Reduction of startup time in remote HLS
A method is provided for streaming transcoded HLS video from a video asset to allow a minimum startup delay time. A method includes pre-transcoding a first number of the HLS chunks. Then, once a request is received from a remote HLS client for the HLS video asset, transmitting a number of the pre-transcoded chunks to the remote HLS player. The pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted during a startup period until real-time transcoded chunks can be received and processed by the remote HLS player at a time position to allow seamless transition from the pre-transcoded chunks.
1. A method of streaming video comprising:
providing a portion of a recorded video asset to a transcoder or transcoders;
dividing and pre-transcoding the portion of the video asset into a number of temporally contiguous sections of chunks, where the sections sequentially increase in bitrate, the pre-transcoding limited to the number of chunks that are only the portion of the video, and storing the pre-transcoded chunks to allow transmission beginning at least at a first low bitrate;
receiving a request from a remote HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) client player for the recorded video asset at a determined bitrate; and
transmitting the stored pre-transcoded chunks to the remote HLS client player in sequence and at a bitrate no greater than the determined bitrate for a period of time, the magnitude of the period based on the determined bitrate, and thereafter transmitting chunks transcoded in real time at the determined bitrate.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
transmitting at least a first one of the pre-transcoded chunks at said first low bitrate;
measuring a bandwidth available to the remote HLS player; and
transmitting subsequent ones of the pre-transcoded chunks at the multiple increasing bitrates for a remainder of the period of time.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pre-transcoded portion includes a highest bitrate chosen to be less than an available bandwidth receivable by the remote player by a predetermined margin.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pre-transcoded portion includes a highest bitrate equal to the bandwidth of the remote player.
5. The method of claim 2 , wherein the pre-transcoded portion includes two or more higher bitrates.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-transcoding of the chunks begins at a bookmarked timestamp.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising during a startup time when the pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted, beginning transcoding and transmission of the remaining chunks at a time position to allow seamless transition from the pre-transcoded chunks provided to the remote HLS player.
8. The method of claim 7 ,
wherein the pre-transcoded chunks include a first number of chunks of the video asset, and the chunks transcoded in real-time include chunks after the first number of chunks of the video asset,
wherein real-time transcoding begins at the time of transmission of the pre-transcoded chunks, and
wherein the transmission of the chunks transcoded in real-time begins after a predetermined number of pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein all of the first number of pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted before the chunks transcoded in real-time chunks are transmitted.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein not all of the first number of pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted before the chunks transcoded in real-time chunks are transmitted.
11. A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) for streaming HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) video to at least one remote HLS player device, the DVR comprising:
an interface for transmitting the streaming HLS video to the remote HLS player;
a processor connected to control the interface;
a memory storing processor executable code to cause the processor to provide the HLS video stream through the interface and to perform the following steps:
provide a portion of a recorded video asset to a transcoder or transcoders;
divide and pre-transcode the portion of the recorded asset into a number of temporally contiguous sections of chunks, where the sections sequentially increase in bitrate, the pre-transcoding limited to the number of chunks that are only the portion of the video, and storing the pre-transcoded chunks in the memory to allow transmission beginning at least at a first low bitrate;
receive a request from the remote HLS client through the interface for the recorded video asset at a determined bitrate; and
transmit the stored pre-transcoded chunks to the remote HLS through the interface at a bitrate no greater than the determined bitrate for a period of time, the magnitude of the period based on the determined bitrate, and thereafter transmitting chunks transcoded in real time at the determined bitrate.
12. The DVR of claim 11 , where the memory stores processor executable code to cause the processor to perform the following additional steps:
transmit at least a first one of the pre-transcoded chunks through the interface at said first low bitrate;
measure a bandwidth available to the remote HLS player; and
transmit subsequent ones of the pre-transcoded chunks through the interface the multiple increasing bitrates for a remainder of the period of time.
13. The DVR of claim 11 , wherein the memory stores processor executable code to cause the processor during a startup time when the pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted, to begin transcoding and transmission of the remaining chunks through the interface at a time position to allow seamless transition from the pre-transcoded chunks provided to the remote HLS player.
14. The DVR of claim 13 ,
wherein the pre-transcoded chunks include a first number of chunks of the video asset, and the chunks transcoded in real-time include chunks after the first number of chunks of the video asset,
wherein the chunks transcoded in real-time begins at the time of transmission of the pre-transcoded chunks, and
wherein the transmission of the chunks transcoded in real-time begins after a predetermined number of pre-transcoded chunks are transmitted.