Synchronizing Buffer Map Offset in Peer-to-Peer Live Media Streaming Systems
AssigneeHong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited
InventorsKang Heng Wu, Chun Yin Ng, Liang Qiao Chen, Tak Wing Lam
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Abstract
A method performed by a new joining peer device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network comprises receiving a plurality of buffer maps, each of the received buffer maps associated with a respective other peer device in the P2P network. The method also includes discerning playback positions associated with the received buffer maps, generating a starting offset for the new joining peer using one or more of the discerned playback positions. Requests for portions of a media stream are scheduled in accordance with the starting offset, and the scheduler will build a buffer map from this offset and begin to request the media buffer.
Claims20
A peer computing device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, the peer computing device comprising:
- an input receiving a plurality of buffer maps from a plurality of neighboring peers, each of said buffer maps indicating a current playback position of its respective neighboring peer;
- a memory storing said received plurality of buffer maps;
- and
- a processor determining a starting offset position for the peer computing device using at least a subset of said current playback positions and controlling streaming activities of said peer computing device according to said determined starting offset position.
A method performed by a first peer device in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, said P2P network including a plurality of other peer devices, said method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of buffer maps, each of said received buffer maps associated with a respective one of said other peer devices in said P2P network;
- discerning playback positions associated with said other peer devices;
- generating a starting offset for the first peer using a plurality of the discerned playback positions;
- in accordance with said starting offset, scheduling requests for portions of a media stream;
- and
- rendering said media stream on one or more transducers.
A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon, said computer program product comprising:
- code for receiving a plurality of buffer maps from a plurality of peer devices in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, each of said buffer maps indicating a playback offset;
- code for calculating a starting offset for a first peer device using a statistical function that has as inputs at least a portion of said playback offsets from said buffer maps;
- and
- code for scheduling media requests beginning at said starting offset.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.