Averting ad skipping in adaptive bit rate systems
An adaptive bit rate system uses adaptive streaming to deliver content to client devices capable of adaptive bit rate streaming. Techniques for averting or inhibiting ad skipping by an adaptive bit rate client device that receives media chunks from the adaptive bit rate system may include techniques for both live content and on demand content. Techniques include modifying a buffer size for access to trick plays and/or constructing a manifest file with limited content based on ad breaks.
1. A method for streaming media in an adaptive bit rate system, the method comprising:
responsive to a request for an on demand asset, identifying a first period in at least one of a plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset in which an adaptive bit rate media segment associated with the request for the on demand asset is located,
identifying an ad break that is associated with the first period;
generating a manifest file referencing adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within the first period of the at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset for use by an adaptive bit rate client device for retrieval of the referenced media segments,
following an indication that desired adaptive bit rate media segments during the first period have been retrieved, appending to the manifest file references to ad content associated with the ad break that is associated with the first period;
waiting for a playback duration of the ad break to expire before appending to the manifest file references to adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within a second period of the at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset,
wherein said appendages to the manifest file include at least one of:
for the appending to the manifest file the references to said ad content associated with said ad break, omitting identification of I-frame playlists for the ad content, thereby impeding trick plays on the ad content during the playback duration, or
for the appending to the manifest file after the ad playback duration expires, adding to the manifest file references to I-frames of ad content in the ad break associated with the expired playback duration for facilitating trick plays on the already played back ad content.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset encoded at different rates are segmented into a plurality of adaptive bit rate media segments, wherein the on demand asset comprises a plurality of content periods separated by ad break periods, each period including a plurality of the adaptive bit rate media segments.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manifest file is used by the adaptive bit rate client device to identify different representations of the requested on demand asset.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein a period is at least one of:
the period between a start point of the on demand asset and a start of a first ad block,
the period between two ad blocks within the on demand asset,
the period between an end of the on demand asset and a last ad block,
the period between a location of the adaptive bit rate media segment in the on demand and a location of a next ad block, or
the period between the location of the adaptive bit rate media segment in the on demand and a location of a previous ad block.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising posting the adaptive bit rate media segments that correspond to a current version of the manifest file to an origin server.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising including references in the manifest file to ad content associated with at least one period that occurs in the on demand asset at a time prior to the first period, wherein the playback duration of the ad break is determined based on both the ad content associated with the first period and the ad content associated with the at least one period that occurred in the on demand asset at a time prior to the first period.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication that the adaptive bit rate client device has received the desired adaptive bit rate media segments during the first period comprises at least one of:
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has played back all retrieved media segments in the first period,
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has fast-forwarded to an end of available media segments in the first period referenced in the manifest file,
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has initiated a fast-forward function or a rewind function to retrieve content from the second period where the second period occurs either after the first period or prior to the first period,
receiving a request for an updated manifest file, or
receiving a request for media segments from a second period in at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has played back all retrieved media segments in the first period is based on monitoring by the just in time packager, wherein the just in time packager determines that the last media segment in the first period has been requested.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adaptive bit rate media segments referenced by the manifest file that occur within the first period comprise at least one of:
all of the adaptive bit rate media segments available in the first period, or
the identified adaptive bit rate media segment and the adaptive bit rate media segments that occur in the first period at a time later than the adaptive bit rate media segment.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ad content is stored pre-packaged in a location separate from the on demand asset.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the manifest file is generated on a client-by-client basis and is generated and provided only to the requesting adaptive bit rate client device.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files includes a plurality of periods, each period representing a block of content of a finite duration within the on demand asset, each of the plurality of periods having a plurality of adaptive bit rate media segments and associated with a respective ad break.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the manifest file and appending to the manifest file are fulfilled in real time in response to a specific client request for the on demand asset, whereby generating the manifest file or posting associated media segments to an origin server are done only after the request is received.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein a period ends at a start of an ad break.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein a period is at least one of:
the period between a first adaptive bit rate media segment of the on demand asset and a first ad break,
the period between two ad breaks within the on demand asset, or
the period between an end of the on demand asset and a last ad break in the on demand asset.
16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adaptive bit rate media segment associated with the request is in multiple files in the plurality of differently encoded files, and the manifest file references media segments from the first period in each of the multiple files for a selection between file formats by the adaptive bit rate client device.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the adaptive bit rate client device selects between a multiple of the plurality of differently encoded files based on at least one of a bandwidth or a best rate.
18. A device for streaming adaptive bit rate streaming content through a network to a client, the device comprising one or more processors configured to:
responsive to a request for an on demand asset, identify a first period in at least one of a plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset in which an adaptive bit rate media segment associated with the request for the on demand asset is located,
identify an ad break that is associated with the first period;
generate a manifest file referencing adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within the first period of the at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset for use by an adaptive bit rate client device for retrieval of the referenced media segments,
following retrieval of desired adaptive bit rate media segments by the adaptive bit rate client device during the first period, append to the manifest file references to ad content associated with the ad break that is associated with the first period;
wait for a playback duration of the ad break to expire before appending to the manifest file references to adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within a second period of the at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset,
wherein said appendages to the manifest file include at least one of:
for the appending to the manifest file the references to said ad content associated with said ad break, omitting identification of I-frame playlists for the ad content, thereby impeding trick plays on the ad content during the playback duration, or
for the appending to the manifest file after the ad playback duration expires, adding to the manifest file references to I-frames of ad content in the ad break associated with the expired playback duration for facilitating trick plays on the already played back ad content.
19. The device of claim 18 , wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset encoded at different rates are segmented into a plurality of adaptive bit rate media segments, wherein the on demand asset comprises a plurality of content periods separated by ad break periods, each period including a plurality of the adaptive bit rate media segments.
20. The device of claim 18 , wherein a period is at least one of:
the period between a start point of the on demand asset and a start of a first ad block,
the period between two ad blocks within the on demand asset,
the period between an end of the on demand asset and a last ad block,
the period between a location of the adaptive bit rate media segment in the on demand and a location of a next ad block, or
the period between the location of the adaptive bit rate media segment in the on demand and a location of a previous ad block.
21. The device of claim 18 , the one or more processors further configured for including references in the manifest file to ad content associated with at least one period that occurs in the on demand asset at a time prior to the first period, wherein the playback duration of the ad break is determined based on both the ad content associated with the first period and the ad content associated with the at least one period that occurred in the on demand asset at a time prior to the first period.
22. The device of claim 18 , wherein an indication that the adaptive bit rate client device has retrieved the desired adaptive bit rate media segments during the first period comprises at least one of:
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has played back all retrieved media segments in the first period,
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has fast-forwarded to an end of available media segments in the first period referenced in the manifest file,
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has initiated a fast-forward function or a rewind function to retrieve content from the second period where the second period occurs either after the first period or prior to the first period,
receiving a request for an updated manifest file, or
receiving a request for media segments from a second period in at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset.
23. The device of claim 18 , wherein the adaptive bit rate media segments referenced by the manifest file that occur within the first period comprise at least one of:
all of the adaptive bit rate media segments available in the first period, or
the identified adaptive bit rate media segment and the adaptive bit rate media segments that occur in the first period at a time later than the adaptive bit rate media segment.
24. The device of claim 18 , wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files includes a plurality of periods, each period representing a block of content of a finite duration within the on demand asset, each of the plurality of periods having a plurality of adaptive bit rate media segments and associated with a respective ad break.
25. The device of claim 18 , wherein a period is at least one of:
the period between a first adaptive bit rate media segment of the on demand asset and a first ad break,
the period between two ad breaks within the on demand asset, or
the period between an end of the on demand asset and a last ad break in the on demand asset.
26. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed, cause a processor to:
responsive to a request for an on demand asset, identify a first period in at least one of a plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset in which an adaptive bit rate media segment associated with the request for the on demand asset is located,
identify an ad break that is associated with the first period;
generate a manifest file referencing adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within the first period of the at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset for use by an adaptive bit rate client device for retrieval of the referenced media segments,
following retrieval of desired adaptive bit rate media segments by the adaptive bit rate client device during the first period, append to the manifest file references to ad content associated with the ad break that is associated with the first period;
wait for a playback duration of the ad break to expire before appending to the manifest file references to adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within a second period of the at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset,
wherein said appendages to the manifest file include at least one of:
for the appending to the manifest file the references to said ad content associated with said ad break, omitting identification of I-frame playlists for the ad content, thereby impeding trick plays on the ad content during the playback duration, or
for the appending to the manifest file after the ad playback duration expires, adding to the manifest file references to I-frames of ad content in the ad break associated with the expired playback duration for facilitating trick plays on the already played back ad content.
27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset encoded at different rates are segmented into a plurality of adaptive bit rate media segments, wherein the on demand asset comprises a plurality of content periods separated by ad break periods, each period including a plurality of the adaptive bit rate media segments.
28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein a period is at least one of:
the period between a start point of the on demand asset and a start of a first ad block,
the period between two ad blocks within the on demand asset,
the period between an end of the on demand asset and a last ad block,
the period between a location of the adaptive bit rate media segment in the on demand and a location of a next ad block, or
the period between the location of the adaptive bit rate media segment in the on demand and a location of a previous ad block.
29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , the instructions further configured to, when executed, cause the processor to include references in the manifest file to ad content associated with at least one period that occurs in the on demand asset at a time prior to the first period, wherein the playback duration of the ad break is determined based on both the ad content associated with the first period and the ad content associated with the at least one period that occurred in the on demand asset at a time prior to the first period.
30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein an indication that the adaptive bit rate client device has retrieved the desired adaptive bit rate media segments during the first period comprises at least one of:
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has played back all retrieved media segments in the first period,
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has fast-forwarded to an end of available media segments in the first period referenced in the manifest file,
an indicator that the adaptive bit rate client device has initiated a fast-forward function or a rewind function to retrieve content from the second period where the second period occurs either after the first period or prior to the first period,
receiving a request for an updated manifest file, or
receiving a request for media segments from a second period in at least one of the plurality of differently encoded files of the on demand asset.
31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein the adaptive bit rate media segments referenced by the manifest file that occur within the first period comprise at least one of:
all of the adaptive bit rate media segments available in the first period, or
the identified adaptive bit rate media segment and the adaptive bit rate media segments that occur in the first period at a time later than the adaptive bit rate media segment.
32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files includes a plurality of periods, each period representing a block of content of a finite duration within the on demand asset, each of the plurality of periods having a plurality of adaptive bit rate media segments and associated with a respective ad break.
33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 26 , wherein a period is at least one of:
the period between a first adaptive bit rate media segment of the on demand asset and a first ad break,
the period between two ad breaks within the on demand asset, or
the period between an end of the on demand asset and a last ad break in the on demand asset.
34. A method for streaming media in an adaptive bit rate system, the method comprising:
segmenting a plurality of differently encoded files of an on demand asset into adaptive bit rate media segments, wherein each of the plurality of differently encoded files comprises a plurality of periods separated by ad break locations, each period including a plurality of the adaptive bit rate media segments;
responsive to a request for an on demand asset, generating a manifest file referencing the plurality of the adaptive bit rate media segments that occur within one of the plurality of periods;
appending to the manifest file references to ad content associated with an ad break occurring before or after the period,
wherein a manifest file updated with references to adaptive bit rate media segments for a subsequent period in the plurality of periods is unavailable for an adaptive bit rate client device until a playback duration of the ad break has expired,
wherein appending references to the manifest file includes at least one of:
for the appending to the manifest file the references to said ad content associated with said ad break, omitting identification of I-frame playlists for the ad content, thereby impeding trick plays on the ad content during the playback duration, or
appending to the manifest file, after the ad playback duration expires, references to I-frames of ad content in the ad break associated with the expired playback duration for facilitating trick plays on the already played back ad content.