Consolidation of time-compressible time-offset media streams
Various methods, systems, and apparatuses can be used to consolidate unicast video streams into multicast video streams. In some implementations, a skewing window associated with multiple unicast video streams for a video can be identified using a maximum skewing rate and a program duration, and a multicast stream for the video can be generated based on the skewing window. The unicast video streams can then be skewed and merged with the multicast stream.
1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: identifying a skewing window associated with a plurality of unicast video streams based upon a skewing rate and a program duration associated with the unicast video streams, the plurality of unicast video streams being associated with the same piece of video content; generating one or more multicast streams based upon the skewing window; skewing the plurality of unicast video streams toward a respective one of the one or more multicast streams, thereby producing a plurality of skewed unicast video streams; merging the plurality of skewed unicast video streams into the respective one or more multicast video streams; determining whether a skewed unicast video stream from the plurality of skewed unicast video streams matches one of the one or more multicast video streams; wherein merging comprises merging the matching skewed unicast video stream into a matching multicast video stream; determining whether any skewed unicast video stream has not been merged with the one or more multicast video streams; responsive to the determination, continuing to skew the non-matching unicast video stream until all skewed unicast video streams from the plurality of skewed unicast video streams have been merged into the one or more multicast video streams.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the skewing window comprises a product of the maximum skewing rate multiplied by two and the program duration.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the maximum skewing rate is defined by a maximum skewing of the video program that is imperceptible to a viewer.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the maximum skewing rate is defined by a maximum skewing of the video program that is acceptable to a viewer.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a number of multicast video streams comprises a number of skewing windows that fit within the program duration of the video content, evenly spaced throughout the duration of the video program.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a number of multicast video streams comprises a number of half-skewing multicast streams that fit within the program duration of the video content, evenly spaced throughout the duration of the video program.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a number of multicast video streams comprises a number of quarter-skewing multicast streams that fit within the program duration of the video content evenly spaced throughout the duration of the video program.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the number of multicast video streams further comprises a number of half-skewing multicast streams evenly spaced throughout the program, the quarter-skewing multicast streams being skewed and merged into a respective one of the half-skewing multicast streams.
9. A video server, comprising: a merging module operable to identify a skewing window associated with a plurality of unicast video streams based upon a skewing rate and a program duration associated with the unicast video streams, the plurality of unicast video streams being associated with the same piece of video content; a multicast streaming module operable to generate one or more multicast streams based upon the skewing window identified by the merging module; a skewing module operable to skew the plurality of unicast video streams toward a respective one of the one or more multicast streams, thereby producing a plurality of skewed unicast video streams; the merging module being further operable to merge the plurality of skewed unicast video streams into the respective one or more multicast video streams the merging module is further operable to determine whether a skewed unicast video stream from the plurality of skewed unicast video streams matches one of the one or more multicast video streams, and to merge the matching skewed unicast video stream into a matching multicast video stream; the merging module is operable to determine whether any skewed unicast video stream has not been merged with the one or more multicast video streams and to instruct the skewing module responsive to the determination, until all skewed unicast video streams from the plurality of skewed unicast video streams have been merged into the one or more multicast video streams.
10. The video server of claim 9 , wherein the skewing window comprises a product of the maximum skewing rate multiplied by two and the program duration.
11. The video server of claim 9 , wherein a number of multicast video streams comprises a number of skewing windows that fit within the program duration of the video content, evenly spaced throughout the duration of the video program.
12. The video server of claim 9 , wherein a number of multicast video streams comprises a number of half-skewing multicast streams that fit within the program duration of the video content, evenly spaced throughout the duration of the video program.
13. The video server of claim 9 , wherein a number of multicast video streams comprises a number of quarter-skewing multicast streams that fit within the program duration of the video content evenly spaced throughout the duration of the video program.
14. The video server of claim 13 , wherein the number of multicast video streams further comprises a number of half-skewing multicast streams evenly spaced throughout the program, the quarter-skewing multicast streams being skewed and merged into a respective one of the half-skewing multicast streams.
15. One or more computer-readable media operable to be executed by one or more computer processors, the computer-readable media, upon execution by the one or more computer processors being operable to cause the one or more computer processors to: identify a skewing window associated with a plurality of unicast video streams for a single content item based upon a skewing rate and a program duration associated with the single content item; generate one or more multicast streams based upon the skewing window; skew the plurality of unicast video streams toward a respective one of the one or more multicast streams, thereby producing a plurality of skewed unicast video streams; merge the plurality of skewed unicast video streams into the respective one or more multicast video streams; determining whether a skewed unicast video stream from the plurality of skewed unicast video streams matches one of the one or more multicast video streams; wherein merging comprises merging the matching skewed unicast video stream into a matching multicast video stream; determining whether any skewed unicast video stream has not been merged with the one or more multicast video streams; responsive to the determination, continuing to skew the non-matching unicast video stream until all skewed unicast video streams from the plurality of skewed unicast video streams have been merged into the one or more multicast video streams.