Methods and apparatus for implementing control functions in a streamed video display system

A method for displaying live streamed digital video data on a client computer, said client computer being configured to receive said live streamed digital video data from a server computer via a computer network, said live streamed digital video data being transmitted from said server computer to said client computer as a stream of video frames including a plurality of independent playable video frames and a plurality of dependent playable video frames, the method comprising:

• receiving a first plurality of video frames at said client computer, said plurality of video frames representing a subset of said stream of video frames, said stream of video frames comprising independent playable video frames and dependent playable video frames;
• displaying said first plurality of video frames on a video display terminal associated with said client computer;
• and
• in response to a rewind command issued from said client computer to said server, streaming a second plurality of video frames of said stream of video frames different from said first plurality of video frames from said server computer to said client computer, said second plurality of video frames consisting of at least some of the independent playable video frames arranged in reverse chronological order.

In a computer network having a server computer coupled to a client computer, a method for implementing control features configured for controlling a display of streamed digital video data as said client computer transitions from a first control mode to a second control mode, said streamed digital video data being transmitted from said server computer to said client computer as a stream of video frames comprising independent video frames and dependent video frames, said stream of video frames being encapsulated in a plurality of data packets each having a unique packet sequence number and a unique timestamp, the method comprising:

• sending a control command and a time parameter from said client computer to said server computer, said control command causing said server to transmit a first plurality of video frames of said stream of video frames to said client computer in accordance with said second control mode;
• ascertaining, responsive to said control command and using said server computer, a first independent video frame to transmit to said client computer, said first independent video frame being selected as a function of said time parameter;
• transmitting from said server computer to said client computer a packet sequence number associated with said first independent video frame;
• streaming said first plurality of video frames of said stream of video frames starting from said first independent video frame from said server computer to said client computer to permit said first plurality of video frames to be displayed at said client computer;
• and
• communicating at least some of the first plurality of video frames to a retransmission buffer for retransmission from the server computer to the client computer in response to a request for retransmission.

A computer readable medium containing computer-readable instructions for implementing control features configured for controlling a display of streamed digital video data at a client computer as said client computer transitions from a first control mode to a second control mode, said client computer being configured for coupling to a server computer via a computer network, said streamed digital video data being transmitted from said server computer to said client computer as a stream of video frames comprising independent video frames and dependent video frames, said stream of video frames being encapsulated in a plurality of data packets each having a unique packet sequence number and a unique timestamp, said computer readable instructions comprising:

• computer readable instructions for sending a control command and a time parameter from said client computer to said server computer, said control command causing said server to transmit a first plurality of video frames of said stream of video frames to said client computer in accordance with said second control mode;
• computer readable instructions for ascertaining, responsive to said control command and using said server computer, a first independent video frame to transmit to said client computer, said first independent video frame being selected as a function of said time parameter;
• computer readable instructions for transmitting from said server computer to said client computer a packet sequence number associated with said first independent video frame;
• computer readable instructions for streaming said first plurality of video frames of said stream of video frames starting from said first independent video frame from said server computer to said client computer to permit said first plurality of video frames to be displayed at said client computer and
• computer readable instructions for communicating at least some of the first plurality of video frames to a retransmission buffer for retransmission from the server computer to the client computer in response to a request for retransmission.