IP Library › Granted Patent US 12701305
Granted Patent B2
US 12701305 · App. 17/109,514 · Granted Aug 4, 2026

Collaborative media quality determination

Inventors: Weidong Mao (West Windsor, NJ); Jason Press (Bryn Mawr, PA)
Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications, LLC
H04N21/8456H04L65/80H04N21/26258H04N21/647H04N21/2402
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12701305
App. No.
17/109,514
Granted
Aug 4, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A playback device may determine a quality measurement associated with one or more versions of a content fragment. The quality measurements may be based on one or more encoding characteristics associated with the plurality of versions of the content fragments. The quality measurements may be received by a content delivery system from the one or more devices and may be used by the content delivery system in determining a content playlist. By determining the quality measurements at the user device side, a larger number of quality measurements may be received and more accurate quality measurements may be utilized for determining the content playlist.

Claims (74)

1 . A method comprising:

encoding a first version of a content fragment of a content asset, and encoding a second version of the content fragment;

transmitting the first and second versions of the content fragment to one or more of a plurality of devices;

receiving, from each of the plurality of devices that has output the first version of the content fragment, a quality measurement based on the output of the first version of the content fragment by the each of the plurality of devices;

receiving, from each of the plurality of devices that has output the second version of the content fragment, a quality measurement based on the output of the second version of the content fragment by the each of the plurality of devices;

selecting, based on the received quality measurements that are based on the outputs of the first and second versions of the content fragment by the one or more of the plurality of devices, either the first or second version of the content fragment; and

generating an optimized playlist for the content asset comprising the selected either the first or second version of the content fragment.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are determined on each of the plurality of devices that has output either the first or second version of the content fragment.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are objective measurements.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the objective measurements are determined based on one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of devices that has output the either the first or second version of the content fragment.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are subjective measurements received from users of each of the plurality of devices that has output either the first or second version of the content fragment.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the first version of the content fragment is encoded according to a first type of encoding, and

the second version of the content fragment is encoded according to a second type of encoding that is different from the first type of encoding.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are based on at least one of a video quality or an audio quality associated with the either the first or second version of the content fragment.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

selecting the either the first version or second version of the content fragment comprises determining that the quality measurements associated with the output of one of the first or second versions of the content fragment exceed the quality measurements associated with the output of the other one of the first or second versions of the content fragment.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

sending, based on the optimized playlist and to at least one of the plurality of devices, either the first version or second version of the content fragment.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first version of the content fragment is encoded at a different bit rate than the second version of the content fragment.

11 . A device comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to:

encode a first version of a content fragment of a content asset, and encode a second version of the content fragment;

transmit the first and second versions of the content fragment to one or more of a plurality of devices;

receive, from each of the plurality of devices that has output the first version of the content fragment, a quality measurement based on the output of the first version of the content fragment by the each of the plurality of devices;

receive, from each of the plurality of devices that has output the second version of the content fragment, a quality measurement based on the output of the second version of the content fragment by the each of the plurality of devices;

select, based on the received quality measurements that are based on the outputs of the first and second versions of the content fragment by the one or more of the plurality of devices, either the first or second version of the content fragment; and

generate an optimized playlist for the content asset comprising the selected either the first or second version of the content fragment.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are determined on each of the plurality of devices that has output either the first or second version of the content fragment.

13 . The device of claim 11 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are objective measurements.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the objective measurements are determined based on one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of devices that has output the either the first or second version of the content fragment.

15 . The device of claim 11 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are subjective measurements received from users of each of the plurality of devices that has output either the first or second version of the content fragment.

16 . The device of claim 11 , wherein:

the first version of the content fragment is encoded according to a first type of encoding, and

the second version of the content fragment is encoded according to a second type of encoding that is different from the first type of encoding.

17 . The device of claim 11 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are based on at least one of a video quality or an audio quality associated with the either the first or second version of the content fragment.

18 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the device to select the either the first version or second version of the content fragment, cause the device to:

determine that the quality measurements associated with the output of one of the first or second versions of the content fragment exceed the quality measurements associated with the output of the other one of the first or second versions of the content fragment.

19 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, further cause the device to:

send, based on the optimized playlist and to at least one of the plurality of devices, either the first version or second version of the content fragment.

20 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the first version of the content fragment is encoded at a different bit rate than the second version of the content fragment.

21 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause:

encoding a first version of a content fragment of a content asset, and encoding a second version of the content fragment;

transmitting the first and second versions of the content fragment to one or more of a plurality of devices;

receiving, from each of the plurality of devices that has output the first version of the content fragment, a quality measurement based on the output of the first version of the content fragment by the each of the plurality of devices;

receiving, from each of the plurality of devices that has output the second version of the content fragment, a quality measurement based on the output of the second version of the content fragment by the each of the plurality of devices;

selecting, based on the received quality measurements that are based on the outputs of the first and second versions of the content fragment by the one or more of the plurality of devices, either the first or second version of the content fragment; and

generating an optimized playlist for the content asset comprising the selected either the first or second version of the content fragment.

22 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are determined on each of the plurality of devices that has output either the first or second version of the content fragment.

23 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are objective measurements.

24 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23 , wherein the objective measurements are determined based on one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of devices that has output the either the first or second version of the content fragment.

25 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are subjective measurements received from users of each of the plurality of devices that has output either the first or second version of the content fragment.

26 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein:

the first version of the content fragment is encoded according to a first type of encoding, and

the second version of the content fragment is encoded according to a second type of encoding that is different from the first type of encoding.

27 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein:

the received quality measurements are based on at least one of a video quality or an audio quality associated with the either the first or second version of the content fragment.

28 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the instructions that cause selecting the either the first version or second version of the content fragment, cause:

determining that the quality measurements associated with the output of one of the first or second versions of the content fragment exceed the quality measurements associated with the output of the other one of the first or second versions of the content fragment.

29 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the instructions that, when executed, further cause:

sending, based on the optimized playlist and to at least one of the plurality of devices, either the first version or second version of the content fragment.

30 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 21 , wherein the first version of the content fragment is encoded at a different bit rate than the second version of the content fragment.