Server-based video stitching

摘要

Approaches, techniques, and mechanisms are disclosed for the server-based stitching of a sequence of video segments. According to one embodiment, rather than combining the segments together into a single video file, a server (e.g. a segment-based HTTP server) is configured to dynamically switch between streaming the different segments in the sequence. That is, for instance, as the server reaches the end of one segment, instead of terminating the streaming, the server retrieves the video data for the next segment and continues streaming content from the next segment. Thus, the server streams a sequence of multiple and distinct video segments from a single addressable location (e.g. a URL), rather than streaming the distinct video segments from separate addressable locations. To a client, the stream appears to be a single video stream, even though composed of audio/video data from separate and distinct files or sources.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving a first request to preconfigure a server for serving a stitched video; responsive to the first request, identifying a sequence of video segments to include in the stitched video; extracting, from video files corresponding to the video segments, video header blocks for the video segments; generating a merged video header block by merging the video header blocks together based on the sequence and on the lengths of video data blocks within the video files; storing the merged video header block as a header file; generating a Uniform Resource Locator (“URL”) that includes or references information that identifies: each of the video files, the header file, the lengths, and offsets within the video files at which the video data blocks are found; responding to the first request with the URL; receiving, from a client device, one or more second requests directed to the URL; responsive to the one or more second requests, and based on the information included in or referenced by the URL:
locating the video files and the header file based on the URL received in the one or more second requests;streaming the stitched video to the client device by serving the header file followed by content from each of the video data blocks, in turn, from their respective video files.