Method and apparatus for streaming media content to client devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-RE49290-E
Application number	US-202017093180-A
Country	US
Kind code	E1
Filing date	Nov 9, 2020
Priority date	Nov 20, 2012
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

A method includes providing a variant playlist file that identifies a plurality of variant streams each corresponding to a different encoding of a same media presentation; tracking a first set of media segments encoded at a first bitrate that correspond to a first playlist file for a first variant stream associated with the variant playlist file; responsive to a second encoded bitrate associated with a second set of media segments that correspond to a second variant stream being higher than the first encoded bitrate: determining a number of media segments to include in a plurality of media segments from the second set of media segments that correspond to the first set of media segments; and providing, to the client device, a second playlist file that identifies a plurality of media segments from the second set of media segments that correspond to respective ones of the first set of media segments.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method, comprising:
identifying a first switching identifier associated with a first content stream transmitted to a client device; and transmitting a second content stream to the client device, the second content stream starting with a data packet including a second switching identifier corresponding to the first switching identifier, wherein the first switching identifier is placed at a predetermined time interval in the first content stream and the second switching identifier is placed at a predetermined time interval in the second content stream.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the first switching identifier associated with the first content stream transmitted to the client device comprises:
determining, during transmission of the first content stream to the client device, to switch from the first content stream to the second content stream; and responsive to the determining, searching data packets of the first content stream for the first switching identifier.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein determining to switch from the first content stream to the second content stream comprises:
receiving an indication of available bandwidth for transmitting the first content stream to the client device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first content stream is transmitted via a first multicast channel and the second content stream is transmitted via a second multicast channel, the method further comprising:
transmitting a message to the client device to cause the client device to switch from the first multicast channel to the second multicast channel to receive the second content stream.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the message includes a multicast address associated with the second multicast channel.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein transmitting the second content stream to the client device comprises:
transmitting the second content stream to the client device using the second multicast channel.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein a bit rate at which the first content stream is encoded is different from a bit rate at which the second content stream is encoded.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first content stream and the second content stream represent identical content.

9. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor configured to execute instructions stored in a non-transitory storage medium to:
identify a first switching identifier associated with a first content stream transmitted to a client device; and
transmit a second content stream to the client device, the second content stream starting with a data packet including a second switching identifier corresponding to the first switching identifier,
wherein the first switching identifier is placed at a predetermined time interval in the first content stream and the second switching identifier is placed at a predetermined time interval in the second content stream.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the instructions to identify the first switching identifier associated with the first content stream transmitted to the client device include instructions to:
determine, during transmission of the first content stream to the client device, to switch from the first content stream to the second content stream; and responsive to the determination, search data packets of the first content stream for the first switching identifier.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the instructions to determine to switch from the first content stream to the second content stream include instructions to:
receive an indication of available bandwidth for transmitting the first content stream to the client device.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the first content stream is transmitted via a first multicast channel and the second content stream is transmitted via a second multicast channel, wherein the instructions include instructions to:
transmit a message to the client device to cause the client device to switch from the first multicast channel to the second multicast channel to receive the second content stream.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the message includes a multicast address associated with the second multicast channel, wherein the instructions to transmit the second content stream to the client device include instructions to:
transmit the second content stream to the client device using the second multicast channel.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein a bit rate at which the first content stream is encoded is different from a bit rate at which the second content stream is encoded, wherein the first content stream and the second content stream represent identical content.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, the operations comprising:
identifying a first switching identifier associated with a first content stream transmitted to a client device; and transmitting a second content stream to the client device, the second content stream starting with a data packet including a second switching identifier corresponding to the first switching identifier, wherein the first switching identifier is placed at a predetermined time interval in the first content stream and the second switching identifier is placed at a predetermined time interval in the second content stream.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the operations for identifying the first switching identifier associated with the first content stream transmitted to the client device comprise:
determining, during transmission of the first content stream to the client device, to switch from the first content stream to the second content stream; and responsive to the determining, searching data packets of the first content stream for the first switching identifier.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the operations for determining to switch from the first content stream to the second content stream comprise:
receiving an indication of available bandwidth for transmitting the first content stream to the client device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein the first content stream is transmitted via a first multicast channel and the second content stream is transmitted via a second multicast channel, the operations further comprising:
transmitting a message to the client device to cause the client device to switch from the first multicast channel to the second multicast channel to receive the second content stream.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18 , wherein the message includes a multicast address associated with the second multicast channel, wherein the operations for transmitting the second content stream to the client device comprise:
transmitting the second content stream to the client device using the second multicast channel.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15 , wherein a bit rate at which the first content stream is encoded is different from a bit rate at which the second content stream is encoded, wherein the first content stream and the second content stream represent identical content.

21. A method for providing media segments from multiple variant streams, the method comprising:
providing, to a client device, a variant playlist file that identifies a plurality of

Assignees

• Google Technology Holdings LLC

Inventors

• Ramamurthy Arjun

Classifications

• H04N21/6581

  Reference data, e.g. a movie identifier for ordering a movie or a product identifier in a home shopping application · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · 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

• H04L65/75

  Media network packet handling · CPC title

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title