Event notification in a network environment
A content management resource transmits a received digital data stream in a respective network data channel to one or more subscribers. The content management resource receives an emergency notification control signal, which indicates occurrence of an emergency message. In response to receiving the emergency notification control signal, the content management resource transmits the emergency message in the digital data channel to the one or more subscribers in lieu of transmitting the received digital data stream of content in the data channel to the one or more subscriber. Thus, a subscriber can tune to a particular channel to play back selected content and be apprised, via receipt of the message over the particular channel, of a corresponding condition such as an emergency.
1. A method comprising:
via computer processor hardware, performing operations of:
distributing content access information, the content access information received by a subscriber device, the content access information indicating encoded segments of video content available for retrieval by the subscriber device, the content access information indicating multiple data streams encoded at different selectable bit rates, the multiple data streams including the encoded segments of video content;
in response to detecting occurrence of an event, substituting a portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams with encoded segments of an event notification indicating the event; and
transmitting selected encoded segments of the multiple data streams to the subscriber device, the method further comprising;
subsequent to transmitting a first portion of the encoded segments of video content available from the multiple data streams to the subscriber device, receiving input from the subscriber device requesting retrieval of a second portion of the encoded segments of the video content; and
in accordance with the input from the subscriber device requesting retrieval of the encoded segments of the video content, initiating transmission of the encoded segments of the event notification to the subscriber device in lieu of transmitting the second portion of the encoded segments of video content to the subscriber device.
2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein detecting the occurrence of the event includes receiving notification from an event notification system of the event, the event notification system providing the event notification as digital data for broadcast over multiple channels to multiple subscribers including a subscriber operating the subscriber device.
3. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting the encoded segments of the event notification as an adaptive bit rate data stream to the subscriber device over a unicast link.
4. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:
varying a bit rate of transmitting the encoded segments of video content and the encoded segments of the event notification in accordance with input from the subscriber device.
5. The method as in claim 4 , wherein transmitting the selected encoded segments of the multiple data streams to the subscriber device includes:
in response to input from the subscriber device, transmitting the encoded segments of the event notification to the subscriber device in lieu of transmitting the portions of the encoded segments of video content to the subscriber device.
6. The method as in claim 1 , wherein transmitting selected encoded segments of the multiple data streams to the subscriber device includes:
receiving first input from the subscriber device, the first input selecting a first segment of content as specified by the content access information;
transmitting the first selected segment of content to the subscriber device, the first selected segment of content being a segment of the video content, the first selected segment of content encoded in accordance with a first bit rate of the multiple different bit rates; and
receiving second input from the subscriber device, the second input selecting a second segment of content as specified by the content access information;
transmitting the second selected segment of content to the subscriber device, the second selected segment of content being a segment of the event notification, the second selected segment of content encoded in accordance with a second bit rate of the multiple bit rates.
7. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the encoded segments of video content initially include a first data stream of original encoded segments of content;
wherein substituting the portion of the encoded segments of video content includes:
replacing a first original segment of the original encoded segments in the first data stream with a first segment of the event notification; and
replacing a second original segment of the original encoded segments in the first data stream with a second segment of the event notification.
8. The method as in claim 1 , wherein substituting the portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams includes:
encoding a first segment of the event notification at multiple different bit rates; and
using the first segment of the event notification encoded at the multiple different bit rates as a substitute for a corresponding original segment of the video content encoded at the multiple different bit rates.
9. The method as in claim 8 further comprising:
choosing the corresponding original segment of the video content in which to substitute the first segment of the event notification based on a time of receiving the event notification; and
wherein the chosen corresponding original segment of the video content to be substituted with the first segment of the event notification is a segment in the multiple data streams that has not yet been requested for retrieval by the subscriber device.
10. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams is chosen for substitution based on a time of receiving the event notification.
11. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the event notification is encoded at the different selectable bit rates in which the multiple data streams are encoded.
12. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the event notification includes a first event notification segment and a second event notification segment, each of the first event notification segment and the second event notification segment encoded at the different selectable bit rates.
13. The method as in claim 12 further comprising: producing the content access information to support retrieval of the encoded segments from the multiple data streams as an adaptive bit rate data stream, a bit rate of the retrieved encoded segments controlled by input received from the subscriber device.
14. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the selected encoded segments of the multiple data streams transmitted to the subscriber device includes:
segments of the video content encoded at the different selectable bit rates; and
segments of the event notification encoded at the different selectable bit rates.
15. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the video content includes a first segment of video content and a second segment of video content, the method further comprising:
producing the multiple data streams to include a first data stream encoded at a first bit rate and a second data stream encoded at a second bit rate, the first data stream including the first segment of the video content encoded at the first bit rate, the second data stream including the second segment of the video content encoded at the second bit rate;
wherein the event notification includes a first segment of event content and a second segment of event content;
wherein substituting the portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams with encoded segments of the event notification indicating the event includes:
encoding the first segment of event content at the first bit rate and the second bit rate;
producing the first data stream to include the first segment of event content encoded at the first bit rate in lieu of including the second segment of video content encoded at the first bit rate in the first data stream; and
producing the second data stream to include the first segment of event content encoded at the second bit rate in lieu of including the second segment of video content encoded at the second bit rate in the second data stream.
16. The method as in claim 15 , wherein each of the first data stream and the second data stream includes a first slot and a second slot;
wherein producing the first data stream includes:
populating the first slot of the first data stream with the first segment of video content encoded at the first bit rate;
populating the first slot of the second data stream with the first segment of video content encoded at the second bit rate;
populating the second slot of the first data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the first bit rate; and
populating the second slot of the second data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the second bit rate.
17. The method as in claim 15 , wherein producing the first data stream includes: in response to detecting the occurrence of the event, switching from populating the first data stream of retrievable segments of content with encoded segments of the video content to populating the first data stream with encoded segments of the event content at the first bit rate; and
wherein producing the second data stream includes: in response to detecting the occurrence of the event, switching from populating the second data stream of retrievable segments of content with encoded segments of the video content to populating the second data stream with encoded segments of the event content at the second bit rate.
18. A method comprising:
via computer processor hardware, performing operations of:
distributing content access information, the content access information received by a subscriber device, the content access information indicating encoded segments of video content available for retrieval by the subscriber device, the content access information indicating multiple data streams encoded at different selectable bit rates, the multiple data streams including the encoded segments of video content;
in response to detecting occurrence of an event, substituting a portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams with encoded segments of an event notification indicating the event; and
transmitting selected encoded segments of the multiple data streams to the subscriber device;
wherein the encoded segments of video content initially include a first data stream of original encoded segments of content;
wherein substituting the portion of the encoded segments of video content includes:
replacing a first original segment of the original encoded segments in the first data stream with a first segment of the event notification; and
replacing a second original segment of the original encoded segments in the first data stream with a second segment of the event notification;
wherein transmitting the selected segments of the multiple data streams to the subscriber device further includes: in response to receiving a request for retrieval of the first original segment from the subscriber device, transmitting the first segment of the event notification to the client device in lieu of transmitting the first original segment; and in response to receiving a request for retrieval of the second original segment from the subscriber device, transmitting the second segment of the event notification to the client device in lieu of transmitting the second original segment.
19. A method comprising:
via computer processor hardware, performing operations of:
distributing content access information, the content access information received by a subscriber device, the content access information indicating encoded segments of video content available for retrieval by the subscriber device, the content access information indicating multiple data streams encoded at different selectable bit rates, the multiple data streams including the encoded segments of video content;
in response to detecting occurrence of an event, substituting a portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams with encoded segments of an event notification indicating the event; and
transmitting selected encoded segments of the multiple data streams to the subscriber device;
wherein the video content includes a first segment of video content and a second segment of video content, the method further comprising:
producing the multiple data streams to include a first data stream encoded at a first bit rate and a second data stream encoded at a second bit rate, the first data stream including the first segment of the video content encoded at the first bit rate, the second data stream including the second segment of the video content encoded at the second bit rate:
wherein the event notification includes a first segment of event content and a second segment of event content;
wherein substituting the portion of the encoded segments of video content in the multiple data streams with encoded segments of the event notification indicating the event includes:
encoding the first segment of event content at the first bit rate and the second bit rate;
producing the first data stream to include the first segment of event content encoded at the first bit rate in lieu of including the second segment of video content encoded at the first bit rate in the first data stream; and
producing the second data stream to include the first segment of event content encoded at the second bit rate in lieu of including the second segment of video content encoded at the second bit rate in the second data stream:
wherein each of the first data stream and the second data stream includes a first slot and a second slot;
wherein producing the first data stream includes:
populating the first slot of the first data stream with the first segment of video content encoded at the first bit rate;
populating the first slot of the second data stream with the first segment of video content encoded at the second bit rate;
populating the second slot of the first data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the first bit rate; and
populating the second slot of the second data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the second bit rate;
wherein populating the second slot of the first data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the first bit rate includes: overwriting the second slot of the first data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the first bit rate; and
wherein populating the second slot of the second data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the second bit rate includes: overwriting the second slot of the second data stream with the first segment of event content encoded at the second bit rate.