Variability in available levels of quality of encoded content

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9774892-B2
Application number	US-201414282243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 20, 2014
Priority date	Apr 6, 2012
Publication date	Sep 26, 2017
Grant date	Sep 26, 2017

Abstract

A server resource provides notification to subscribers in a respective network environment that the content is available for retrieval at a particular bit rate (e.g., a promotional bit rate) or particular level of quality (e.g., promotional level of quality) amongst multiple levels of quality for a limited duration of time. For example, an especially high level of quality (or bit rate) of the content may be available only for the limited duration of time. After making the especially high level of quality of content available for retrieval during a promotional period, the content may be subsequently available for retrieval only at lower levels of quality. Accordingly, one or more configurations as discussed herein include changing the ability to access content encoded at different levels of quality over time.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
via computer processor hardware, performing operations of:
storing content as multiple streams of data, each of the multiple streams of data encoded in accordance with a different bit rate to play back a rendition of the content according to a different level of quality;
providing notification to subscribers in a network environment, the notification indicating that a particular bit rate of multiple bit rates for playing back the content is available for a limited time duration;
distributing portions of the multiple streams of data in the network environment during the limited time duration; and
preventing distribution of the content at the particular bit rate in the network environment subsequent to expiration of the limited time duration;
wherein providing the notification further comprises: initiating display of the notification on a display screen, the notification indicating that a version of the content encoded at the particular bit rate is temporarily available for retrieval and inclusion in an adaptive bit rate data stream during the limited time duration, the notification further indicating that a version of the content encoded at a lower bit rate than the particular bit rate is available for retrieval after the limited time duration.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein providing the notification includes:
notifying the subscribers in the network environment that the particular bit rate corresponds to a stream of data encoded in accordance with a highest level of quality amongst the multiple streams of data.

3. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the limited time duration expires at a pre-scheduled date and time.

4. The method as in claim 2 , wherein the limited time duration expires in response to detecting that a threshold number of subscribers retrieves the stream of data encoded in accordance with the highest level of quality.

5. The method as in claim 1 , wherein distributing portions of the multiple streams of data in the network environment includes:
prior to expiration of the limited time duration, switching between transmitting portions of a first stream of the multiple streams of data and transmitting portions of a second stream of data of the multiple streams of data to a given subscriber in the network environment, the first stream of data encoded in accordance with the particular bit rate and providing a highest level of playback quality amongst the multiple streams of data, the second stream of data encoded in accordance with a level of playback quality lower than the highest level of playback quality.

6. The method as in claim 5 , wherein distributing the portions of the multiple streams of data in the network environment includes:
subsequent to expiration of the limited time duration, preventing distribution of the first stream of data encoded in accordance with the highest level of playback quality.

7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein distributing the multiple streams of data in the network environment includes:
from a first network address, distributing portions of the content in the network environment as a first stream of data encoded in accordance with a first level of playback quality;
from a second network address, distributing portions of the content in the network environment as a second stream of data encoded in accordance with a second level of playback quality, the second level of quality higher than the first level of playback quality; and
from a third network address, distributing portions of the content in the network environment as a third stream of data encoded in accordance with a third level of playback quality, the third level of quality higher than the second level of playback quality.

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
producing first content access information, the first content access information indicating portions of the content that are available for retrieval at the particular bit rate and other bit rates during the limited time duration;
distributing the first content access information to the subscribers in the network environment;
producing second content access information, the second content access information indicating portions of the content that are available for retrieval at the bit rates other than the particular bit rate after the limited time duration; and
distributing the second content access information to the subscribers in the network environment.

9. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting the content at the particular bit rate in an adaptive bit rate data stream; and
in the adaptive bit rate data stream, inserting a network address indicating a resource from which to retrieve the content encoded at the particular bit rate.

10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the limited time duration expires in response to detecting that a threshold number of subscribers retrieves the content at the particular bit rate.

11. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the multiple streams of data includes a first stream of data and a second stream of data, the first stream of data being a first version of the content encoded in accordance with a first bit rate, the second stream of data being a second version of the content encoded in accordance with a second bit rate;
wherein distributing portions of the multiple streams of data in the network environment during the limited time duration includes:
interleaving segments from the first stream of data and segments from the second stream of data; and
initiating transmission of the interleaved segments to a subscriber in the network environment.

12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein distributing the multiple streams of data in the network environment includes:
based on input from a subscriber requesting the content from a first network address and a second network address:
from the first network address, distributing first requested segments of the content encoded in accordance with a first level of playback quality to the subscriber; and
from the second network address, distributing second requested segments of the content encoded in accordance with a second level of playback quality to the subscriber.

13. The method as in claim 12 , wherein distributing the multiple streams of data in the network environment includes: interleaving transmission of the first requested segments of content from the first network address with transmission of the second requested segments of content from the second network address to the subscriber.

14. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the notification further indicates that the content is available at the multiple bit rates less the particular bit rate after the limited duration.

15. A method comprising:
via computer processor hardware, performing operations of:
adaptively transmitting portions of encoded content at multiple different levels of playback quality in a network environment; and
subsequent to detecting occurrence of a trigger event indicating termination of availability of the encoded content at a particular level of playback quality:
preventing transmission of the content at the particular level of playback quality; and
adaptively transmitting the content at the multiple levels of playback quality other than at the particular level of playback quality;
wherein detecting occurrence of the trigger event includes detecting expiration of a time limit during which the content at the particular level of playback quality is available for retrieval; and
wherein adaptively transmitting portions of the content at the multiple levels of playback quality other than at the particul

Assignees

• Miles Wilfred Jaime
• Manchester James S
• Time Warner Cable Entpr Llc

Inventors

• Miles Wilfred Jaime
• Manchester James S

Classifications

• H04N21/23439 Primary

  for generating different versions · CPC title

• H04N21/23655

  Statistical multiplexing, e.g. by controlling the encoder to alter its bitrate to optimize the bandwidth utilization · CPC title

• H04N21/26216

  involving the channel capacity, e.g. network bandwidth (admission control, resource allocation in open networks H04L12/5692; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a schedule or organising the servicing of application requests taking into account QoS H04L67/61) · CPC title

• H04N21/2402

  Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available (traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876) · CPC title

• H04N21/238

  Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams {(hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60)} · CPC title