Fragment server directed device fragment caching
The media stream delivery system encodes and fragments media streams into numerous media stream fragments maintained on fragment servers. Devices obtain fragments to reconstruct media streams including live real-time media streams for playback on the devices. A device may perform caching of media stream fragments so that particular fragments need not be accessed again from a fragment server. A fragment server or even a content provider can analyze and monitor characteristics of media streams, viewing behavior, content popularity, etc., to identify fragments for caching at the playback devices. Caching indicators along with time period indicators may be included in the media stream fragments.
1. A method comprising:
receiving a plurality of media stream fragments at a device;
identifying characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams;
receiving a request for a first media stream fragment from the device;
adding an indication in metadata of the first media stream fragment to direct the device to maintain the first media stream fragment in local cache associated with the device; and
receiving a request for a second media stream fragment from the device, wherein the first media stream is decoded using the first media stream fragment and a second media stream fragment, wherein the device caches the first media stream fragment without caching the second media stream fragment.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first media stream fragment includes an indication to cache while the second media stream fragment does not include the indication to cache.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device identifies characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams by identifying potentially repeated media stream sequences.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein potentially repeated media stream sequences include advertisements, introduction sequences, and ending sequences.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device identifies characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams to select fragments for caching by devices requesting the fragments.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first media stream fragment is an H.264 encoded fragment processed using a plurality of distributed and dynamically scalable encoder resources.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of distributed and dynamically scalable encoder resources are a plurality of virtual machines configured to perform encoding and fragmentation.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the H.264 encoded fragment is encoded from an MPEG-2 group of pictures (GOP).
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata also includes timing information indicating how long the first media stream fragment should be cached.
10. A system comprising:
a processor;
memory storing instructions to execute a method, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of media stream fragments at a device;
identifying characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams;
receiving a request for a first media stream fragment from the device;
adding an indication in metadata of the first media stream fragment to direct the device to maintain the first media stream fragment in local cache associated with the device; and
receiving a request for a second media stream fragment from the device, wherein the first media stream is decoded using the first media stream fragment and a second media stream fragment, wherein the device caches the first media stream fragment without caching the second media stream fragment.
11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first media stream fragment includes an indication to cache while the second media stream fragment does not include the indication to cache.
12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the device identifies characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams by identifying potentially repeated media stream sequences.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein potentially repeated media stream sequences include advertisements, introduction sequences, and ending sequences.
14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the device identifies characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams to select fragments for caching by devices requesting the fragments.
15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first media stream fragment is an H.264 encoded fragment processed using a plurality of distributed and dynamically scalable encoder resources.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of distributed and dynamically scalable encoder resources are a plurality of virtual machines configured to perform encoding and fragmentation.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the H.264 encoded fragment is encoded from an MPEG-2 group of pictures (GOP).
18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the metadata also includes timing information indicating how long the first media stream fragment should be cached.
19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions to execute a method, the method comprising:
receiving a plurality of media stream fragments at a device;
identifying characteristics associated with the plurality of media streams;
receiving a request for a first media stream fragment from the device;
adding an indication in metadata of the first media stream fragment to direct the device to maintain the first media stream fragment in local cache associated with the device; and
receiving a request for a second media stream fragment from the device, wherein the first media stream is decoded using the first media stream fragment and a second media stream fragment, wherein the device caches the first media stream fragment without caching the second media stream fragment.
20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the first media stream fragment includes an indication to cache while the second media stream fragment does not include the indication to cache.