Automatically rebroadcasting video streams for confidence review

Number: 10607085
Published: 2020-03-31
Filed: 2017-04-10
Assignee: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
Inventors: Feldman; Vladislav, Stefanidis; Efthimis, Strein; Michael J.
CPC: H04L65/611; G06V20/46; H04L65/764
Verdict: Set aside broadcast QC/rebroadcast, business
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

Abstract

There is provided a system including an Internet Protocol (IP) switch, a client, a content source, a content monitor, a system manager having a hardware processor and a memory storing a content management software code, wherein the client is communicatively coupled to the IP switch via a network path. The system receives, using the IP switch, a source content stream from the content source, transmits the source content stream to the client via the network path, replicates, at the client, the source content stream to generate a client content stream, sends, from the client, the client content stream via the network path to the content monitor, and compares, using the content monitor, the client content stream with the source content stream.

Background

BACKGROUND(1) Streaming video media is an ever-increasing driving force in current entertainment media distribution and trends. Streaming Video over Internet Protocol (VIP) creates further quality assurance and quality control challenges for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in order to satisfy service level agreements. However, in order to ensure service level agreements are met, ISP carriers need to check media transmissions for errors and ensure accurately receiving transmissions.(2) In the video domain having dedicated video links in a network path for distant devices, there are no ways to loop the transmission back through the network path to the source, thereby providing confidence of the health of the network and that the signal has arrived at the intended destination. Subscribing to the same multicast or requesting delivery of a new unicast only verifies that the source is correct, but does not verify the path to the original desired destination is valid. Other techniques are known, for example port forwarding, however, port forwarding merely provides for video traffic to join the original multi/unicast. Address replication is yet another technique used to provide redundancy in switches, which replicates the traffic across multiple ports and/or switch frames. However, address replication is merely a replication of the original source traffic, and fails to instill full confidence in proper reception of the transmission.SUMMARY(3) There are provided systems and methods

Claims

1. A system comprising: an Internet Protocol (IP) switch; a client communicatively coupled to the IP switch via a network path; a content source; a content monitor; a system manager having a hardware processor and a memory storing a content management software code, wherein the hardware processor is configured to execute the content management software code to: receive, using the IP switch, a source content video stream from the content source; and transmit the source content video stream to the client via the network path; wherein the client is configured to: replicate, at the client, the source content video stream to generate a client content video stream; and send, from the client, the client content video stream to the content monitor via the network path; wherein the content monitor is configured to: compare the client content video stream with the source content video stream; determine an error based on comparing the client content video stream with the source content video stream; and send, in response to determining the error, an alert to the system manager. 11. A method for use by a system including an Internet Protocol (IP) switch, a client, a content source, a content monitor, a system manager having a hardware processor and a memory storing a content management software code, wherein the client is communicatively coupled to the IP switch via a network path, the method comprising: receiving, using the IP switch, a source content video stream from the content source; transmitting the source content video stream to the client via the network path; replicating, at the client, the source content video stream to generate a client content video stream; sending, from the client, the client content video stream via the network path to the content monitor; comparing, using the content monitor, the client content video stream with the source content video stream; determining, using the content monitor, an error based on comparing the client content video stream with the source content video stream; and sending, using the content monitor and in response to determining the error, an alert to the system manager.