Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090257435 | MODIFICATION OF LIVE STREAMS - Mechanisms are provided for generating and modifying live media streams. A device establishes a session and requests a media stream from a content server. The content server provides the media stream to the device. The content server also obtains an insertion stream for inclusion in the media stream. Packets are removed from the media stream to allow inclusion of the insertion stream. Timestamp information and sequence number information is maintained to allow uninterrupted delivery of the modified media stream. | 10-15-2009 |
20090257447 | BIT RATE CONTROL - Mechanisms are provided to smooth bandwidth usage rates associated with a media stream. A content server analyzes a buffered media stream to determine timing and sequence number information. Packets designated for transmission at a bandwidth usage peak are transmitted earlier in time, with earlier packets shifted even earlier as sequence numbers allow. This evens out bandwidth usage rates and allows improved transmission to devices without requiring modified device operation. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259756 | TRANSMITTING MEDIA STREAM BURSTS - Mechanisms are provided to transmit media stream bursts upon recognizing that a device buffer is low or empty. In particular examples, a content server transmits 6 seconds of video in 2 seconds in order to quickly replenish a device buffer so that the device can start playback sooner. Content server buffers for particular channels can be prefilled even before any stream is requested for that channel. The content server can transmit at a higher bit rate for a short period of time or alternatively can switch to transmitting a lower quality stream for a short period of time. A media stream burst can be provided without disrupting system operation or requiring client rebuffering. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259762 | DISTRIBUTED AND SCALABLE CONTENT STREAMING ARCHITECTURE - A distributed and scalable content streaming architecture includes a plurality of controllers and a plurality of servers. The controllers are operable to establish Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) sessions with individual devices. A controller selects a server to provide a requested media stream to a device. The server may be selected based on its proximity to the device, bandwidth availability, or latency characteristics. The server transmits the media stream using a Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP) and/or a Real-Time Control Protocol (RTCP). A controller can manage a number of sessions many times greater than the number of streams a server can provide, so a controller typically has access to multiple servers. Additional servers can be added to a system without disrupting system operation. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259763 | FAST SETUP RESPONSE PREDICTION - Mechanisms are provided to accelerate Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) setup messages. A client transmits an RTSP request to a server. The server responds to the request and preemptively responds with acknowledgements for messages not yet received. For example, a server responds to an RTSP describe message with an RTSP describe acknowledgement, an RTSP setup acknowledgement, and an RTSP play response before setup and play messages are received by the server or even transmitted by the client. The client processes the anticipatory responses and transmits setup and play responses when the anticipatory responses are processed. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259764 | INTRO OUTRO MERGER WITH BIT RATE VARIATION SUPPORT - Mechanisms are provided to support intro stream merger and outro stream merger into a live stream without disrupting application operation. An intro merger stream corresponding to a requested live stream including multiple packets is obtained. The intro merger stream is transmitted to a device. Time and sequence number information is maintained during transmission of the intro merger stream to allow modification of the live stream using time and sequence number information. The device receives both the intro merger stream and the live stream in a single session. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259765 | CONTENT SERVER MEDIA STREAM MANAGEMENT - Mechanisms are provided to manage media stream transmissions at a content server. A content server detects that a user on a device such as a mobile device has stopped playing a live media stream. The content server maintains information associating the user with the media stream and time information. When the content server detects that a user wishes to resume playing a media stream, the user can continue viewing the media stream from where stoppage occurred. In many instances, the content server stores many hours of live media stream data and allows a user to select a particular starting point. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259766 | CLIENT CAPABILITY ADJUSTMENT - Mechanisms are provided to detect device client capabilities associated with screen size, video and audio codec support, bandwidth limitations, and memory limitations. A content server can intelligently select a media stream for transmission to the device using the client capability information for the device. In some instances, the content server presents prioritized selections to a user and the user can choose the optimal media stream. | 10-15-2009 |
20090259767 | CONTENT SERVER MEDIA STREAM MANAGEMENT - Mechanisms are provided to manage media stream transmissions at a content server. A content server detects that a user on a device such as a mobile device has stopped playing a live media stream. The content server maintains information associating the user with the media stream and time information. When the content server detects that a user wishes to resume playing a media stream, the user can continue viewing the media stream from where stoppage occurred. In many instances, the content server stores many hours of live media stream data and allows a user to select a particular starting point. | 10-15-2009 |
20090260030 | DYNAMIC ADVERTISEMENT STREAM REPLACEMENT - Mechanisms are provided for replacing default advertisement streams in a media stream with replacement advertisement streams. User profile information is obtained for a particular user and/or device. A default advertisement stream is identified and replaced with advertisement streams selected using the user profile information. Timestamp information and sequence number information is maintained to allow uninterrupted delivery of the modified media stream while customizing media streams for particular users. | 10-15-2009 |
20090274437 | EMBEDDING DATA IN MEDIA METADATA TRACKS DURING PLAYBACK - Data is embedded onto new or existing media metadata tracks during playback of a media stream. A content server provides a media stream to a mobile device. Data associated with the playback of the media stream on the mobile device is obtained by the content server and saved to the media stream itself. Data may include playback statistics, viewing characteristics, channel changes, comment logs, etc. The information can be stored in a time-correlated manner to allow extraction and analysis of data. | 11-05-2009 |
20100064054 | REMOTE FAST FORWARD AND REWIND FUNCTIONALITY FOR CLIENT DEVICES - A client device receiving a media stream from a remote content server can fast forward and rewind the media stream without storing the media stream on the client device. In some examples, the client sends index, direction, and speed information to the content server based on desired fast forward and rewind operation. The content server transmits selected sets of frames to the client devices based on the index, direction, and speed information to allow a client to play a fast forward or rewind media stream that provides a user with discernible portions of content. | 03-11-2010 |
20140289375 | CONTENT SEVER MEDIA STREAM MANAGEMENT - Mechanisms are provided to manage media stream transmissions at a content server. A content server detects that a user on a device such as a mobile device has stopped playing a live media stream. The content server maintains information associating the user with the media stream and time information. When the content server detects that a user wishes to resume playing a media stream, the user can continue viewing the media stream from where stoppage occurred. In many instances, the content server stores many hours of live media stream data and allows a user to select a particular starting point. | 09-25-2014 |