Rendering content and time-shifted playback operations for personal over-the-top network video recorder

1. A method for effectuating time-shifted playback operations with respect to a real-time streaming program at a client device, the real-time streaming program processed into one or more distinct encodings each including a respective set of sequential segments, the method comprising:

receiving a time-shift request from a user of the client device while playing the real-time streaming program;

responsive to receiving the time-shift request from the user, determining a target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device in a manner that depends on a type of the time-shift request from the user; and

subsequent to determining the target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device:

restarting a media player of the client device, the media player performing;

generating a new master manifest request containing the target wall-clock time as a new timestamp for restarting the real-time streaming program at a corresponding video position; and

responsive to receiving a new master manifest, generating one or more variant manifest requests for specifying a particular encoding of the real-time streaming program,

wherein a variant manifest is provided as a sliding-window variant manifest constructed from the new master manifest based on the target wall-clock time, and

wherein the sliding-window variant manifest is constructed by adding a new reference to a next segment and removing an existing reference to an earliest segment in a predetermined window of most recent segments.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the time-shift request is a pause request; and

obtaining a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and setting the current playback wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 , wherein the current playback wall-clock timestamp is calculated as a sum of a wall-clock time corresponding to a video position at a last playback action and a time duration of playback since the last playback action.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the time-shift request is a rewind request; and

calculating a rewind target wall-clock timestamp by subtracting a rewind duration from a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and setting the rewind target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

determining that the time-shift request is a fast forward request; and

calculating a fast forward target wall-clock timestamp by adding a fast forward time duration to a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and setting the fast forward target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

6. An apparatus for effectuating time-shifted playback operations with respect to a real-time streaming program at a client device, the real-time streaming program processed into one or more distinct encodings each including a respective set of sequential segments, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory containing program instructions for performing the following acts when executed by the processor:

receive a time-shift request from a user of the client device while playing the real-time streaming program;

responsive to receiving the time-shift request from the user, determine a target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device in a manner that depends on a type of the time-shift request from the user; and

subsequent to determining the target wall-clock time for the real-time streaming program on the client device:

restart a media player of the client device;

generate a new master manifest request containing the target wall-clock time as a new timestamp for restarting the real-time streaming program at a corresponding video position; and

responsive to receiving a new master manifest, generate one or more variant manifest requests for specifying a particular encoding of the real-time streaming program,

wherein a variant manifest is provided as a sliding-window variant manifest constructed from the new master manifest based on the target wall-clock time, and

wherein the sliding-window variant manifest is constructed by adding a new reference to a next segment and removing an existing reference to an earliest segment in a predetermined window of most recent segments.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions configured to:

determine that the time-shift request is a pause request; and

obtain a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and set the current playback wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 , wherein the current playback wall-clock timestamp is calculated as a sum of a wall-clock time corresponding to a video position at a last playback action and a time duration of playback since the last playback action.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions configured to:

determine that the time-shift request is a rewind request; and

calculate a rewind target wall-clock timestamp by subtracting a rewind duration from a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and set the rewind target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 6 , wherein the program instructions further comprise instructions configured to:

determine that the time-shift request is a fast forward request; and

calculate a fast forward target wall-clock timestamp by adding a fast forward time duration to a current playback wall-clock timestamp with respect to the real-time streaming program and set the fast forward target wall-clock timestamp as the target wall-clock time upon restarting the media player.