Broadcast content to HTTP client conversion

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9071853-B2
Application number	US-201213600480-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 31, 2012
Priority date	Aug 31, 2012
Publication date	Jun 30, 2015
Grant date	Jun 30, 2015

Abstract

In embodiments of broadcast content to HTTP client conversion, a client converter ( 118 ) receives video content ( 108 ) as an input ( 204 ) of broadcast content data streams from a content distribution system ( 102 ). The client converter can join a content data stream of the broadcast input, and convert the content data stream to unicast HTTP data, such as video content segments ( 124 ) that are buffered for communication to a client device ( 120 ) or to a media player ( 138 ) of a client device ( 134 ). An HTTP server ( 122 ) of the client converter can then communicate the unicast HTTP data to the client device or to the media player for playback of the video content.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving video content as an input of broadcast content data streams from a content distribution system;
joining a current content data stream of the input of broadcast content data streams;
initiating a determination of an access point in the current content data stream from which to begin converting the current content data stream to unicast HTTP data;
receiving, during the determination of the access point, the current content data stream and a previous content data stream of the broadcast content data streams;
converting the current content data stream to unicast HTTP data from the determined access point;
communicating the unicast HTTP data to a client device for playback of the video content;
downloading an initial duration of the video content from a server device that maintains the initial duration of the video content; and
communicating the initial duration of the video content to the client device prior to communicating the unicast HTTP data converted from the current content data stream to the client device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein converting the current content data stream comprises:
generating video content segments from the current content data stream; and
buffering a duration of the video content segments sufficient to start playback of the video content at the client device.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein generating the video content segments comprises packetizing the video content segments for transport.

4. The method as recited in claim 2 , further comprising: publishing the buffered video content segments in a manifest file to the client device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein communicating the unicast HTTP data comprises communicating the unicast HTTP data via an HTTP server to one of the client device or a media player of the client device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
continuing converting the previous content data stream during the determination of the access point in the content data stream; and
leaving the previous content data stream after the access point is determined and the content data stream begins converting, wherein the access point is a random access point.

7. A client converter, comprising:
a content receiver configured to receive video content as an input of broadcast content data streams from a content distribution system;
a memory and processor system to implement a content manager that is configured to:
join a current content data stream of the input of broadcast content data streams;
initiate a determination of an access point in the current content data stream from which to begin converting the current content data stream to unicast HTTP data;
receive, during the determination of the access point, the current content data stream and a previous content data stream of the broadcast content data streams;
convert the current content data stream to unicast HTTP data from the determined access point;
initiate an HTTP server to communicate the unicast HTTP data to a client device for playback of the video content;
download an initial duration of the video content from a server device that maintains the initial duration of the video content; and
initiate the HTTP server to communicate the initial duration of the video content to the client device prior to communicating the unicast HTTP data that is converted from the current content data stream.

8. The client converter as recited in claim 7 , wherein the content manager is configured to generate video content segments to convert the current content data stream to the unicast HTTP data.

9. The client converter as recited in claim 8 , further comprising: a memory buffer configured to buffer a duration of the video content segments sufficient to start playback of the video content at the client device.

10. The client converter as recited in claim 9 , wherein the content manager is configured to publish the buffered video content segments in a manifest file to the client device.

11. The client converter as recited in claim 7 , wherein the content manager is configured to:
initially join a fast broadcast channel to download the initial duration of the video content from the server device that broadcasts the initial duration of the video at a faster rate; and
join the current content data stream after the initial duration of the video content is downloaded from the server device.

12. A client device, comprising:
a media player configured to playback video content;
an HTTP server configured to communicate the video content to the media player as unicast HTTP data;
a client converter configured to receive the video content as an input of broadcast content data streams from a content distribution system; and
a content manager configured to:
join a current content data stream of the input of broadcast content data streams,
initiate a determination of an access point in the content data stream from which to begin converting the current content data stream to the unicast HTTP data,
receive, during the determination of the access point, the current content data stream and a previous content data stream of the broadcast content data streams;
convert the current content data stream to the unicast HTTP data from the determined access point,
download an initial duration of the video content from a server device that maintains the initial duration of the video content, and
initiate the HTTP server to communicate the initial duration of the video content to the client device prior to communicating the unicast HTTP data that is converted from the current content data stream.

13. The client device as recited in claim 12 , wherein the content manager is configured to generate video content segments to convert the current content data stream to the unicast HTTP data.

14. The client device as recited in claim 13 , further comprising: a memory buffer configured to buffer a duration of the video content segments sufficient to start playback of the video content.

15. The client device as recited in claim 14 , wherein the content manager is configured to publish the buffered video content segments in a manifest file to the media player.

16. The client device as recited in claim 12 , wherein the content manager is configured to:
continue to convert the previous content data stream while the access point in the content data stream is determined; and
leave the previous content data stream after the access point is determined and the content data stream begins converting, wherein the access point is a random access point.

Assignees

• Luthra Ajay K
• Moorthy Praveen N
• Schmidt Mark S
• Xu Haifeng
• Du Breuil Thomas L
• Goffin Ii Glen Peter
• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Luthra Ajay K
• Moorthy Praveen N
• Schmidt Mark S
• Xu Haifeng
• Du Breuil Thomas L
• Goffin Ii Glen Peter

Classifications

• H04N21/234309 Primary

  by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo (conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01) · CPC title

• H04N21/4363 Primary

  Adapting the video stream to a specific local network, e.g. a Bluetooth® network · CPC title

• H04N21/6408

  Unicasting · CPC title

• H04N21/64784 Primary

  Data processing by the network (data processing in packet switching systems H04L12/56; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; intermediate storage or scheduling H04L49/90; provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56) · CPC title

• H04N21/6125

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