Abstract: An Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Quality of Experience (QoE) Management Unit manages bandwidth usage and QoE at a customer premises where multiple client devices independently download content from multiple providers. An overall virtual pipe to the premises includes a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) inner pipe, a non-HTTP inner pipe, an ABR inner pipe, and a non-ABR inner pipe. The Unit determines a data cap for a current billing cycle; and determines, based on policy management settings and the data cap for the current billing cycle, at least one of: a bandwidth cap for the overall virtual pipe, a bandwidth cap for the HTTP inner pipe, a bandwidth cap for the non-HTTP inner pipe, a bandwidth cap for the ABR inner pipe, and a bandwidth cap for the non-ABR inner pipe. Responsive to the determination of the bandwidth caps, the Unit throttles traffic within at least one of the inner pipes.

Abstract: An adaptive streaming server, a method, and a system are described herein that create a content stream to be delivered to one or more clients by segmenting the content into data structures which are stored in random access memory (volatile storage) rather than segmenting the content into segment files which are stored on a disk or database (non-volatile storage).

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for controlling data usage at a customer premises. A gateway configured as a single point of entry receives all data entering the premises. All data usage by client devices within the premises is monitored. A DataCap Management Unit adjusts a premises bandwidth cap throughout a billing cycle to prevent the data usage from exceeding a data cap before the billing cycle ends.

Abstract: An Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Quality of Experience (QoE) Management Unit, system, and method for managing bandwidth usage and QoE at a customer premises where multiple client devices independently download content from multiple providers. The ABR QoE Management Unit assigns a priority level to each provider and to each client device, translates the assigned priority levels into weights, and utilizes the weights in a Weighted Fair Queuing (WFQ) algorithm to control, at any given time, an amount of bandwidth each client device is allowed to utilize to download content from any given provider, thereby maintaining a desired QoE for each client device/provider combination. The Unit may utilize Phantom Packet Transmission (PPT) WFQ to prevent a first client device from increasing its bit rate when a second client device is in an idle phase of its duty cycle due to a full buffer.

Abstract: An Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) Quality of Experience (QoE) Management Unit manages bandwidth usage and QoE at a customer premises where multiple client devices independently download content from multiple providers. An overall virtual pipe to the premises includes a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) inner pipe, a non-HTTP inner pipe, an ABR inner pipe, and a non-ABR inner pipe. The Unit determines a data cap for a current billing cycle; and determines, based on policy management settings and the data cap for the current billing cycle, at least one of: a bandwidth cap for the overall virtual pipe, a bandwidth cap for the HTTP inner pipe, a bandwidth cap for the non-HTTP inner pipe, a bandwidth cap for the ABR inner pipe, and a bandwidth cap for the non-ABR inner pipe. Responsive to the determination of the bandwidth caps, the Unit throttles traffic within at least one of the inner pipes.

Abstract: A system, apparatus, and method for controlling data usage at a customer premises. A gateway configured as a single point of entry receives all data entering the premises. A DataCap Management Unit monitors all data usage by client devices within the premises and uses either a linear regression model or a historical usage alpha-generation method to analyze data usage patterns at the premises and to predict future data usage at the premises for a current billing cycle. The DataCap Management Unit dynamically adjusts a premises bandwidth cap throughout the current billing cycle, using the predicted future data usage as an input, to smoothly keep actual total data usage for the current billing cycle from exceeding a data cap before the current billing cycle ends.

Abstract: A system and method for providing non-guaranteed channels in a switched digital video network using multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming. In one implementation, upon receiving a request for a non-guaranteed channel is received from a subscriber station (e.g., a set-top box or STB), a bandwidth pipe modeling process is operative to model a bandwidth pipe corresponding to each edge QAM device configured to support non-guaranteed channels for selecting a particular edge QAM device that can best accommodate the requested non-guaranteed channel. Bitrates of MABR streams of existing channels of the selected edge QAM device may be adjusted in order to accommodate a particular MABR stream at chosen bitrate of the requested non-guaranteed channel. IGMP Join operations may be effectuated, as needed, to join MABR streams of the existing channels and the requested non-guaranteed channel to correct IGMP group(s).

Abstract: A system and method for effectuating channel changes in a multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) streaming network using temporarily borrowed bandwidth from a shared progressive download ABR bandwidth pipe for burst transmitting a requested channel's data. A video management agent is configured to stitch burst-transmitted data with the regular channel stream during the channel change to generate a hybrid stream, which is multicast streamed toward the requesting device. Once the data from the regular channel stream is properly joined, burst transmission ceases and the bandwidth consumed for sending burst-transmitted data is released back to the progressive download ABR pipe.

Abstract: A system and method for effectuating channel changes in a multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) streaming network using a dedicated bandwidth pipe for burst transmitting a requested channel's data. A video management agent is configured to stitch burst-transmitted data with the regular channel stream during the channel change to generate a hybrid stream, which is multicast streamed toward the requesting device. Once the data from the regular channel stream is properly joined, burst transmission ceases and the bandwidth consumed for sending burst-transmitted data is released.

Abstract: A method of managing bandwidth allocation across a video pipe that delivers both streaming adaptive bitrate (ABR) content and progressive download ABR content includes receiving a designation of a congestion boundary within a video pipe, the congestion boundary designating a first percentage of the video pipe that is to be used for streaming ABR content when congestion exists on both sides of the congestion boundary, wherein a remaining percentage of the video pipe is to be used for progressive download ABR; allocating bandwidth for streaming ABR content, wherein the gateway device can allocate for streaming content only that portion of the remaining percentage of bandwidth that is not requested for progressive download content; and allocating bandwidth for progressive download content, wherein the gateway device can allocate for progressive download content only that portion of the first percentage of bandwidth that is not requested for streaming content.

Abstract: A method of delivering unicast adaptive bitrate (UABR) streaming includes receiving, at a content delivery network (CDN) node, a request for a video asset to be streamed at a selected bitrate; loading a manifest for the requested video asset; parsing the manifest for the requested video asset and preloading a plurality of segments across all represented bitrates into a preload cache buffer; fetching requested bitrate segments into a segment combiner; and streaming a combined stream to the requesting entity.

Abstract: An adaptive streaming server, a method, and a system are described herein that create a content stream to be delivered to one or more clients by segmenting the content into data structures which are stored in random access memory (volatile storage) rather than segmenting the content into segment files which are stored on a disk or database (non-volatile storage).

Abstract: A system and method for effectuating channel changes in a multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) streaming network using a dedicated bandwidth pipe for downloading a requested channel's data in a recovery segment by issuing an HTTP request. A video management agent is configured to stitch the recovery segment's data with the regular channel stream during the channel change to generate a hybrid stream, which is multicast streamed toward the requesting device. Once the data from the regular channel stream is properly joined, recovery segment downloading ceases and the bandwidth consumed for sending recovery data in the dedicated bandwidth pipe is released.

Abstract: A system and method for providing guaranteed channels in a switched digital video network using multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming. In one implementation, when a request for a guaranteed channel is received from a subscriber station (e.g., a set-top box or STB), a determination may be made as to which edge QAM device the requested channel is assigned to. A bandwidth pipe modeling may be performed for the assigned edge QAM to determine an optimal bitrate of a particular MABR stream that may be packed into the edge QAM's bandwidth pipe. Thereafter, the particular MABR stream may be joined to facilitate streaming of the requested channel via the QAM serving the subscriber station.

Abstract: A scheme for providing targeted advertisements in a multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming environment. In one implementation, ads specific to a subscriber's demographic profile and relevant to the genre of a tuned MABR media channel may be downloaded in a gateway (GW) or into a network storage system. In another implementation, multicast ABR streams of ads may be triggered at specific points (e.g., insertion markers in a multicast ABR media channel) that can be selectively joined by a GW node based on demographics and channel genre. In yet another implementation, continuously streaming multicast ad channels may be switched at suitable points in a multicast ABR media channel based on targeting parameters.

Abstract: A system and method for effectuating fast channel change in an adaptive streaming environment. A plurality of adjacent channels may be predicted relative to a current streaming channel engaged by a client device. Upon prioritizing the adjacent channels, the client device may be configured to pre-fetch metadata and initialization information for a subset of the prioritized adjacent channels based on bandwidth conditions, video player buffer status, etc. When a channel is changed, the client device is operative to use the pre-fetched data to quickly obtain encoded media content at a select bitrate for rendering.

Abstract: A system and method in which each node in a Content Distribution Network (CDN) maintains information about the most-recent state of the CDN as a whole to decide what bandwidth to use when serving a content subscriber so that the total bandwidth of the entire multimedia content streamed/delivered to the subscriber through various nodes in the CDN remains within a pre-defined bandwidth cap for the subscriber. The entire CDN is thus treated as a single edge node. Each node in a CDN may periodically transmit to all other nodes in the CDN, information about any activity that occurs at the transmitting node. Instead of reporting to all the nodes, the transmitting node may report details of its node-specific activity to a subset of “interested” nodes. Once each node has a model of what the entire CDN system is currently doing, that node can implement bandwidth management in a coherent manner.

Abstract: A method of managing bandwidth allocation across a video pipe that delivers both streaming adaptive bitrate (ABR) content and progressive download ABR content includes receiving a designation of a congestion boundary within a video pipe, the congestion boundary designating a first percentage of the video pipe that is to be used for streaming ABR content when congestion exists on both sides of the congestion boundary, wherein a remaining percentage of the video pipe is to be used for progressive download ABR; allocating bandwidth for streaming ABR content, wherein the gateway device can allocate for streaming content only that portion of the remaining percentage of bandwidth that is not requested for progressive download content; and allocating bandwidth for progressive download content, wherein the gateway device can allocate for progressive download content only that portion of the first percentage of bandwidth that is not requested for streaming content.

Abstract: A scheme for providing targeted advertisements in a multicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming environment. In one implementation, ads specific to a subscriber's demographic profile and relevant to the genre of a tuned MABR media channel may be downloaded in a gateway (GW) or into a network storage system. In another implementation, multicast ABR streams of ads may be triggered at specific points (e.g., insertion markers in a multicast ABR media channel) that can be selectively joined by a GW node based on demographics and channel genre. In yet another implementation, continuously streaming multicast ad channels may be switched at suitable points in a multicast ABR media channel based on targeting parameters.

Abstract: A system and method for providing VOD/NPVR content in a switched digital video network using unicast adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming. In one implementation, upon receiving a notification from a back office pursuant to the VOD session request from a subscriber station (e.g., a set-top box or STB), a bandwidth pipe modeling process is operative to model a bandwidth pipe corresponding to each edge QAM device configured to support VOD sessions for selecting a particular edge QAM device that can best accommodate the requested VOD session. Bitrates of UABR streams of existing VOD sessions of the selected edge QAM device may be adjusted in order to accommodate a particular UABR stream at a chosen bitrate for the requested VOD session. UABR allocations of the selected edge QAM's bandwidth pipe may be effectuated for the existing VOD sessions and the requested VOD session as needed.