Chunk Header Incorporating Binary Flags and Correlated Variable-Length Fields

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020409986-A1
Application number	US-202017015970-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 9, 2020
Priority date	Nov 16, 2007
Publication date	Dec 31, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Playback and distribution systems and methods for multimedia files are provided. The multimedia files are encoded with flags associated with the content data of the multimedia files. Through the use of the flags, playback of the content is enhanced without significantly increasing the file size of the multimedia file.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of playing back content by a playback device stored in a media file supplied by a media server, comprising:
providing a media file having content data and header, the content data having a plurality of media frames and the header having a plurality of flags; decoding the content data by a playback device; displaying content on a display screen from the decoded content data; receiving a user request; identifying a flag from the plurality of flags based on the received user request; and decoding one or more media frames from the subset of the plurality of media frames based on the identified flag.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the header further comprises a plurality of data fields, and wherein the plurality of flags and data fields of the header references portions of the content data.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein each flag of the plurality of flags has a one to one corresponding reference to each data field of the plurality of data fields.

4 . The method of claim 3 further comprising decoding the chunk in which at least one flag of the plurality of flags is decoded.

5 . The method of claim 4 further comprising bypassing decoding of a remainder of the chunk based on the decoded flag.

6 . The method of claim 4 further comprising decoding only a portion of the chunk based on the decoded flag.

7 . The method of claim 4 further comprising decoding another chunk within the media file based on the decoded flag.

8 . The method of claim 5 further comprising bypassing decoding of a portion of the chunk based on the decoded flag.

9 . The device of claim 5 further comprising:
a storage media storing the media file; and
a controller coupled to the storage media and arranged to retrieve the media file from the storage media based on a user request and transmit to the media file to the de-multiplexer.

10 . The device of claim 6 further comprising a synchronization circuitry coupled to the video and audio decoders, the video and audio decoders decoding respective video and audio chunk data and supplying the decoded video and chunk data to the synchronization circuitry.

11 . The method of claim 7 wherein the decoded flag references a data field of the plurality of data fields that points directly to a particular media frame of the content data.

12 . The device of claim 7 wherein the de-multiplexer extracts timing information from the plurality of flags from the deciphered media file and supplies the timing information to the synchronization circuitry, the synchronization circuitry synchronizing playback of the decoded video and chunk data from the video and audio decoders based on the supplied timing information.

13 . The device of claim 8 wherein the plurality of flags include a forward access flag and the media file includes a plurality of data fields having a forward offset data field, the forward access flag referencing the forward offset data field, the forward offset data field having a pointer to a key-frame chunk and accessible by the de-multiplexer.

14 . The device of claim 8 wherein the plurality of flags include a backward access flag and the media file includes a plurality of data fields having a backward offset data field, the backward access flag referencing the backward offset data field, the backward offset data field having a pointer to a key-frame chunk and accessible by the de-multiplexer.

15 . The device of claim 9 wherein the de-multiplexer supplies the key-frame chunk to the video and audio decoders to be decoded independently of any other chunks based on the pointer from the forward offset data field.

16 . A playback device for decoding a media file, the device comprising:
a de-multiplexer arranged to receive and decipher a media file having content data and a header having a plurality of flags; a video decoder coupled to the de-multiplexer and arranged to receive video portions of the deciphered media file; an audio decoder coupled to the de-multiplexer and arranged to receive audio portions of the deciphered media file; wherein the de-multiplexer selects the video portions and the audio portions to be transmitted to the respective video and audio decoder based on the plurality of flags from the deciphered media file.

Assignees

• Divx Llc

Inventors

• Soroushian Kourosh
• Priyadarshi Shaiwal
• Braness Jason
• Osborne Roland
• Frantz William
• Vashisht-Rota Jerome
• Salmonsen Daniel
• Funnell John
• Floyd Michael

Classifications

• G11B27/30

  on the same track as the main recording · CPC title

• G11B27/34

  Indicating arrangements  {(indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D)} · CPC title

• G06F16/4393 Primary

  Multimedia presentations, e.g. slide shows, multimedia albums · CPC title

• G11B27/105

  of operating discs · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title