Stabilization of adaptive streaming video clients through rate limiting

摘要

In one embodiment, a method includes identifying a current encoding rate requested by a client device for content received from a content source, setting at a network device a rate limit to limit the rate at which the content is received at the client device based on the current encoding rate, and adjusting the rate limit based on changes in the current encoding rate. The rate limit is set to allow the client device to change the current encoding rate to a next higher available encoding rate.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
identifying a current encoding rate requested by a client device for content received from a content source; based on said current encoding rate, setting at a network device, a rate limit to limit a rate at which said content is received at the client device, wherein the rate limit is set to allow the client device to change said current encoding rate to a next higher available encoding rate; and adjusting the rate limit based on changes in said current encoding rate; wherein the rate limit provides rate stabilization for competing clients by permitting the client device to shift to said next higher available encoding rate while maintaining the rate low enough to maximize overlapping of content transfers among the competing clients and minimize frequent rate changes; wherein said next higher available encoding rate is a rate that is at least as high as a next higher encoding rate that the client device has to detect to be able to upshift; and wherein setting the rate limit comprises calculating a sending limit equal to:
(1+e)*R[n+1]; wherein:
R[n+1] is said next higher available encoding rate for n