Patent · US Active

System and method for adaptive segment prefetching of streaming media

US8028081B2 · kind B2 · utility

14Cited by
8References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 23, 2008
Grant dateSep 27, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 4, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N21/6587
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for obtaining look-ahead segments for a streaming media item during playback such that the viewer can easily skip to the look-ahead segments without experiencing any substantial interruption or delay in playback. In general, a streaming media source begins streaming a media item to a streaming media client for playback. In one embodiment, the streaming media client selects one or more segments of the media item as one or more look-ahead segments to prefetch from the streaming media source. Then, while the media item is being streamed to the streaming media client for playback, the streaming media client prefetches the one or more look-ahead segments of the media item from the streaming media source. The look-ahead segments are thereafter utilized to enable the viewer to skip ahead in playback without experiencing a substantial interruption or delay in playback.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.