There is provided a method for adaptive bitrate (ABR) adjustments in an IP network before making upshift of ABR level of media streams like video for live Over the Top (OTT) distribution. The invention is based on before upshifting of a current ABR level to a higher ABR level for one or more client devices, probing the network system with a higher bitrate of the data stream provided by e.g. replicating data in the data stream, and monitoring network conditions during probing. Based on the probing it is determined if the available resources in the network are sufficient to sustain an upshift of ABR-level for the client device.

The present disclosure aims to provide a communication apparatus capable of achieving media distribution with a high quality of user experience. A communication apparatus is a communication apparatus configured to distribute media data to another communication apparatus via a plurality of lines, the apparatus including: a communication quality estimation unit configured to estimate communication qualities of the respective lines; a bit rate determination unit configured to calculate, from the estimated communication qualities of the respective lines, an index value indicating a quality of user experience when each of the lines is used and determine a bit rate of the media data based on the calculated index value; and a data allocation unit configured to allocate a data amount of the media data to the respective lines based on the estimated communication qualities of the respective lines and the bit rate that has been determined.

In various embodiments, a subsequence-based encoding application generates a convex hull of subsequence encode points based on multiple encoding points and a first subsequence included in a set of subsequences that are associated with a media title. The subsequence-based encoding application then generates a first encode list that includes multiple subsequence encode points based on the first convex hull. Notably, each subsequence encode point included in the first encode list is associated with a different subsequence. The subsequence-based encoding application selects a first subsequence encode point included in the first encode list based on a first variability constraint that is associated with a media metric. The subsequence-based encoding application then replaces the first subsequence encode point included in the first encode list with a second subsequence encode point to generate a second encode list. Finally, the subsequence-based encoding application generates an encoded media sequence based on the second encode list.

A method, system and product for compressing videos. The method comprising: obtaining a video that comprises a sequence of video frames, wherein the sequence of video frames comprises at least a first frame and a second frame, wherein the first frame is ordered before the second frame in the sequence of video frames; determining to preserve the first frame in its entirety; and in response to a determination to utilize a partial frame instead of the second frame: cropping the second frame to determine a cropped frame, wherein the cropped frame is smaller in at least one dimension than the second frame, wherein said cropping is based on an anchor location; whereby an alternative video can be constructed using the first frame and the cropped frame, wherein the alternative video does not include a remainder portion of the second frame in an explicit manner.

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method, including identifying recommended video clips for a user of a communication device according to a video viewing profile for the user and video subject matter information associated with a plurality of video clips, identifying an edge cloud server for facilitating network access by the communication device at a location, determining a reduced activity period for a data path between a video content server and the edge cloud server by comparing activity information for the data path and an activity threshold, directing the video content server to store the recommended video clips at the edge cloud server during the reduced activity period, and providing a listing of the recommended video clips to an application, where the communication device receives a video clip of the recommended video clips from the edge cloud server responsive to a selection of the video clip via the application. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Apparatuses and methods for data traffic management in multi-source content delivery are described. The apparatus includes a downloader and a controller. The downloader is coupled to servers via communication links. The controller is configured to determine initial download requests for the servers based on predetermined information about a quality of the links. The controller is also configured to send the initial download requests to the servers with the downloader. The controller is further configured to update the information about the quality of the communication links after the downloader receives data associated with a data file from the servers via the communication links. The controller is also configured to determine subsequent download requests for the servers based on the updated information about the quality of the communication links. The controller of further configured to send the subsequent download requests to the servers via the downloader. Rate adaptation is also proposed for each server, and download termination requests are transmitted to the servers when the download is almost complete at the apparatus.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are related to minimize data usage over a costly or slow communication link. When a user is not watching a video stream, the stream may be terminated preventing any further data usage on a metered data connection. A system may also include a user device and a back-end network with a stream manager service. The stream manager service terminates streaming over a wireless channel by an application of the user device when the user device determines one of inactivity of a user of the user device with the application or navigation on the user device away from the application.

In some embodiments, a method receives a plurality of video segments of a video using a plurality of computing instances and measures data received for the plurality of computing instances during a time window. A video segment for a computing instance in the plurality of computing instances is not fully downloaded during the time window. The method calculates a video delivery metric for the plurality of computing instances based on the data received and calculates an evaluation measurement based on the video delivery metric. The evaluation measurement is used to control an addition or a termination of a computing instance.

A method includes receiving, at a server associated with a network operator, a plurality of uniform resource locators (URLs) associated with a media stream provided to a client device. The method includes processing, at the server, the plurality of URLs to determine a quality of experience metric. Processing the plurality of URLs includes extracting first URL data from a first URL and second URL data from a second URL of the plurality of URLs. The first URL data includes a first segment identifier associated with a first segment of a media content item and a first bit rate identifier. The second URL data includes a second segment identifier associated with a second segment of the media content item and a second bit rate identifier. A quality of experience metric may be determined based at least in part on the first URL data and the second URL data.

A device, system and method for intelligently dropping frames in a congested wireless network. Video frames from a video encoder may be received and queued in an ordered sequence of outgoing video frames in a transmission queue to be transmitted as data packets by a wireless communication circuit. When network congestion is detected, a relative contextual importance level of an incoming frame received from the video input channel may be compared relative to at least one frame in the transmission queue. The compared frame that has a lower relative contextual importance level may be dropped or omitted from the transmission queue, thereby transmitting data packets of the frames in the transmission queue without the dropped or omitted frames.