Patent ID: 8959244
Filing Date: 2015-02-17
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
1. A system for delivering a media content stream to a nomadic endpoint, wherein the delivery adapts to network conditions by dynamically changing between different download rates without any involvement of an end user, comprising: a network aware adaptive streaming (NAAS) server; and a client device as the nomadic endpoint, the client device being coupled to the NAAS server by a network and including a media player, a segment downloader and a stream assembler, the network including one or more mobile networks with highly variable delays and losses depending on location, the media player being operative to render a media object assembled by the stream assembler from segments retrieved by the segment downloader, the segment downloader being operative to (i) measure network bandwidth usage while downloading segments from the NAAS server and (ii) monitor a time required to render a remaining amount of previously received and buffered media data, and being further operative to respond to the measured network bandwidth and the monitored time to effect transitions between different download rates to be used for downloading different segments from the NAAS server, each download rate related to a corresponding distinct encoded bitrate at which the media object is encoded, the transitions including a transition from a first download rate corresponding to a first encoded bitrate to a second lower download rate corresponding to a second lower encoded bitrate effected by the segment downloader in response to the measured network bandwidth falling below a threshold bandwidth needed to download a smallest playable segment at the first encoded bitrate over a current time required to render a currently remaining amount of previously received and buffered media data.