Carriage of quality information of content in media formats

A network device, configured to act as a media server, and comprising:

• a hardware processor configured to:
• select one or more granularity levels for an encoded media data in a media data track;
• compute a plurality of quality metrics that indicate coding quality of the encoded media data by measuring the encoded media data at the selected granularity-level;
• and
• generate a quality track corresponding to the media track at the selected granularity levels, the quality track comprising the plurality of quality metrics;
• a memory coupled to the processor and configured to store the quality track separately from other tracks associated with the encoded media data, wherein the quality track comprises a one-to-one mapping association with the encoded media data at the selected granularity levels;
• and
• a transmitter coupled to the processor and the memory and configured to send the quality track towards a client device to inform selection of the encoded media data,
• wherein the quality track comprises a granularity field that indicates a granularity level of the quality metrics, and
• wherein the granularity field is able to be set to a first value to indicate a sample granularity level, set to a second value to indicate a track run granularity level, set to a third value to indicate a track fragment granularity level, set to a fourth value to indicate a movie fragment granularity level, and set to a fifth value to indicate a sub-segment granularity level.

A method for communicating quality information of a media data in a file format implemented in a media server, the method comprising:

• deriving, via a hardware processor of the media server, the quality information of the media data on different granularity levels for different portions of the media data, wherein the media data comprises digitally encoded media content;
• decoupling the quality information from the media data by storing the quality information in a quality metadata track;
• associating the quality metadata track to a media track that carries the media data such that a mapping exists between the quality metadata track and the media track at each of the granularity levels;
• and
• transmitting, via a transmitter coupled to the hardware processor, the quality metadata track to a client device to inform selection of the media data in the media track,
• wherein the quality metadata track comprises a granularity field that indicates a granularity level of the quality information carried in a portion of the quality metadata track, and
• wherein the granularity field is able to be set to a first value to indicate a sample granularity level, set to a second value to indicate a track run granularity level, set to a third value to indicate a track fragment granular level, set to a fourth value to indicate movie fragment granularity level, and set to a fifth value to indicate a sub-segment granularity level.