to the downstream client device at a rate that is greater than the reduced transmission rate.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one criteria further comprises a determination that the measure of upstream network error exceeds a determined threshold measure of network error.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the determination that the measure of upstream network error exceeds the determined threshold measure of network error further comprises determining that a number of retransmission requests received from the downstream client device exceeds a predefined threshold number of retransmissions requests.

14 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of video streaming profiles corresponds to a respective bitrate for streaming the video content item.

15 . A network device, comprising:
a plurality of ports; one or more computer processors; and logic encoded on a non-transitory medium that, when executed by operation of the one or more computer processors, performs an operation comprising:
receiving, over one of the plurality of ports, from an upstream network device, multicast network communications for a first video streaming profile, of a plurality of video streaming profiles, for a video content item, wherein the network device is subscribed to multicast communications from the upstream network device, for a video stream corresponding to the first video streaming profile;
determining network state information at the network device that specifies at least a measure of upstream network error; and
upon determining that the network state information satisfies one or more criteria, throttling data communications on a second one of the plurality of port, from the network device to a downstream client device for the video stream corresponding to the first video streaming profile.

16 . The network device of claim 15 , wherein throttling the data communications from the network device to the downstream client device further comprises:
determining a transmission rate for use in throttling the data communications, based on a predefined transfer function that takes as input, at least in part, the network state information, wherein the predefined transfer function is a non-linear function, wherein the data communications from the network device to the downstream client device, are throttled such that one or more data packets of the video stream are transmitted at the determined transmission rate.

17 . The network device of claim 16 , wherein at least one data packet of the video stream specifies a duration of a video segment to which the packet belongs and an intended bitrate for the video stream, wherein at least a portion of the video segment is contained within the at least one data packet, wherein the predefined transfer function takes as input the duration of the video segment and the intended bitrate for the video stream corresponding to the first video profile, and wherein the predefined transfer function further takes as input an amount of time taken to receive at least one data packet, at the network device, from the upstream network device.

18 . The network device of claim 17 , wherein the predefined transfer function is adapted to cause the downstream client device to shift to a second video streaming profile of the plurality of video streaming profiles, as a result of a perceived lack of bandwidth on a network connection between the network device and the downstream client device, and the operation further comprising:
subsequent to throttling data communications, determining that the downstream client device has not requested the lower bitrate video streaming profile, within a predefined window of time from beginning to throttle the data communications; and fur

Assignees

• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Burnley Thomas P

Classifications

• H04L47/25 Primary

  with rate being modified by the source upon detecting a change of network conditions · CPC title

• H04L49/201

  Multicast operation; Broadcast operation · CPC title

• H04L1/0018

  based on latency requirement · CPC title

• H04N19/177

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

• H04L65/762

  at the source  (reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355) · CPC title