British Telecommunications Public Limited Company

Jonathan Rennison

Rory Stewart Turnbull

Andrew P Gower

Martin Trimby

Examples of the present invention provide a method of reducing the latency in streaming live media by a client from a server. The client uses manifest information to determine the 'live edge' of the live media stream, where the live edge is represented by the segment from the media stream corresponding to the current time. The client then uses this to identify the next segment, which is the segment in time that will next become available. The client then starts making repeated polling requests for that next segment until the segment becomes available. As a result, the newest possible segment is obtained by the client as soon as it becomes available, and latency is reduced. Further, when adopted by all clients, the latency variation between clients is also reduced.

Low latency media streaming

Playing of first and second content streams delivered to respective first and second receiving devices is achieved following a seek command to one of the devices, by a synchronization controller which receives information identifying the segment in the first stream in which the start point is located, and the duration of time between the start point and the beginning of the next segment, and transmits a command to the second receiving device identifying a segment in a second stream, at which to resume play, and a time at which to start displaying, allowing the display controlled by the second receiving device to be resynchronized with the display controlled by the first receiving device after operation of the seek command on the first device.

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London, United Kingdom

Jonathan Rennison