Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Ashley Speicher

Todd Bowra

Nicholas Jie Fang

Gurpratap Virdi

Jeffrey Alan Davis

Vu Xuan Nguyen

Sudhakar Visweswara Prabhu

Glenn Frederick Evans

Feng Lu

Min Liu

Haoyun Wu

Hui Wan

Zhen Ma

Thomas Meng

Shuyin Zhao

David M Davis

Vu Nguyen

Program code enabling the streaming of HD content in real-time to a game console is stored on a storage medium remote from the game console. The game console executes software that facilitates transfer of the program code from the remote storage medium to the game console. The program code ensures that sufficient bandwidth exists on a network between the game console and a HD tuner, and enables the streaming of HD content in real-time to the game console.

Real-time HD TV/video IP streaming to a game console

Adjusting media streaming parameters of a media streaming device and media playback parameters of a media playback device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system probes a network infrastructure to determine a network type, a playback device type, a streaming device type, a media content type, a preroll duration, and a playback device buffer size. Based upon these streaming and playback conditions, values of streaming parameters of a streaming device and values of playback parameters of a playback device are determined. Streaming parameters include the aggressiveness of the network transmitter, the slope of the transmit rate ramp-up, and the maximum transmit rate. Playback parameters include the amount of data prerolled by the playback device. The aforementioned values are sent to streaming and playback device control systems to control the streaming and the playback of the media, during and/or before playback.

Dynamically adapting media content streaming and playback parameters for existing streaming and playback conditions

A media server in a home entertainment network coordinates with a media receiver connected with the network to provide a media representation with a combined user interface on an attached display device. The media server receives compositing information from the media receiver over the network regarding the placemement of UI components generated by the media receiver. In response, the media server may adjust the positioning of graphics, media control information, metadata, media presentation windows, and other UI components for presentation by the media receiver such that the UI components generated by the media server do not interfere with the UI generated by the media receiver when rendered to the display device. Alternately, the media receiver may adjust the position of UI components such that the UI components generated by the media receiver do not interfere with the UI generated by the media server upon presentation.

Composition of local user interface with remotely generated user interface and media

Described herein is technology for, among other things, improving playback of media streams by maximizing bandwidth utilization. The technology may be implemented via a remote playback device on a network. It involves monitoring requests for portions of streaming media content and the associated responses to the requests and then adjusting request parameters to more effectively utilize available bandwidth. The effective available bandwidth may be controlled by moderating requests in order to induce behavior favorable to media streaming in the flow control mechanisms which control the amount of data sent in response to a request.

Adaptive bandwidth utilization

Transrate/transcode functionality of media processing units in devices distributed within a networked media system are harnessed to enable media streaming to devices across networks while overcoming insufficient bandwidth to transmit the source content or while providing reformatted media to devices that do not support the source format. A policy engine may reallocate media processing resources for greater efficiency. The policy engine may further schedule time-slicing of media segments in available hardware and software-based codecs. Time-slicing may be used to transformatively process one or more media streams across potentially multiple media processing units connected within a network. The media streams are divided into independently processable segments based upon knowledge of underlying media formats. Processing requirements and a priority processing order may be determined for and assigned to each independently processable segment. The segments may be scheduled for delivery to the media processing units based upon the assigned priority and processing requirements.

Media stream slicing and processing load allocation for multi-user media systems

A media server in a home entertainment network coordinates with a media player connected with the network to provide a media presentation with a combined user interface (UI) on an attached display device. Media content is sourced locally on a networked media player. The media player extracts metadata related to the media content and transmits the metadata to the media server. The media server creates the UI to include components related to the media content rendered by the media player. The media server then transmits the UI to the media player for combination with the rendered media content for a composite output to a presentation device. The media server may further develop and transmit compositing instructions and additional media content to the media player for inclusion in the composite output.

Composition of local media playback with remotely generated user interface

Television content from multiple sources is described. In embodiment(s), a television client device includes an interface to receive television media content in multiple streaming video formats. A television media service implemented in the television client device can process television media content when received in a first streaming video format, and render the television media content for display. In addition, the television media service can process additional television media content when received in a second streaming video format, and render the additional television media content for display.

Television content from multiple sources

The scaling of a user interface according to network or device limitations is disclosed. One embodiment provides a method of scaling a user interface, comprising sending a user interface over a network to a networked device, detecting a performance limitation of the user interface in at least one of the network or the networked device, and scaling a parameter of the user interface in response to the detected limitation to improve the performance of the user interface. In this manner, a user interface may be scaled in response to limitations on performance and end-user experience can be improved.

Scalable user interface

Improved responsiveness and reduced latency of media playback on a media player is achieved by dynamic adjustment of storage parameters for the jitter buffer in the media player. Decreasing the size of the jitter buffer to a smaller constant value may provide acceptable, starvation-free playback in many cases. Playback of more demanding files requiring more buffered data for decode are addressed by dynamic adjustment of the jitter buffer parameters. An algorithmic or heuristic process is used to dynamically set the size of the jitter buffer before and during media playback. The jitter buffer size and/or preroll duration may be adjusted based upon the quality of playback experience. If playback starves, the jitter buffer size, starvation threshold, and/or preroll duration is increased before rebuffering and resuming playback. If the jitter buffer remains above a defined threshold for a given period of time, the jitter buffer size and/or preroll duration may be decreased, improving the responsiveness of startup and seek and trick mode operations.

Dynamic buffer settings for media playback

A media server in a home entertainment network allows a media rendering device to act as a digital media receiver. The media server enables trick mode functions such as scan forward or reverse, slow motion, pause, and seek on rendering devices with capabilities limited to 1&#xd7; playback. The media server receives commands from user input at the rendering device transmitted over the network to the media server. The media server manipulates the media stream before transmission over the network by deleting or adding frames to the media stream as necessary to emulate the desired playback functions and replacing frame timestamps to create a media stream that appears to the media rendering device as a sequential 1&#xd7; stream. The transmitted media stream may not contain all of the media content stored in the corresponding media file on the media server, thus avoiding limitations on the download bandwidth and local client storage.

Server-side media stream manipulation for emulation of media playback functions

Described herein is technology for, among other uses, performing playback of dynamic content using protocols designed for playback of fixed-length files. The technology involves strategically updating the duration of the content during playback under various conditions. During playback, as the playback position approaches the duration, the duration is refreshed. Also, during playback the rate at which the duration is increasing is used to predict the duration and thus smoothly report the duration to the user. Upon receiving a seek request, if the request is beyond the current duration, the duration will be refreshed to avoid unnecessarily limiting the seek request.

Live content streaming using file-centric media protocols

The multi-location buffering of streaming media data is disclosed. One embodiment comprises buffering a first segment of media data associated with a current playback location, and buffering a second segment of media data associated with a seek point separated from the first segment of media data by a segment of unbuffered data. In this manner, data at seek points in the media stream may be buffered before a user requests a seek operation. Playback at a seek point may therefore begin with lessened or no perceived lag when a user inputs a seek command.

Growing community of inventors

Redmond, WA, United States of America

Ashley Speicher