Method and system for advanced notification of availability of fast content switching

摘要

Disclosed herein is a method and system for triggering fast-content-switching with respect to streaming media such as RTSP streaming media for instance. When a server receives a DESCRIBE request or the like from a client that is engaged in an existing streaming media session, the server will determine if fast-content-switching is supported for switching from the existing session to the newly requested session. If so, the server will include in its reply to the DESCRIBE request a parameter (one or more pieces of data) that is interpretable by the client to mean that fast-content-switching is supported, so that the client will then request the server to start the new session without the client first engaging in SETUP transactions with respect to each media stream of the new session. This process can decrease latency in switching between sessions, by reducing the likelihood that a requested fast-content-switch will fail.

主权项

1. A method of triggering fast content switching during a first streaming media session in which a server is streaming one or more first media streams to a client via a network for playout of each first media stream by the client as the client receives the first media stream, wherein each first media stream has a respective type and a respective format, the method comprising:
during the first streaming media session, receiving at the server from the client a DESCRIBE request seeking information about a second media object representing one or more second media streams that, if streamed from the server to the client, would define a second streaming media session, wherein each second media stream has a respective type, and wherein the DESCRIBE request is a precursor to the client requesting the server to begin streaming the one or more second media streams; responsive to the DESCRIBE request, making a determination at the server of whether a fast-content-switching condition is met with respect to the second media object, wherein the fast-content-switching-condition is met only if, for each second media stream that is the same type as a first media stream of the first streaming media session, the server possesses the second media stream in the same format as the first media stream of the same type that is being streamed to the client; and if the determination is that the fast-content-switching condition is met with respect to the second media object, then sending from the server to the client, in response to the DESCRIBE request, a reply that contains a first parameter indicating that fast-content-switching from the first streaming media session to the second streaming media session is supported, so as to cause the client to request fast-content-switching from the first streaming media session to the second streaming media session.