SYSTEMS AND METHODS TO PROVIDE TRICK PLAY DURING STREAMING PLAYBACK

摘要

Systems and methods are described for providing trick play functions such as fast forward, rewind or slow motion during playback of streaming media content. Multiple sets of streamlets or other media files that represent the same media stream are encoded differently from each other (e.g., at different frame rates and/or frame directions), and each set of files is simultaneously maintained at a server. Files encoded at a first format are made available to the client device during regular playback, and files encoded at a different frame rate and/or a different direction of encoding are made available to support trick play.

主权项

1. A method executable by a client device to process a media stream of media content that is received via a network, the method comprising:
requesting a first portion of the media stream at the client device via the network, wherein the first portion is encoded with a predetermined duration of the media content with a first number of video frames; rendering the video frames of the first portion at a first frame rate by the client device to thereby playback the first portion of the media stream; receiving a user instruction at the client device to perform a trick play function that adapts the playback speed of the media stream; in response to the user instruction to adapt the playback speed of the media stream, requesting a second portion of the media stream via the network at the client device, wherein the second portion is encoded with the same predetermined duration of the media content as the first portion with a second number of video frames that is different than the first number of video frames used to encode the first portion; and performing the trick play function to adapt the playback speed of the media stream by rendering the frames of the second portion so that the predetermined duration of the media content represented by the second portion is rendered over a different period of time than the same predetermined duration of the media content represented by the first portion without degradation of the first frame rate.