System and method for managing adjacent channels in an adaptive streaming environment
AssigneeEricsson Television Inc.
InventorsChris Phillips, Charles Hammett Dasher, Robert Hammond Forsman, Jennifer Ann Reynolds
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Abstract
A system and method for managing adjacent channels in an adaptive streaming environment. One or more adjacent channels may be defined for a client device relative to a current streaming channel, wherein the client device is configured to pre-fetch metadata and initialization information for the defined adjacent channels based on bandwidth conditions, buffer conditions, etc. When a channel is changed, the client device is operative to use the pre-fetched data to quickly obtain encoded media content for rendering.
Claims26
A method operative in a streaming client device disposed in an adaptive streaming environment, the method comprising:
- monitoring at least a bandwidth condition relative to a network connection between the streaming client device and a content delivery network;
- determining one or more adjacent channels relative to a current streaming channel of the streaming client device;
- pre-fetching metadata information associated with the one or more adjacent channels;
- responsive to the pre-fetched metadata information, pre-fetching and storing initialization information for the one or more adjacent channels;
- and
- if the current streaming channel is changed to a new streaming channel belonging to the one or more adjacent channels, using the pre-fetched initialization information to fetch encoded media content pertaining to the new streaming channel.
A client device, comprising:
- one or more processors;
- a bandwidth condition monitor;
- and
- a streaming client module coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the streaming client module includes instructions executable by one or more processors and configured to:
- determine one or more adjacent channels relative to a current streaming channel of the client device, the one or more adjacent channels being determined responsive to monitoring by the bandwidth condition monitor relative to a network connection between the client device and a content delivery network;
- pre-fetch metadata information associated with the one or more adjacent channels;
- responsive to the pre-fetched metadata information, pre-fetch and store initialization information for the one or more adjacent channels;
- and
- if the current streaming channel is changed to a new streaming channel, use the pre-fetched initialization information to fetch encoded media content pertaining to the new streaming channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.