Apparatus and method for cloud assisted adaptive streaming

A server system, comprising one or more servers,

• wherein the server system is configured to receive a first input data stream, wherein a plurality of portions of user data is encoded within the first input data stream, wherein each portion of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream has a portion-specific quality,
• wherein the server system is configured to receive a second input data stream, wherein two or more portions of said plurality of portions of the user data are encoded within the second input data stream, wherein each portion of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream has a predefined quality, wherein the portion-specific quality of one or more portions of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream is lower than the predefined quality,
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to generate one or more output data streams by processing at least one of the first input data stream and the second input data stream such that for each of the one or more output data streams, the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within said output data stream are encoded with an output quality, and
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to generate each output data stream of the one or more output data streams such that the output quality of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within said output data stream is lower than or equal to a requested quality,
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to generate at least one of the one or more output data streams by processing one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded with the predefined quality within the second input data stream and by processing one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are not encoded within the second input data stream and which are encoded within the first input data stream.

A server system, comprising one or more servers,

• wherein the server system is configured to receive a first input data stream, wherein a plurality of portions of user data is encoded within the first input data stream, wherein each portion of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream has a portion-specific quality,
• wherein the server system is configured to receive a second input data stream, wherein two or more portions of said plurality of portions of the user data are encoded within the second input data stream, wherein each portion of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream has a predefined quality, wherein the portion-specific quality of one or more portions of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream is lower than the predefined quality,
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to generate one or more output data streams by processing at least one of the first input data stream and the second input data stream such that for each of the one or more output data streams, the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within said output data stream are encoded with an output quality, and
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to generate each output data stream of the one or more output data streams such that the output quality of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within said output data stream is lower than or equal to a requested quality,
• wherein the server system is configured to receive the first input data stream, wherein the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within the first input data stream are encoded as one or more quality layers of each of said plurality of portions of the user data,
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to acquire the plurality of portions of the user data with the portion-specific quality by processing the one or more quality layers of each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream,
• wherein the server system is configured to receive the second input data stream, wherein the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within the second input data stream are encoded as one or more further quality layers of each of the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data, and
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to acquire said two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data with the predefined quality depending on the one or more quality layers of said two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream and depending on the one or more further quality layers of the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream.

A system comprising:

• at least one apparatus for transmitting user data to a server system comprising one or more servers, wherein the apparatus comprises:
• a content encoder for encoding a plurality of portions of the user data to acquire a first data stream, wherein the content encoder is configured to encode each of the plurality of portions of the user data with a bandwidth-dependent quality which depends on a bandwidth that is available for transmitting the first data stream from the apparatus to the server system, and
• a transmitter for transmitting the first data stream from the apparatus to the server system,
• wherein the content encoder is configured to encode two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data to acquire a second data stream, wherein the content encoder is configured to encode each of the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data with a predefined quality, wherein the bandwidth-dependent quality of one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within the first data stream is lower than the predefined quality, and
• wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit the second data stream from the apparatus to the server system,
• and
• a server system comprising one or more servers,
• wherein the server system is configured to receive a first input data stream, wherein the plurality of portions of the user data is encoded within the first input data stream, wherein each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream is encoded with a portion-specific quality,
• wherein the server system is configured to receive a second input data stream, wherein two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data are encoded within the second input data stream, wherein each of the two or more of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream has a predefined quality, wherein the portion-specific quality of one or more of the portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream is lower than the predefined quality,
• wherein the one or more servers, of the server system are configured to generate one or more output data streams by processing at least one of the first input data stream and the second input data stream such that for each of the one or more output data streams, said plurality of portions of the user data are encoded within said output data stream with an output quality, and
• wherein the one or more servers of the server system are configured to generate each of the one or more output data streams such that the output quality of said plurality of portions of the user data is lower than or equal to a requested quality,
• wherein each of the at least one apparatus is configured to transmit a first input data stream and a second input data stream to the server system.

A method for transmitting user data to a server system comprising one or more servers, wherein the method comprises:

• encoding a plurality of portions of the user data to acquire a first data stream, wherein encoding each of the plurality of portions of the user data is conducted with a bandwidth-dependent quality which depends on a bandwidth that is available for transmitting the first data stream from an apparatus to the server system,
• transmitting the first data stream from the apparatus to the server system,
• encoding two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data to acquire a second data stream, wherein encoding each of said two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data is conducted with a predefined quality, wherein the bandwidth-dependent quality of one or more of the portions of the user data being encoded within the first data stream is lower than the predefined quality, and
• transmitting the second data stream from the apparatus to the server system,
• wherein the method further comprises:
• encoding each of the plurality of portions of the user data to acquire the first data stream by encoding each portion of the plurality of portions of the user data by encoding one or more quality layers of said one of the plurality of portions of the user data within the first data stream, wherein the bandwidth-dependent quality depends on a number of the quality layers being encoded within the first data stream,
• determining the number of the quality layers, being encoded within the first data stream, depending on the bandwidth that is available for transmitting the first data stream from the apparatus to the server system, and
• encoding at least one of the plurality of portions of the user data to acquire the second data stream by encoding one or more further quality layers of said at least one of the plurality of portions of the user data.

A method, comprising:

• receiving a first input data stream, wherein a plurality of portions of the user data is encoded within the first input data stream, wherein each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream has a portion-specific quality,
• receiving a second input data stream, wherein two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data are encoded within the second input data stream, wherein each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream has a predefined quality, wherein the portion-specific quality of one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream is lower than the predefined quality,
• generating one or more output data streams by processing at least one of the first input data stream and the second input data stream such that for each of the one or more output data streams, said plurality of portions of the user data which is encoded within said output data stream is encoded with an output quality, and
• generating each of the one or more output data streams such that the output quality of said plurality of portions of the user data is lower than or equal to a requested quality,
• wherein the method comprises generating at least one of the one or more output data streams by processing one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded with the predefined quality within the second input data stream and by processing one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are not encoded within the second input data stream and which are encoded within the first input data stream.

A method, comprising:

• receiving a first input data stream, wherein a plurality of portions of the user data is encoded within the first input data stream, wherein each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream has a portion-specific quality,
• receiving a second input data stream, wherein two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data are encoded within the second input data stream, wherein each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream has a predefined quality, wherein the portion-specific quality of one or more of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream is lower than the predefined quality,
• generating one or more output data streams by processing at least one of the first input data stream and the second input data stream such that for each of the one or more output data streams, said plurality of portions of the user data which is encoded within said output data stream is encoded with an output quality, and
• generating each of the one or more output data streams such that the output quality of said plurality of portions of the user data is lower than or equal to a requested quality,
• wherein the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within the first input data stream are encoded as one or more quality layers of each of said plurality of portions of the user data,
• wherein the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data which are encoded within the second input data stream are encoded as one or more further quality layers of each of the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data, and
• wherein the method further comprises:
• acquiring the plurality of portions of the user data with the portion-specific quality by processing the one or more quality layers of each of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream, and
• acquiring said two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data with the predefined quality depending on the one or more quality layers of said two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the first input data stream and depending on the one or more further quality layers of the two or more of the plurality of portions of the user data being encoded within the second input data stream.