Streaming transcoder with adaptive upstream & downstream transcode coordination
Streaming transcoder with adaptive upstream and downstream transcode coordination. A real-time transcoding environment is operative such that scalable video coding (SVC) is implemented to operate both upstream and downstream directions with respect to a middling device or transcoder such that the middling device or transcoder asked to coordinate upstream SVC with downstream SVC. Such upstream/downstream SVC coordination may also employ local considerations such as processing resources, available memory, etc. of the middling device or transcoder. Also, characteristics associated with one or more other devices, communication links, communication networks, etc. may be used to direct such adaptation. Moreover, control and/or feedback signaling between respective devices may also be used to assist in the adaptive operation of such a real-time transcoding environment. Generally speaking, such coordination between upstream SVC and downstream SVC is performed automatically in a multipoint fashion considering local and/or remote characteristic(s) associated with the overall communication system.
1 . An apparatus, comprising:
at least one input for receiving at least one streaming media source flow from at least one source device via a first communication network;
at least one output for outputting at least one streaming media delivery flow to at least one destination device via the first communication network or a second communication network;
at least one encoder; and
at least one decoder for selectively decoding the at least one streaming media source flow thereby generating at least one decoded streaming media source flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one encoder, the at least one streaming media source flow, and the at least one streaming media delivery flow; and wherein:
the at least one encoder for selectively encoding the at least one decoded streaming media source flow thereby generating at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one decoder, the at least one streaming media source flow, and the at least one streaming media delivery flow; and
the at least one streaming media delivery flow being the at least one streaming media source flow or the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one of latency, delay, noise, distortion, crosstalk, attenuation, signal to noise ratio (SNR), capacity, bandwidth, frequency spectrum, bit rate, and symbol rate associated with the at least one streaming media source flow; and
at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one of latency, delay, noise, distortion, crosstalk, attenuation, SNR, capacity, bandwidth, frequency spectrum, bit rate, and symbol rate associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one of user usage information, processing history, queuing, an energy constraint, a display size, a display resolution, and a display history associated with the at least one source device; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one of user usage information, processing history, queuing, an energy constraint, a display size, a display resolution, and a display history associated with the at least one destination device.
4 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one feedback or control signal received from the at least one source device; and
at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one feedback or control signal received from the at least one destination device.
5 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the apparatus being operative within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, and a fiber-optic communication system.
6 . An apparatus, comprising:
at least one input for receiving at least one streaming media source flow from at least one source device via a first communication network;
at least one output for outputting at least one streaming media delivery flow to at least one destination device via the first communication network or a second communication network; and
at least one transcoder for selectively transcoding the at least one streaming media source flow thereby generating at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow and based on at least one characteristic associated with at least one streaming media delivery flow.
7 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one streaming media delivery flow being the at least one streaming media source flow or the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow.
8 . The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a plurality of inputs, including the at least one input, for receiving a plurality of streaming media source flows, including the at least one streaming media source flow, respectively from a plurality of source devices, including the at least one source device, via at least one of the first communication network, the second communication network, and a third communication network.
9 . The apparatus of claim 6 , further comprising:
a plurality of outputs, including the at least one output, for respectively outputting a plurality of streaming media delivery flows, including the at least one streaming media delivery flow, to a plurality of destination devices, including the at least one destination device, via at least one of the first communication network, the second communication network, and a third communication network.
10 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one transcoder including at least one encoder and at least one decoder;
the at least one decoder for decoding the at least one streaming media source flow thereby generating at least one decoded streaming media source flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one encoder; and
the at least one encoder for encoding the at least one decoded streaming media source flow thereby generating the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one decoder.
11 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one of latency, delay, noise, distortion, crosstalk, attenuation, signal to noise ratio (SNR), capacity, bandwidth, frequency spectrum, bit rate, and symbol rate associated with the at least one streaming media source flow; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one of latency, delay, noise, distortion, crosstalk, attenuation, SNR, capacity, bandwidth, frequency spectrum, bit rate, and symbol rate associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow.
12 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one of user usage information, processing history, queuing, an energy constraint, a display size, a display resolution, and a display history associated with the at least one source device; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one of user usage information, processing history, queuing, an energy constraint, a display size, a display resolution, and a display history associated with the at least one destination device.
13 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one feedback or control signal received from the at least one source device; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one feedback or control signal received from the at least one destination device.
14 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one input for receiving at least one additional streaming media source flow from the at least one source device or at least one additional source device via at least one of the first communication network, the second communication network, and a third communication network;
the at least one transcoder for selectively transcoding the at least one streaming media source flow and the at least one additional streaming media source flow thereby generating the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow.
15 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the at least one output for outputting the at least one streaming media delivery flow to the at least one destination device and to at least one additional destination device via at least one of the first communication network, the second communication network, and a third communication network.
16 . The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein:
the apparatus being operative within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, and a fiber-optic communication system.
17 . A method, comprising:
receiving at least one streaming media source flow, via at least one input, from at least one source device via a first communication network;
outputting at least one streaming media delivery flow, via at least one output, to at least one destination device via the first communication network or a second communication network; and
selectively transcoding the at least one streaming media source flow thereby generating at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow and based on at least one characteristic associated with at least one streaming media delivery flow.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one streaming media delivery flow being the at least one streaming media source flow or the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow.
19 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
performing the selectively transcoding using at least one encoder and at least one decoder;
employing the at least one decoder for decoding the at least one streaming media source flow thereby generating at least one decoded streaming media source flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one encoder; and
employing the at least one encoder for encoding the at least one decoded streaming media source flow thereby generating the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow based on at least one characteristic associated with the at least one decoder.
20 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one of latency, delay, noise, distortion, crosstalk, attenuation, signal to noise ratio (SNR), capacity, bandwidth, frequency spectrum, bit rate, and symbol rate associated with the at least one streaming media source flow; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one of latency, delay, noise, distortion, crosstalk, attenuation, SNR, capacity, bandwidth, frequency spectrum, bit rate, and symbol rate associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow.
21 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one of user usage information, processing history, queuing, an energy constraint, a display size, a display resolution, and a display history associated with the at least one source device; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one of user usage information, processing history, queuing, an energy constraint, a display size, a display resolution, and a display history associated with the at least one destination device.
22 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media source flow corresponding to at least one feedback or control signal received from the at least one source device; and
the at least one characteristic associated with the at least one streaming media delivery flow corresponding to at least one feedback or control signal received from the at least one destination device.
23 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
receiving at least one additional streaming media source flow from the at least one source device or at least one additional source device via at least one of the first communication network, the second communication network, and a third communication network; and
selectively transcoding the at least one streaming media source flow and the at least one additional streaming media source flow thereby generating the at least one transcoded streaming media delivery flow.
24 . The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
outputting the at least one streaming media delivery flow to the at least one destination device and to at least one additional destination device via at least one of the first communication network, the second communication network, and a third communication network.
25 . The method of claim 17 , wherein:
the method performed by at least one apparatus operative within at least one of a satellite communication system, a wireless communication system, a wired communication system, and a fiber-optic communication system.