IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,096,048

Granted Patent B2

US 12,096,048 · App. 17/825,876 · Granted Sep 17, 2024

Systems and methods for localized adaptive content distribution

Inventors: Grant McGilvray (Denver, CO); Clarence Hau (Tenafly, NJ); Michael Harrell (Parker, CO); Anil Abraham (Upper Saddle River, NJ); Peter Rosenberg (New York, NY); Adam Dever (Ringwood, NJ)

Assignee: NBCUniversal Media, LLC

H04N21/23424 H04L65/70 H04L65/75 H04L65/765 H04L65/80 H04N21/2187 H04N21/23439 H04N21/2353 H04N21/458 H04N21/6125

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12,096,048
App. No.: 17/825,876
Granted: Sep 17, 2024
Kind: B2

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

Systems and methods for switching from a linearly distributed live content and/or internet stream to other contents are provided by aligning timing between contents. Break points may be programmed between diverse non-time synced source encoder of the respective contents to facilitate switching between contents. A first linear stream is caused to be provided. A switchover time to a second linear stream is then identified. The second linear stream is caused to be provided at the switchover time. In different embodiments, switching may occur between different number of contents using the described systems and methods. One or more streaming contents may be up-converted and/or down-converted in different streaming systems.

Claims (45)

1. A method to enable switching between multiple broadcasting streams, comprising:

providing, via a communication network, a first live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to a capture of first live content at a first content stream origination source to a playback device;

calculating, by a rules engine, an offset value to compensate for a time difference between a first switchover time associated with the first live broadcasting stream and a second switchover time associated with a second live broadcasting stream of a second content stream origination source;

providing, via the rules engine, over the communication network, a switchover marker based on the offset value, instructing the playback device to switch to the second live broadcasting stream from the first live broadcasting stream; and

providing, via the communication network, the second live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to a capture of second live content at the second content stream origination source to the playback device, wherein the second live broadcasting stream is being provided based on a scheduling rule associated with the switchover marker.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the switchover marker is associated with a merged manifest having a plurality of switchover markers, and wherein a second switchover marker of the plurality of switchover markers indicates a switch from the second live broadcasting stream to the first live broadcasting stream or indicates a switch from a first streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream to a second streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream different from the first streaming format.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the merged manifest further comprises a third switchover marker that is a multi-purpose switchover marker that signals a simultaneous switch between different live broadcasting streams and different streaming formats, wherein the different streaming formats correspond to different resolutions different frame rates, or both.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the switchover marker comprises an identifier that identifies a streaming content, a streaming quality of the streaming content, or both.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the identifier further identifies a time within a schedule for providing the streaming content, the streaming quality of the streaming content, or both.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the identifier enables determination of playback parameters associated with the second live broadcasting stream, wherein the playback parameters comprise decoding information, video format information, and bit rate information.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, by the rules engine, the first live broadcasting stream from the first content stream origination source and the second live broadcasting stream from the second content stream origination source;

encoding, by the rules engine, a first streaming format of the first live broadcasting stream and a second streaming format of the first live broadcasting stream; and

encoding, by the rules engine, a first streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream and a second streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream before providing the first live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to the capture of first live content at the first content stream origination source and providing the second live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to the capture of second live content at the second content stream origination source to the playback device via the communication network.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first live broadcasting stream is associated with a first set of switchover markers and the second live broadcasting stream is associated with a second set of switchover markers, further comprising:

segmenting, by the rules engine, the encoded first and second streaming formats of the first live broadcasting stream and the encoded first and second streaming formats of the second live broadcasting stream into a plurality of packets based on the first and second sets of switchover markers; and

generating, by the rules engine, a merged manifest associated with the plurality of packets, wherein the merged manifest comprises a plurality of switchover makers for signaling switching between a first packet and a second packet of the plurality of packets.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scheduling rule associated with the switchover marker indicates a priority for providing the second live broadcasting stream in lieu of the first live broadcasting stream to the playback device.

10. A rules engine comprising:

a first packaging unit configured to provide a first live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to a capture of first live content at a first content stream origination source to a playback device;

a second packaging unit configured to provide a second live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to a capture of second live content at a second content stream origination source to the playback device, wherein the second packaging unit is configured to provide the second live broadcasting stream based on a scheduling rule associated with a switchover marker indicating a priority for providing the second live broadcasting stream in lieu of the first live broadcasting stream to the playback device; and

a manifest switcher configured to:

calculate an offset value to compensate for a time difference between a first switchover time associated with the first live broadcasting stream and a second switchover time associated with the second live broadcasting stream of the second content stream origination source; and

provide the switchover marker to the playback device based on the offset value, wherein the switchover marker is indicative of switching to the second live broadcasting stream from the first live broadcasting stream based on the scheduling rule.

11. The rules engine of claim 10 , wherein the manifest switcher is configured to provide the switchover marker based on a merged manifest file having a plurality of switchover markers, wherein a second switchover marker of the plurality of switchover markers indicates a switch from the second live broadcasting stream to the first live broadcasting stream or indicates a switch from a first streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream to a second streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream different from the first streaming format, and wherein the merged manifest further comprises a third switchover marker that is a multi-purpose switchover marker that signals a simultaneous switch between different live broadcasting streams and different streaming formats.

12. The rules engine of claim 10 , wherein the switchover marker comprises an identifier that identifies a streaming content, a streaming quality of the streaming content, or both, and wherein the identifier further identifies a time within a schedule for providing the streaming content, the streaming quality of the streaming content, or both.

13. The rules engine of claim 10 , comprising an encoder configured to:

receive the second live broadcasting stream from the second content stream origination source;

encode a first streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream and a second streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream; and

provide the second live broadcasting stream to the second packaging unit.

14. The rules engine of claim 10 , wherein the manifest switcher is configured to:

identify a first switchover marker in a first manifest file received with the first live broadcasting stream, wherein the first switchover marker is indicative of the first switchover time to switch away from providing the first live broadcasting stream;

identify a second switchover marker in a second manifest file received with the second live broadcasting stream, wherein the second switchover marker is indicative of the second switchover time to provide the second live broadcasting stream;

and

generate the switchover marker comprising a switchover time indicative of providing the second live broadcasting stream in lieu of the first live broadcasting stream based on calculating the offset value.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code executable by one or more processors to:

provide a first live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to a capture of first live content at a first content stream origination source to a playback device;

calculate an offset value to compensate for a time difference between a first switchover time associated with the first live broadcasting stream and a second switchover time associated with a second live broadcasting stream of a second content stream origination source;

provide a switchover marker based on the offset value, instructing the playback device to switch to the second live broadcasting stream from the first live broadcasting stream; and

provide the second live broadcasting stream in near real-time with respect to a capture of second live content at the second content stream origination source to the playback device, wherein the second live broadcasting stream is being provided based a scheduling rule associated with the switchover marker.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the switchover marker is associated with a merged manifest having a plurality of switchover markers, and wherein a second switchover marker of the plurality of switchover markers indicates a switch from the second live broadcasting stream to the first live broadcasting stream or indicates a switch from a first streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream to a second streaming format of the second live broadcasting stream different from the first streaming format.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16 , wherein the merged manifest further comprises a third switchover marker that is a multi-purpose switchover marker that signals a simultaneous switch between different live broadcasting streams and different streaming formats, wherein the different streaming formats correspond to different resolutions, different frame rates, or both.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15 , wherein the switchover marker comprises an identifier that identifies a streaming content, a streaming quality of the streaming content, or both.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the identifier further identifies a time within a schedule for providing the streaming content, the streaming quality of the streaming content, or both.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18 , wherein the identifier enables determination of playback parameters associated with the second live broadcasting stream, wherein the playback parameters comprise decoding information, video format information, and bit rate information.

Continuity (3)

Division 17323753 · May 18, 2021

Provisional Application 63046277 · Jun 30, 2020

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