Combined broadcast and unicast delivery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8949451-B2
Application number	US-201213535870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2012
Priority date	Apr 27, 2012
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

Described herein are techniques for facilitating combined broadcast and unicast delivery of content. According to various embodiments, a media stream from a content provider may be received at a unicast server and at a broadcast server. The media stream may comprise a plurality of media stream fragments. A relative delay may be introduced into the media stream at the broadcast server such that media stream fragments transmitted from the broadcast server are delayed relative to media stream fragments transmitted from the unicast server. The media stream fragments may be transmitted to a user device. The user device may be operable to switch between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a media stream from a content provider at a unicast server and at a broadcast server, the media stream comprising a plurality of media stream fragments;
introducing a transport-type streaming delay into the media stream at the broadcast server, wherein media stream fragments transmitted from the broadcast server are delayed relative to media stream fragments transmitted from the unicast server, the media stream including a first fragment transmitted from the broadcast server after it is transmitted from the unicast server;
wherein the unicast server is operable to store the media stream fragments received from the content provider, and wherein the unicast server is further operable to provide the stored media stream fragments to the user device upon request;
wherein the transport-type streaming delay corresponds to a designated number of the media stream fragments transmitted via unicast and broadcast; and
transmitting the media stream fragments to a user device, wherein the user device is operable to switch between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server without interrupting a presentation of the media stream on the user device.

2. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server comprises:
determining, at the user device, that the broadcast server is no longer available; and
receiving, at the unicast server, a request from the user device to receive one or more of the media stream fragments.

3. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server comprises:
determining, at the user device, that the broadcast server is available; and
receiving, at the user device, one or more of the media stream fragments broadcast by the broadcast server.

4. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the user device is operable to maintain a media fragment buffer operable to store a designated number of the media stream fragments, and wherein the user device is operable to present media fragments stored in the media fragment buffer while switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server.

5. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the transport-type streaming delay corresponds to a designated time period.

6. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the media stream is available to be received by the user device at a plurality of data rates, the method further comprising:
receiving, from the client machine, a message designating a data rate at which to receive the media stream.

7. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the media stream comprises audio or video content selected from the group consisting of: video subtitles, closed captioning, a plurality of alternate audio tracks, and a plurality of alternate video tracks.

8. A system comprising:
a unicast server including memory, a network interface, one or more processors, the unicast server being configured to:
receive a media stream from a content provider, the media stream comprising a plurality of media stream fragments, and
transmit the media stream fragments to a user device; and
a broadcast server including memory, a network interface, and one or more processors, the broadcast server configured to:
receive a media stream from a content provider, the media stream comprising the plurality of media stream fragments,
introduce a transport-type streaming delay into the media stream, wherein media stream fragments transmitted from the broadcast server are delayed relative to media stream fragments transmitted from the unicast server,
wherein the unicast server is operable to store the media stream fragments received from the content provider, and wherein the unicast server is further operable to provide the stored media stream fragments to the user device upon request,
wherein the transport-type streaming delay corresponds to a designated number of the media stream fragments transmitted via unicast and broadcast, and
transmit the media stream fragments to a user device, the media stream including a first fragment transmitted from the broadcast server after it is transmitted from the unicast server, wherein the user device is operable to switch between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server without interrupting a presentation of the media stream on the user device.

9. The system recited in claim 8 , wherein switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server comprises:
determining, at the user device, that the broadcast server is no longer available; and
receiving, at the unicast server, a request from the user device to receive one or more of the media stream fragments.

10. The system recited in claim 8 , wherein switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server comprises:
determining, at the user device, that the broadcast server is available; and
receiving, at the user device, one or more of the media stream fragments broadcast by the broadcast server.

11. The system recited in claim 8 , wherein the user device is operable to maintain a media fragment buffer operable to store a designated number of the media stream fragments, and wherein the user device is operable to present media fragments stored in the media fragment buffer while switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server.

12. One or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon for performing a method, the method comprising:
receiving a media stream from a content provider at a unicast server and at a broadcast server, the media stream comprising a plurality of media stream fragments, each of the plurality of media stream fragments being transmitted by both the unicast server and the broadcast server;
introducing a transport-type streaming delay into the media stream at the broadcast server, wherein media stream fragments transmitted from the broadcast server are delayed relative to media stream fragments transmitted from the unicast server, the media stream including a first fragment transmitted from the broadcast server after it is transmitted from the unicast server;
wherein the unicast server is operable to store the media stream fragments received from the content provider, and wherein the unicast server is further operable to provide the stored media stream fragments to the user device upon request;
wherein the transport-type streaming delay corresponds to a designated number of the media stream fragments transmitted via unicast and broadcast; and
transmitting the media stream fragments to a user device, wherein the user device is operable to switch between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server without interrupting a presentation of the media stream on the user device.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media recited in claim 12 , wherein switching between receiving the media stream fragments from the unicast server and the broadcast server comprises:
determining, at the user device, that the broadcast server is no longer available; and
receiving, at the unicast server, a request from the user device to receive one or more of the media stream fragments.

Assignees

• Einarsson Torbjorn
• Barnes J Fritz
• Mobitv Inc

Inventors

• Einarsson Torbjorn
• Barnes J Fritz

Classifications

• H04N21/6408

  Unicasting · CPC title

• H04N21/845

  Structuring of content, e.g. decomposing content into time segments · CPC title

• H04N21/6131

  involving transmission via a mobile phone network (wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006) · CPC title

• H04N21/6125 Primary

  involving transmission via Internet (transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82) · CPC title

• H04N21/6405

  Multicasting {(data broadcast and multicast in packet switching networks H04L12/18)} · CPC title