Multi-node media server that provides video to a plurality of terminals from a single buffer when video requests are close in time
US5808607A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 7, 1995 |
| Grant date | Sep 15, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 7, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N7/17336
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A multi-node video server system in accordance with the invention comprises disk storage associated with a first node which stores at least a portion of a video presentation in the form of plural data blocks, each data block comprising a viewing time segment of the presentation. RAM buffer in a second node receives and stores data blocks of the video presentation from the disk storage in the first node, upon an initial request by a first viewing terminal to view a portion of the video presentation. A communication module in the second node outputs the data blocks, as an isochronous data stream, to requesting terminals. A host controller is coupled to the video server nodes and receives requests from viewing terminals for the video presentation. The host controller causes the communication module in the second node to connect to a viewing terminal which renders the initial request. Additional viewing terminals requesting the same video presentation are also connected to the same communication module if their requests are received within a time period from the initial request that does not exceed a sum of viewing time segments represented by data blocks stored in the RAM buffer. In t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.