Patent Grant
8108541
The present invention relates generally to the field of distributed video streaming and more particularly to a method and apparatus for providing distributed video streaming with multiple controls to facilitate collaboration among a plurality of users.
Internet based video streaming has becoming much more practical since the advent of broadband networks capable of supporting the high bandwidths required for the transmission of video signals. Typically, a video server or video distribution server streams a given video—which may consist of a prerecorded video program (e.g., a movie) stored on the video server, or either a real-time (i.e., live) video program or a prerecorded video program provided to and then distributed by the video server—to a plurality of clients. This is the case, for example, in Internet video broadcasting applications such as, for example, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). However, when a plurality of clients wish to simultaneously view a video program and to also collaborate in some endeavor related to the video program, only a separate parallel and independent interactive communication process between the clients is available for collaboration purposes. For example, the clients who wish to collaborate in an endeavor related to the video program may use a teleconference to verbally discuss the video being streamed, or may use an Internet chat to send text messages about the video to each other. In any case, they are generally unable to control the streaming of the video program about which they are collaborating.
Separately, interactive digital video recording (DVR) techniques have also become ubiquitous—typically, for use by a single individual for interactively viewing a (typically prerecorded) video program. In particular, such an individual may control the playout of the video interactively by, for example, pausing the video program, restarting (playing) the video program, rewinding the video program, and/or fast forwarding the video program, at will. Although currently, the most common environment for the use of digital video recording techniques consists of a local DVR (Digital Video Recorder) device which stores the video program locally (i.e., in the same physical location as the viewer), remote digital video recording techniques, in which a network based video server stores the video program, are becoming more common.
We have recognized that true collaborative interactive video streaming would be highly valuable and may be advantageously achieved in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention by making use of the principles of remote digital video recording techniques in a novel, enhanced manner. In particular, in accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of clients is able to concurrently view and interactively modify the playout of a video program—which may advantageously comprise either a prerecorded video program (e.g., a movie), which may be either stored on the video server or merely distributed by the video server, or a real-time (i.e., live) video program, which is distributed by the video server—wherein the video program is being streamed from a video server to all of the clients synchronously (i.e., the same video is being played out concurrently to all clients). In accordance with this illustrative embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of clients is advantageously capable of transmitting control commands to the video server, and the video server responds to such control commands by appropriately modifying the video streaming process, but does so synchronously to all clients. (As used herein, the terms “synchronous” and “synchronously” refer to the fact that each of clients is advantageously viewing the same video stream at the same time, throughout the interactive collaborative session. Thus, although only a single user may have provided a given control command, the result of that command—i.e., the modification of the video stream—is advantageously viewed by all clients concurrently.)
More specifically, in accordance with various illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a method and apparatus for streaming video from a video server to a plurality of clients is provided, wherein the method (or the apparatus) comprises steps (or a processor) which stream a video program from the video server synchronously to each of said clients; receive a sequence of control commands at the video server from the plurality of clients, the sequence of control commands comprising at least one control command from each of at least two different ones of said plurality of clients, each of said control commands representing a corresponding request to modify the streaming of said video program; and modify the streaming of the video program from the video server to each of said clients synchronously in response to each of said received control commands in said sequence thereof and in accordance with the corresponding request to modify the streaming of said video program represented thereby.
Illustratively, the control commands which may be provided by each of the plurality of clients may include a “Pause” command, a “Rewind” command, a “Fast forward” command, and a “Play” command, wherein a “Pause” command represents a request to pause the video program at a current location thereof, a “Rewind” command represents a request to rewind the video program from a current location thereof, a “Fast forward” command represents a request to fast forward the video program from a current location thereof, and a “Play” command represents a request to play the video program from a current location thereof. In addition, in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention, the sequence of control commands received at the video server is advantageously recorded and associated with an elapsed time, for use in subsequent playback in order to recreate the collaboration session. Moreover, in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention, an additional interactive communication process—such as, for example, a teleconference, an Internet chat, or telestration of the video program—may be advantageously performed concurrently with said streaming of said video program, and client actions performed in the additional interactive communication process may also be recorded and associated with an elapsed time, also for use in subsequent playback in order to recreate the collaboration session.
Although
Specifically, as shown in
Then, in accordance with the principles of the present invention and in response to the receipt of a control command, video server 103 modifies the streaming of the video program appropriately (e.g., by pausing, playing, rewinding, or fast forwarding) and streams the modified video (video stream 105) back to all of the interactive clients synchronously. In this manner, any one of the clients can issue a control command to the video server, and in response thereto, the video server will advantageously stream the same modified video to all clients.
As is also shown in
Moreover, in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention, as is also shown in
In addition, in accordance with certain ones of the above described illustrative embodiments in which the interactive collaborative session is recorded for future use, auxiliary service 109 advantageously provides all of the user service input associated with the auxiliary service which it has received, along with associated time information thereof (as user service input 110) to database 112. In this manner, playback clients 115 can later advantageously view the entire interactive collaborative session, including both the video stream and the communication between the interactive clients from the additional interactive communication process (i.e., the auxiliary service) as video and service output 114 from playback server 113.
Also, in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a user (i.e., client) may advantageously “tag” (or bookmark) a particular video stream at a given point in time. That is, he or she may advantageously record the specific location (e.g., the video frame number) of a video program currently being displayed. Similarly, in the case where the collaboration session comprises the viewing of multiple synchronized video programs, he or she may advantageously “tag” all (or any subset of all) of the video programs that are being displayed at the given point in time. Then, at some later point in time, the user (or, for that matter, any other user participating in the interactive collaborative session) may advantageously request that video server 103 modify the streaming of the video program(s) to move to such a previously tagged location. Moreover, in accordance with certain other illustrative embodiments of the present invention, a user (i.e., client) may advantageously “tag” (or bookmark) a particular point in time within the collaborative interactive video streaming session. Thus, the state (e.g., location) of the video program(s) being displayed together with the conditions of any concurrent “auxiliary services” at the given point in time which was previously “tagged” may later be advantageously retrieved.
As is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, remote digital video recording techniques, in which a network based video server stores the video program but a (single) client controls the playback thereof, are typically implemented with use of the transmission control protocol known as RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol), which runs “on top of” the conventional Internet Protocol (IP). This conventional (and well known) RTSP protocol provides a mechanism for communicating control commands from the (single) client to the video server and for streaming the video program back to the (single) client in response thereto. In accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the present invention, therefore, a modified version of RTSP may be advantageously employed to stream a video program synchronously to a plurality of clients and to communicate control commands from multiple ones of those clients back to the video server. In accordance with other illustrative embodiments of the present invention, however, alternative transmission control protocols running on top of an Internet Protocol (IP) may be employed.
In operation of video server 31 of
Note that in accordance with other illustrative embodiments of the present invention, one of more video source programs may be stored locally in video server 31 of
The preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended expressly to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.
Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative circuitry embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocode, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.
A person of ordinary skill in the art would readily recognize that steps of various above-described methods can be performed by programmed computers. Herein, some embodiments are also intended to cover program storage devices, e.g., digital data storage media, which are machine or computer readable and encode machine-executable or computer-executable programs of instructions, wherein said instructions perform some or all of the steps of said above-described methods. The program storage devices may be, e.g., digital memories, magnetic storage media such as magnetic disks and magnetic tapes, hard drives, or optically readable digital data storage media. The embodiments are also intended to cover computers programmed to perform said steps of the above-described methods.
The functions of any elements shown in the figures, including functional blocks labeled as “processors” may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” or “controller” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), and non volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included. Similarly, any switches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicated logic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by the implementer as more specifically understood from the context.
In the claims hereof any element expressed as a means for performing a specified function is intended to encompass any way of performing that function including, for example, a) a combination of circuit elements which performs that function or b) software in any form, including, therefore, firmware, microcode or the like, combined with appropriate circuitry for executing that software to perform the function. The invention as defined by such claims resides in the fact that the functionalities provided by the various recited means are combined and brought together in the manner which the claims call for. Applicant thus regards any means which can provide those functionalities as equivalent as those shown herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110119392 A1 | May 2011 | US |
