Hulu, LLC

Baptiste Coudurier

Alexander V Gutarin

Robert A Post, Jr

Ravi V Khadiwala

Xin Jin

Deliang Fu

Zhibing Wang

Eric Buehl

Haisheng Wu

Xiuming Chen

Binbin Yu

Eden S Li

Sherin Kurian

William Z Holt

Xinan Wu

In one embodiment, a method encodes a first set of segments of a media file based on a first bitrate range to generate a first set of encoded segments. It is then determined when an encoded segment for the first bitrate range includes a bitrate that satisfies a second bitrate range. When the encoded segment for the first bitrate range includes the bitrate that satisfies the second bitrate range, the method does not encode a segment in the first set of segments that corresponds to the encoded segment when the media file is encoded based on the second bitrate range to generate a second set of encoded segments for the second bitrate range. A first playlist for the first bitrate range is identified and a second playlist for the second bitrate range is identified. The second playlist also includes the encoded segment that was encoded for the first bitrate range.

Encoding optimization using bitrate range comparisons for encoded segments

Particular embodiments allow a content delivery service to dynamically adjust how the service allocates content delivery traffic to multiple content delivery networks (CDNs). In one embodiment, the content delivery service may service enough requests for media programs that multiple CDNs are used. This allows the content delivery service to allocate traffic to different CDNs. Instead of solely relying on the CDN to provide quality of service solutions, the content delivery service may configure client devices to send information to it that allows the content delivery service to analyze the media program playback quality of service. Then, the content delivery service can adjust the allocation for the CDNs if a problem is detected at a specific CDN.

Dynamic content delivery network allocation system

In one embodiment, a method includes: retrieving information for frame type decisions made by a first encoding process when encoding a video at a first bitrate to generate a first encoded video; while performing a second encoding process to encode the video at a second bitrate to generate a second encoded video, performing: determining a frame type decision from the information for frame type decisions, wherein the frame type decision comprises a frame type of a frame for the video that was encoded at the first bitrate; inserting a keyframe in the second encoded video based on the frame type decision, wherein the inserted keyframe in the second encoded video is aligned with a corresponding keyframe in the first encoded video; and continuing to retrieve frame type decisions and inserting keyframes in the second encoded video until the video is encoded at the second bitrate.

Keyframe alignment for encoding video at multiple bitrates

In one embodiment, a method determines a job to dispatch for transcoding a source file. The source file is stored on a node in a distributed file system in which a plurality of nodes are storing a plurality of source files. The method then determines location information for the source file in the distributed file system where the location information identifies the node in which the source file is stored. Also, a node in the plurality of nodes is determined in which to dispatch the job based on the location information for the source file. Then, the job is dispatched to the determined node such that transcoding of the source file is performed on the determined node. The determined node that performs the transcoding of the source file is also storing at least a portion of the plurality of source files.

Job dispatcher of transcoding jobs for media programs

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and a memory structure for providing advertisements with a media program transmitted to a user device are described. Different versions of a media program and advertisements are generated and segmented, and transmitted to a media player individually, allowing different advertisements to be selected for presentation to users according to user demographics and other factors.

Method and apparatus for providing streaming media programs and targeted advertisements using multiple advertisement version segments

In one embodiment, a method determines thresholds for a multiple bitrate algorithm that adjusts which bitrates for a media program are requested. A first threshold is associated with a first buffer length and a first direction of adjustment and a second threshold is associated with a second buffer length greater than the first buffer length and a second direction of adjustment. The method then determines which threshold applies to a buffer length of a buffer buffering the media program. An adjustment to the multiple bitrate algorithm in the first direction or the second direction based on the threshold that applies where the adjustment in the first direction increases an aggressiveness used by the multiple bitrate algorithm to increase the bitrate requested and the adjustment in the second direction decreases the aggressiveness used by the multiple bitrate algorithm to increase the bitrate requested.

Dynamic adjustment to multiple bitrate algorithm based on buffer length

In one embodiment, a method includes encoding a media file using a variable bitrate encoding algorithm based on a plurality of bitrate ranges to generate a set of encoded segments. For each bitrate range, an encoded segment for each segment of the media file is determined from the set of encoded segments based on a quality level of the encoded segment and each bitrate range. The method then identifies a playlist for each bitrate range including the encoded segment for each segment of the media file that was determined for each bitrate range. At least one playlist includes an encoded segment that was generated based on another bitrate range using the variable bitrate encoding algorithm.

Encoding optimization using quality level of encoded segments

In one embodiment, a method includes analyzing characteristics of a media program to label parts of the media program with a plurality of labels where parts of the media program that are determined to be substantially similar are labeled with a same label. The method then analyzes different partitionings of a sequence of the labels to determine partitions for the media program based on a weighting function that is configured to weight the different partitionings based on portions created from the partitions in the different partitionings. Then, a partitioning for the media program is outputted based on comparing the different partitionings of the sequence of labels using the weighting function. The outputted partitioning partitions the media program into a set of portions and provides points for insertion of information for a service in the media program.

Scene detection using weighting function

In one embodiment, a method receives a frame type storage medium including frame type decisions made by a first encoding process to encode a video at a first bitrate to generate a first encoded video. While performing a second encoding process to encode the video at a second bitrate to generate a second encoded video, the method performs: retrieving information from the storage medium regarding a frame type decision made during the first encoding process; inserting a keyframe in the second encoded video based on the retrieved information from the storage medium, wherein the inserted keyframe in the second encoded video is aligned with a corresponding keyframe in the first encoded video; and continuing to retrieve information from the storage medium and inserting keyframes in the second encoded video. Keyframes in the first encoded video are aligned with keyframes in the second encoded video.

In one embodiment, a method receiving a request for a media program from a user device. The method then determines a set of visual representations of captions for the media program and determines video information for the media program. Visual representations from the set of visual representations of captions are sent with the video information over a network to the user device where text for the captions has been pre-rendered in the sent visual representations before sending of the visual representations to the user device. Also, the user device is configured to directly render and overlay a visual representation of a caption from the visual representations over a portion of the video information without rendering of the text for caption on the portion of the video information at the user device.

Overlay of visual representations of captions on video

In one embodiment, a method receives a video at a partial encoder. The partial encoder determines characteristics of the video by performing a portion of an encoding process of the video. The method analyzes the characteristics of the video to determine splice points in the video to splice the video into multiple parts. The video is spliced into a plurality of parts based on the splice points and the plurality of parts are sent to a plurality of encoders. The plurality of encoders encode the plurality of parts substantially in parallel, the encoded plurality of parts are combined to form an encoded version of the video, and the partial encoder does not encode any of the encoded plurality of parts in the encoded version of the video.

Splicing of video for parallel encoding

In one embodiment, a method determines first information from a component of a computing device to determine when receiving of one or more advertisements will affect an available bandwidth reading that is based on receiving of a media program. Then, the method dynamically disables a multiple bitrate algorithm based upon the first information such that a new bitrate version of the media program cannot be requested by the multiple bitrate algorithm for the media player. Second information is determined from the component of the computing device to determine when the available bandwidth reading will not be affected by receiving of the one or more advertisements. The method then dynamically enables the multiple bitrate algorithm based on the second information. The multiple bitrate algorithm is then allowed to request the different bitrate version of the media program based on the available bandwidth reading.

Disabling of multiple bitrate algorithm for media programs while playing advertisements

In one embodiment, a method determines data describing a temporal variability of a bit rate of a first bitstream and receives the first bitstream through a communication channel. A throughput for the communication channel is determined. The method then compares the throughput of the communication channel with the data describing the temporal variability of the bit rate of the first bitstream to determine a variance of the first bitstream from the throughput for the communication channel for a portion of the media program not already received. An amount of data currently buffered in a buffer for the media program is determined and then the method compares the amount of data currently buffered to the variance for the portion to determine whether to switch to receiving a second bitstream. The second bitstream has a different bit rate from the first bitstream.

Adaptive bit rate switching

In one embodiment, a method determines a job to dispatch for transcoding a source file. The source file is stored on a node in a distributed file system in which a plurality of nodes are storing a plurality of source files. The method then determines location information for the source file in the distributed file system where the location information identifies the node in which the source file is stored. Also, a node in the plurality of nodes is determined in which to dispatch the source file based on the location information for the source file. Then, the job is dispatched to the determined node such that transcoding of the source file is performed on the determined node.

In one embodiment, a method includes analyzing characteristics of a media program to label portions of the media program with a plurality of labels. Portions of the media program that are determined to be substantially similar are labeled with a same label. The method then analyzes different partitionings of a sequence of the labels to determine partitions for the media program based on a weighting function. A plurality of partitions of the media program are outputted based on comparing the different partitionings of the sequence of labels using the weighting function. The plurality of partitions partition the media program into a plurality of portions and provide points for insertion of information for a service in the media program.

Growing community of inventors

Los Angeles, CA, United States of America

Baptiste Coudurier