U.S. patent application number 15/371604 was filed with the patent office on 2017-04-20 for video storage and video playing.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to David S.C. Chen, Hsiao-Yung Chen, Wei-Te Chiang, En-Shuo Hsu, Yu-Hsing Wu.
Application Number | 20170111666 15/371604 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56939514 |
Filed Date | 2017-04-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170111666 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chen; David S.C. ; et
al. |
April 20, 2017 |
VIDEO STORAGE AND VIDEO PLAYING
Abstract
In an approach for storing frames of a video, a computer divides
a video into one or more frames. The computer identifies a frame
type associated with an individual frame within the divided one or
more frames, wherein the identified frame type includes one of the
following: an I-frame, a B-frame, and a P-frame. The computer
stores the individual frame within a corresponding storage location
based on the associated identified frame type.
Inventors: |
Chen; David S.C.; (Taipei
City, TW) ; Chen; Hsiao-Yung; (New Taipei City,
TW) ; Chiang; Wei-Te; (Taipei, TW) ; Hsu;
En-Shuo; (Taipei City, TW) ; Wu; Yu-Hsing;
(Taipei City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56939514 |
Appl. No.: |
15/371604 |
Filed: |
December 7, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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15210945 |
Jul 15, 2016 |
9584788 |
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15371604 |
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15016664 |
Feb 5, 2016 |
9455010 |
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15210945 |
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14887365 |
Oct 20, 2015 |
9578278 |
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15016664 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G11C 11/14 20130101;
H04N 21/23418 20130101; H04N 19/46 20141101; H04N 5/765 20130101;
H04N 19/65 20141101; H04N 9/8045 20130101; H04N 19/159 20141101;
H04N 19/423 20141101; H04N 21/226 20130101; H04N 21/6125 20130101;
H04N 19/52 20141101; H04N 21/4627 20130101; G11B 27/3081 20130101;
H04N 9/87 20130101; H04N 5/91 20130101; H04N 21/2541 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04N 21/226 20060101
H04N021/226; H04N 21/4627 20060101 H04N021/4627; H04N 21/254
20060101 H04N021/254; H04N 21/61 20060101 H04N021/61; H04N 21/234
20060101 H04N021/234 |
Claims
1. A computer system for storing frames of a video, the computer
system comprising: one or more computer processors, one or more
computer readable storage media, and program instructions stored on
the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one
of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising:
program instructions to divide a video into one or more frames;
program instructions to identify a frame type associated with an
individual frame within the divided one or more frames, wherein the
identified frame type includes one of the following: an I-frame, a
B-frame, and a P-frame; program instructions to identify one or
more I-frames within the divided one or more frames; program
instructions to identify reference information that indicates one
or more P-frames and one or more B-frames associated with the
identified one or more I-frame, and includes an indication of a
storage device associated with the identified one or more P-frames
and the identified one or more B-frames; program instructions to
store the identified one or more I-frames with the identified
reference information on a first storage device of one or more
storage devices, wherein the one or more storage devices comprise
the first storage device and a second storage device that is
separate from the first storage device and comprises a first
sub-storage device and a second sub-storage device; program
instructions to identify one or more B-frames within the divided
one or more frames; program instructions to store the identified
one or more B-frames on the second storage device of one or more
storage devices; program instructions to identify one or more
P-frames within the divided individual frames; program instructions
to store the identified one or more P-frames on the second storage
device of one or more storage devices; program instructions to
receive an indication to play the video; program instructions to
load an I-frame and associated reference information from the first
storage device within the one or more storage devices based on the
received indication; program instructions to identify a request to
load one or more B-frames and one or more P-frames from the second
storage device of the one or more storage devices based on the
loaded I-frame and associated reference information; program
instructions to determine whether the received request is
authorized to load the one or more B-frames and the one or more
P-frames from the second storage device of the one or more storage
devices, wherein the second storage device includes one of the
following: a cloud storage device with an authentication service
and a configuration to authenticate the received request in place
of an independent cloud server; responsive to determining the
received request is authorized, program instructions to load the
one or more B-frames and the one or more P-frames from one or more
storage devices based on the associated reference information; and
program instructions to play the video based on the loaded
I-frames, the one or more P-frames, and the one or more B-frames.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of
video processing, and more particularly to storing a video and
playing the video.
[0002] Video provides an electronic medium for recording, copying,
playback, broadcasting, and displaying moving visual media. Digital
video represents the data for moving visual images in the form of
encoded digital data that is discontinuous. Digital video utilizes
a video coding format (e.g., video compression format) that is a
content representation format for storage or transmission of
digital video content (e.g., data file, bit stream, etc.). Video
compression utilizes coding techniques to reduce redundancy in
video data such as a series of still image frames. The sequence of
the frames contain spatial and temporal redundancies that video
compression algorithms attempt to eliminate or code in a smaller
size. One of the most powerful techniques for compressing video is
inter-frame compression. Inter-frame compression uses one or more
earlier or later frames in a sequence to compress the current frame
while intraframe compression only uses the current frame (i.e.
image compression).
[0003] With inter frame prediction, an inter coded frame is divided
into blocks known as macro blocks. Rather than encoding the raw
pixel values for each block, an encoder searches within a
previously encoded frame, or reference frame for a block similar to
the one being encoding. When the encoder locates a similar block,
the current block is encoded by a motion vector, which points to
the position of the matching block at the reference frame and
calculates the differences (e.g., prediction error) between the two
blocks that need to be transformed. The prediction error is sent to
a decoder in order to recover the raw pixels of the encoded block
during viewing. When a suitable match is not found, or when a
possible reference frame is also encoded using inter frame
prediction, in order to synchronize the video stream and reduce the
chances of propagating errors in subsequent blocks, an I-frame is
used which is intra coded and does not need additional information
to be decoded.
SUMMARY
[0004] Aspects of the present invention disclose a method, computer
program product, and system for storing frames of a video. The
method includes one or more computer processors dividing a video
into one or more frames. The method further includes one or more
computer processors identifying a frame type associated with an
individual frame within the divided one or more frames, wherein the
identified frame type includes one of the following: an I-frame, a
B-frame, and a P-frame. The method further includes one or more
computer processors storing the individual frame within a
corresponding storage location based on the associated
identified.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIG. 1 depicts a cloud computing node, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 depicts a cloud computing environment, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0007] FIG. 3 depicts abstraction model layers, in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention;
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method for storing a
video, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
[0009] FIG. 5(a) illustrates a common storage format of I-, P- and
B-frames in a video, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention;
[0010] FIG. 5(b) illustrates an exemplary storage manner, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 5(c) illustrates a mapping between the respective
reference information and P- and B-frames, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of a video playing method,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 7 illustrates a video storage system, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention; and
[0014] FIG. 8 illustrates a video playing device, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] With a global average connection speed exceeding 4 Mbits/s
and increased access to the Internet, more and more video providers
and/or online media sharing platforms are available on the
Internet. Embodiments of the present invention recognize that with
the increase in video providers and/or online media sharing
platforms, an increase in online piracy (e.g., the illegal copying
of copyrighted materials from the Internet) may occur and that
protecting the security (e.g., viewing) of a video from
unauthenticated users is important. While embodiments of the
present invention recognize using a new data type; adding metadata
or tags to declare a copyright; and encrypting the entire video,
assist in ensuring the security of the video, the methods are not
applicable for controlling all types of online video streaming and
make playing the video using typical media players difficult for
users. Embodiments of the present invention also recognize that
online video buffering may incur long wait times due to Internet
traffic and/or transferring a large file such as HD (High
Definition) file over video streaming and degrades the viewing
experience of the users.
[0016] Some preferable embodiments will be described in more detail
with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the
preferable embodiments of the present disclosure have been
illustrated. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in
various manners, and thus should not be construed to be limited to
the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, those
embodiments are provided for the thorough understanding of the
present disclosure, and to convey the scope of the present
disclosure to those skilled in the art.
[0017] It is understood in advance that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0018] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,
servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models.
[0019] Characteristics are as follows:
[0020] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0021] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0022] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0023] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0024] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0025] Service Models are as follows:
[0026] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0027] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0028] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0029] Deployment Models are as follows:
[0030] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0031] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0032] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0033] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0034] A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes.
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 1, a schematic of an example of a
cloud computing node is shown. Cloud computing node 10 is only one
example of a suitable cloud computing node and is not intended to
suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of
embodiments of the invention described herein. Regardless, cloud
computing node 10 is capable of being implemented and/or performing
any of the functionality set forth hereinabove.
[0036] In cloud computing node 10 there is a computer system/server
12, which is operational with numerous other general purpose or
special purpose computing system environments or configurations.
Examples of well-known computing systems, environments, and/or
configurations that may be suitable for use with computer
system/server 12 include, but are not limited to, personal computer
systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients,
hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer
systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include
any of the above systems or devices, and the like.
[0037] Computer system/server 12 may be described in the general
context of computer system-executable instructions, such as program
modules, being executed by a computer system. Generally, program
modules may include routines, programs, objects, components, logic,
data structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or
implement particular abstract data types. Computer system/server 12
may be practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where
tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked
through a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing
environment, program modules may be located in both local and
remote computer system storage media including memory storage
devices.
[0038] As shown in FIG. 1, computer system/server 12 in cloud
computing node 10 is shown in the form of a general-purpose
computing device. The components of computer system/server 12 may
include, but are not limited to, one or more processors or
processing units 16, a system memory 28, and a bus 18 that couples
various system components including system memory 28 to processor
16.
[0039] Bus 18 represents one or more of any of several types of bus
structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a
peripheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or
local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of
example, and not limitation, such architectures include Industry
Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, Micro Channel Architecture (MCA)
bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, Video Electronics Standards
Association (VESA) local bus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect
(PCI) bus.
[0040] Computer system/server 12 typically includes a variety of
computer system readable media. Such media may be any available
media that is accessible by computer system/server 12, and it
includes both volatile and non-volatile media, removable and
non-removable media.
[0041] System memory 28 can include computer system readable media
in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM)
30 and/or cache memory 32. Computer system/server 12 may further
include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile
computer system storage media. By way of example only, storage
system 34 can be provided for reading from and writing to a
non-removable, non-volatile magnetic media (not shown and typically
called a "hard drive"). Although not shown, a magnetic disk drive
for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic
disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical disk drive for reading
from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a
CD-ROM, DVD-ROM or other optical media can be provided. In such
instances, each can be connected to bus 18 by one or more data
media interfaces. As will be further depicted and described below,
memory 28 may include at least one program product having a set
(e.g., at least one) of program modules that are configured to
carry out the functions of embodiments of the invention.
[0042] Program/utility 40, having a set (at least one) of program
modules 42, may be stored in memory 28 by way of example, and not
limitation, as well as an operating system, one or more application
programs, other program modules, and program data. Each of the
operating system, one or more application programs, other program
modules, and program data or some combination thereof, may include
an implementation of a networking environment. Program modules 42
generally carry out the functions and/or methodologies of
embodiments of the invention as described herein.
[0043] Computer system/server 12 may also communicate with one or
more external devices 14 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a
display 24, etc.; one or more devices that enable a user to
interact with computer system/server 12; and/or any devices (e.g.,
network card, modem, etc.) that enable computer system/server 12 to
communicate with one or more other computing devices. Such
communication can occur via Input/Output (I/O) interfaces 22. Still
yet, computer system/server 12 can communicate with one or more
networks such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area
network (WAN), and/or a public network (e.g., the Internet) via
network adapter 20. As depicted, network adapter 20 communicates
with the other components of computer system/server 12 via bus 18.
It should be understood that although not shown, other hardware
and/or software components could be used in conjunction with
computer system/server 12. Examples, include, but are not limited
to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external
disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data archival
storage systems, etc.
[0044] Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrative cloud computing
environment 50 is depicted. As shown, cloud computing environment
50 comprises one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local
computing devices used by cloud consumers, such as, for example,
personal digital assistant (PDA) or cellular telephone 54A, desktop
computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and/or automobile computer
system 54N may communicate. Cloud computing nodes 10 may
communicate with one another. They may be grouped (not shown)
physically or virtually, in one or more networks, such as Private,
Community, Public, or Hybrid clouds as described hereinabove, or a
combination thereof. This allows cloud computing environment 50 to
offer infrastructure, platforms and/or software as services for
which a cloud consumer does not need to maintain resources on a
local computing device. It is understood that the types of
computing devices 54A-N shown in FIG. 2 are intended to be
illustrative only and that cloud computing nodes 10 and cloud
computing environment 50 can communicate with any type of
computerized device over any type of network and/or network
addressable connection (e.g., using a web browser).
[0045] Referring now to FIG. 3, a set of functional abstraction
layers provided by cloud computing environment 50 (FIG. 2) is
shown. It should be understood in advance that the components,
layers, and functions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to be
illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not limited
thereto. As depicted, the following layers and corresponding
functions are provided:
[0046] Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include
mainframes, in one example IBM.RTM. zSeries.RTM. systems; RISC
(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers, in
one example IBM pSeries.RTM. systems; IBM xSeries.RTM. systems; IBM
BladeCenter.RTM. systems; storage devices; networks and networking
components. Examples of software components include network
application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere.RTM.
application server software; and database software, in one example
IBM DB2.RTM. database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries,
BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International
Business Machines Corporation registered in many jurisdictions
worldwide).
[0047] Virtualization layer 62 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including
virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating
systems; and virtual clients.
[0048] In one example, management layer 64 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic
procurement of computing resources and other resources that are
utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment.
Metering and Pricing provide cost tracking as resources are
utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or
invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these
resources may comprise application software licenses. Security
provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as
well as protection for data and other resources. User portal
provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers
and system administrators. Service level management provides cloud
computing resource allocation and management such that required
service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and
fulfillment provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud
computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated
in accordance with an SLA.
[0049] Workloads layer 66 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation; software development and lifecycle
management; virtual classroom education delivery; data analytics
processing; transaction processing; and video data storage and
management.
[0050] With reference now to FIG. 4, the method for storing the
video, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention,
will be described in detail. First, the basic idea of the present
disclosure and technical terms involved will be briefly
described.
[0051] In video compression and video encoding processes, video
frames may be classified into one of three frame types; intraframe
(I-frame), predictive frame (P-frame) and bi-directional frame
(B-frame), depending on compression degree and compression
characteristic of the video frames. An I-frame, also known as an
intra-coded frame or keyframe, is a single frame of digital content
that a compressor examines independent of other preceding and/or
following frames that stores all of the data needed to display that
I-frame, but is the least compressible of the three types of
frames. A P-frame, also known as a predictive frame or predicted
frame, includes only the data that changes from the preceding
I-frame (e.g., color, content changes, etc.). P-frames depend on
the data from previous I-frames and P-frames to decompress (e.g.,
fill in most of the data) and are more compressible than I-frame. A
B-frame, also known as a bi-directional frame or bi-directional
predictive frame, utilize both previous and later I-frames and
P-frames for data reference and get the highest amount of data
compression. B-frames include one the data that changes from the
preceding frame or is different from the data in the very next
frame. In addition, studies show that 90% of the frames of a video
are P-frames and B-frames, but account for less than 10% of the
size of the video.
[0052] Considering the characteristics of I-, P- and B-frames, in
the present disclosure, a video is separated into individual frames
that are identified as I-frames and delta frames (i.e., P-frames
and B-frames). The delta frames are physically separated and
managed, such as for example, by storing the delta frames in a
remote end. The physically separated and managed delta frames
assist in protecting the safety of the video, but does not result
in a loss of time (e.g., increased wait) while loading the delta
frames from the remote end due to the small size of the P-frames
and the B-frames.
[0053] As depicted in FIG. 4, in step S401, I-frames of the video
are stored in first storage device 701. In step S401, the video is
divided into I-frames, P-frames and B-frames. The I-frames of the
video are stored in first storage device 701. Within first storage
device 701, the video does not have to be a complete video; rather
the video may be a portion of a complete video, such as a video
segment.
[0054] In one embodiment, first storage device 701 may be a local
storage device, so that the I-frames may be loaded and played
directly from the local storage device in subsequent video playing.
In another embodiment, first storage device 701 can be a cloud
storage device in the remote end; however, the time to load the
I-frames of larger sizes from the cloud storage device via the
Internet when playing the video later will be longer than when
stored in the local storage device.
[0055] In step S402, P-frames and B-frames of the video are stored
in second 702 storage device that is separated from first storage
device 701. In step S402, the P-frames and B-frames obtained by
dividing the video are stored in second storage device 702. In one
embodiment, second storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device
different from first storage device 701. For example, the cloud
storage device may be one of the storage devices included in the
hardware and software layer 60 shown in FIG. 3. Since P-frames and
B-frames constitute less than 10% of the total size of the video,
the time associated with loading the P-frames and B-frames from the
cloud storage device via the Internet when playing the video later
does not result in a long wait time.
[0056] In another embodiment, second storage device 702 may include
first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022.
The P-frames obtained by dividing the video may be stored in first
sub-storage device 7021, while the B-frames may be stored in second
sub-storage device 7022. In some other embodiment, first
sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022 may be
separated from each other, thus, the P-frames and B-frames may be
stored separately in the cloud.
[0057] In one embodiment, to ensure data security, second storage
device 702 may be a cloud storage device with an authentication
service. For example, when playing the video later, a user requests
to access second storage device 702. The cloud server verifies the
access request and determines whether the user has access
permission to second storage device 702. Only authenticated users
can access second storage device 702 and load the P-frames and
B-frames, and a user without access permission cannot access second
storage device 702. As an example, the cloud server may be one of
the hosts included in the hardware and software layer 60 shown in
FIG. 3. In another embodiment, an independent cloud server is not
necessary to perform the authentication; instead, second storage
device 702 is configured to function to as the authentication for
users.
[0058] In step S402 the P-frames and B-frames from the video are
stored in second storage device 702 that is separated from first
storage device 701. However, the P-frames and B-frames in second
storage device 702 are associated with the I-frames stored in first
storage device 701 in step S401. In order to show clear
relationships between respective I-frames and respective P- and
B-frames, for each I-frame stored in first storage device 701,
reference information indicting the P-frames and B-frames
associated with the I-frame may further be stored in first storage
device 701, as explained by way of example within FIG. 5
(a)-(c).
[0059] FIG. 5(a) illustrates a common storage format of I-, P- and
B-frames in a video. As shown in FIG. 5(a), in the video, each
I-frame is followed by a plurality of associated P-frames and
B-frames, which use the I-frame as a reference frame directly or
indirectly. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), for
each I frame (I.sub.1, I.sub.2, I.sub.3 . . . ) stored in first
storage device 701, corresponding reference information (R.sub.1,
R.sub.2, R.sub.3 . . . ) indicating sequential P-frames and
B-frames associated with the I-frame are further stored. For
example, FIG. 5(c) illustrates a mapping between the respective
reference information and P- and B-frames with respect to the video
illustrated in FIG. 5 (a). FIG. 5(b) merely illustrates an
exemplary storage manner, and the reference information may be
stored in any suitable location within the video instead of having
to be stored immediately after the corresponding I-frame.
[0060] Alternatively, the reference information may include
relevant data of the P-frames and B-frames associated with the
I-frame. For example, the reference information may include one or
more indications of a storage location of P-frames and B-frames in
second storage device 702, a total size of the P-frames and
B-frames, a starting time associated with the playing of the
P-frames and B-frames in the video, or include other relevant
descriptive information.
[0061] The method for storing the video according to the embodiment
of the present disclosure has been described above in connection
with FIGS. 4 and 5. In this embodiment, the I-frames and P-,
B-frames are stored separately, and the P-, B-frames are stored in
a private cloud storage device as an example. Thus, when users
without a right to access the cloud storage device play the video
in the local storage device, only the I-frames load, and the P- and
B-frames containing more than 90% of the video content cannot load,
thus ensuring the security of the video. However when access is
authorized, due to the small size of the P-frames and B-frames, the
time to load the P-frames and B-frames from the cloud storage
device is greatly reduced when compared with the time associated
with retrieving the whole video from the cloud, thus enhancing the
user experience.
[0062] A description on playing the video stored according to the
above described manner will be given below with reference to FIG.
6, which illustrates a flow chart of a method for playing a video
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0063] As shown in FIG. 6, in step S601, an I-frame of the video
and reference information are loaded from first storage device 701,
in which the reference information indicates P-frames and B-frames
associated with the I-frame. The I-frame and the reference
information corresponding to the I-frame are stored in first
storage device 701, wherein the reference information indicates
sequential P-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame. In
one embodiment, first storage device 701 may be a local storage
device, then in step S601, the I-frame and the reference
information are loaded in the local storage device. In another
embodiment, first storage device 701 may also be a cloud storage
device in a remote end, however, a longer time is associated with
loading the I-frame and the reference information from the cloud
storage device via the Internet than when stored in the local
storage device.
[0064] In step S602, the P-frames and B-frames load from second
storage device 702 that is separated from first storage device 701
based on the reference information. The P-frames and B-frames that
should be loaded are determined based on the reference information,
and load from second storage device 702. Second storage device 702
may be a cloud storage device separated from first storage device
701. Since the P-frames and B-frames have only less than 10% of the
total size of the video, the time to load the P-frames and B-frames
from the cloud storage device via the Internet is not long.
[0065] In another embodiment, the reference information includes an
indication of a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames
associated with the I-frame in second storage device 702, and in
step S602, the P-frames and B-frames load directly from the storage
location in second storage device 702 according to the
indication.
[0066] In some other embodiment, second storage device 702 includes
first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022.
First sub-storage device 7021 stores the P-frames, while second
sub-storage device 7022 stores the B-frames. In an alternate
embodiment, first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage
device 7022 may be separated from each other, thus, the P-frames
and B-frames store separately in the cloud. Then in step S602, the
P-frames and B-frames load from first sub-storage device 7021 and
second sub-storage device 7022 based on the reference information,
respectively.
[0067] In addition, in order to ensure data security, second
storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device with an
authentication service. Then in step S602, prior to loading from
second storage device 702 authentication occurs. In one embodiment,
the authentication may be performed by an independent cloud server.
For example, in a case that a user requests to access second
storage device 702, the access request will be verified by the
independent cloud server to determine whether the user has access
permission to second storage device 702. In another embodiment,
second storage device 702 may be configured to authenticate users
in place of the independent cloud server. In the case that the
authentication passes, indicates the user requesting the loading
has access permission, second storage device 702 may be accessed
and the P-frames and B-frames load from the storage location in
second storage device 702 based on the indication in the reference
information.
[0068] In step S603, the video is played based on the loaded
I-frame, P-frames and B-frames. In step S603, any conventional
methods may be used to decode and play the loaded video frames,
details are omitted herein.
[0069] The video playing method according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure has been described in connection with FIG. 6. In
this embodiment, I-frame and P-, B-frames are stored separately
with P-, B-frames being stored in a private cloud storage device.
Thus, when users without a right to access the cloud storage device
play the video in the local storage device, only the I-frame loads,
and the P- and B-frames containing more than 90% video content do
not load, thus ensuring the security of the video. On the other
hand, the P-frames and B-frames are of small size, so the time to
load the P-frames and B-frames is greatly reduced as compared with
placing the whole video in the cloud, and thus enhances the user
experience.
[0070] It should be noted that the video may have one or more
I-frames. For ease of description, an example that the video
contains only one I-frame is described in the above embodiment.
However, in the case that the video contains a plurality of
I-frames, the video playing method described in the above
embodiment is still applicable by performing the method for each
I-frame and P-, B-frames associated therewith sequentially.
[0071] The respective embodiments for implementing the method of
the present disclosure have been described with reference to the
accompanying drawings hereinbefore. Those skilled in the art may
understand that the above method may be implemented in software, in
hardware, or in a combination thereof. Further, those skilled in
the art may understand that by implementing the respective steps in
the above method in software, in hardware, or in a combination
thereof, a device for allocating data to a plurality of servers (or
nodes) based on the same inventive concept may be provided. Even if
a hardware configuration of the device is the same as that of a
general-purpose processing device, the device will exhibit
characteristics different from the general-purpose processing
device due to a function of software contained therein, so as to
form the device according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure. The device of the present disclosure comprises a
plurality of units or modules, which are configured to execute
corresponding steps. Those skilled in the art may understand how to
write a program to implement actions of the units or modules by
reading the present specification.
[0072] With reference now to FIG. 7, a video storage system,
generally designated 700, in accordance with one embodiment of the
present disclosure will be described. Since video storage system
700 and the method for storing the video described above are based
on the same inventive concept, the same or corresponding
implementation details in the above method are also applicable to
video storage system 700, and the implementation details will not
be described below because they have been described in the above in
detail and completely.
[0073] As shown in FIG. 7, video storage system 700 according to
one embodiment of the present disclosure includes first storage
device 701 and second storage device 702.
[0074] First storage device 701 stores I-frames of the video. The
video mentioned in the specification does not have to be a complete
video, but may be a portion of the complete video, such as a video
segment. In one embodiment, first storage device 701 may be a local
storage device, so that I-frames may be loaded and played directly
in later video playing. In another embodiment, first storage device
701 can also be a cloud storage device in a remote end, however,
the time to load I-frames of large size from the cloud storage
device via the Internet when playing the video later is longer than
when loaded from the local storage device.
[0075] Second storage device 702 is separate from first storage
device 701, and may store P-frames and B-frames of the video. In
one embodiment, second storage device 702 may be a cloud storage
device different from first storage device 701. Since the P- and
B-frames have only less than 10% of the total size of the video,
the time to load the P- and B-frames from the cloud storage device
via the Internet when playing the video later is not long.
[0076] In another embodiment, second storage device 702 may
comprise first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage
device 7022, in which P-frames are stored in first sub-storage
device 7021, while B-frames are stored in second sub-storage device
7022. In some other embodiment, first sub-storage device 7021 and
second sub-storage device 7022 may be separated from each other in
the cloud.
[0077] To ensure data security, second storage device 702 may be a
cloud storage device with an authentication service. Thus, in the
later playing of the video, only authenticated users can access
second storage device 702 and load the P-frames and B-frames, and
user without access permission cannot access second storage device
702.
[0078] In one embodiment the P-frames and B-frames stored in second
storage device 702 are associated with I-frames stored in first
storage device 701. In order to identify clear relationships
between respective I-frames and respective P- and B-frames, for
each I-frame stored in first storage device 701, reference
information indicting the P-frames and B-frames associated with the
I-frame may further be stored in first storage device 701.
Specifically, according to the common video storage format, each
I-frame is followed by a plurality of associated P-frames and
B-frames, which use the I-frame as a reference frame directly or
indirectly. In the present embodiment, for each I-frame stored in
first storage device 701, corresponding reference information
indicating P-frames and B-frames associated with the I-frame are
further stored.
[0079] In another embodiment, the reference information may include
relevant data of the P-frames and B-frames associated with the
I-frame. For example, the reference information may include one or
more indications of a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames
in second storage device 702, a total size of the P-frames and
B-frames, a starting time associated with the playing of the
P-frames and B-frames in the video, or include other relevant
descriptive information.
[0080] Video storage system 700 according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure has been described above in connection with FIG.
7. For example, the I-frames and P-, B-frames are stored
separately, and the P-, B-frames are stored in a private cloud
storage device. Thus, when users without a right to access the
cloud storage device play the video in local storage, only the
I-frames will be loaded, and the P- and B-frames containing more
than 90% video content cannot be loaded, thus ensuring the security
of the video. On the other hand, the P-frames and B-frames are of
small size, so the time associated to load the P-frames and
B-frames is greatly reduced as compared with placing the whole
video in the cloud, and thus enhancing the user experience.
[0081] With reference now to FIG. 8, a video playing device 800 in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure will be
described. Since video playing device 800 and the method for
playing the video described above are based on the same inventive
concept, the same or corresponding implementation details in the
above method are also applicable to the video playing device 800,
and the implementation details will not be described below because
they have been described in the above in detail and completely.
[0082] As shown in FIG. 8, the video playing device 800 according
to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include first
loading device 801, second loading device 802, and playing device
803.
[0083] In one embodiment first loading device 801 may load an
I-frame of the video and reference information from first storage
device 701, in which the reference information indicates P-frames
and B-frames associated with the I-frame. As described above, first
storage device 701 may be a local storage device, then first
loading device 801 may load the I-frame and the reference
information in local storage. In another embodiment, first storage
device 701 may also be a cloud storage device in a remote end,
however, first loading device 801 spends a longer time loading the
I-frame and the reference information from the cloud storage device
via the Internet.
[0084] In another embodiment, second loading device 802 may load
the P-frames and B-frames from second storage device 702 separated
from first storage device 701 based on the reference information.
Specifically, second loading device 802 determines which P-frames
and B-frames should be loaded based on the reference information,
and then loads the determined frames from second storage device
702. Second storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device
separated from first storage device 701. Since the P-frames and
B-frames have only less than 10% of the total size of the video,
the time to load the P-frames and B-frames from the cloud storage
device via the Internet is not as long.
[0085] In some other embodiment, the reference information includes
an indication of a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames
associated with the I-frame in second storage device 702, and the
P-frames and B-frames can be loaded directly from the storage
location in second storage device 702 according to the
indication.
[0086] In yet another embodiment, second storage device 702 may
include first sub-storage device 7021 and second sub-storage device
7022, and the P-frames are stored in first sub-storage device 7021,
while the B-frames are stored in second sub-storage device 7022. In
an alternate embodiment, first sub-storage device 7021 and second
sub-storage device 7022 may be separated from each other, thus, the
P-frames and B-frames may be stored separately in the cloud. The
P-frames and B-frames may be loaded from first sub-storage device
7021 and second sub-storage device 7022 based on the reference
information, respectively.
[0087] In addition, in order to ensure data security, second
storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device with an
authentication service. Then second loading device 802 needs to
authenticate with second storage device 702 prior to loading from
second storage device 702. When the authentication passes, thus
indicating the user includes access permission to request the
loading, second loading device 802 may load P-frames and B-frames
from the storage location in second storage device 702 based on the
indication in the reference information.
[0088] Playing device 803 plays the video based on the loaded
I-frame, P-frames and B-frames. Playing device 803 may be any
conventional video player, and thus a detailed description thereof
is omitted here for simplicity.
[0089] Playing device 803 according to the embodiment of the
present disclosure has been described above in connection with FIG.
8. In this embodiment, the I-frame and P-, B-frames are stored
separately with P-, B-frames being stored in a private cloud
storage device. Thus, when users without a right to access the
cloud storage device play the video in the local storage device
through playing device 803, only the I-frames will be loaded, and
P- and B-frames that contain more than 90% of the video content
cannot be loaded, ensuring the security of the video. On the other
hand, the P-frames and B-frames are of small size, so the time to
load the P-frames and B-frames is greatly reduced as compared with
placing the whole video on the cloud, and thus enhances the user
experience.
[0090] It should be noted that the video may have one or more
I-frames. For ease of description within the example, the video
contains only one I-frame as described in the present embodiment.
However, playing device 803, as described in the present
embodiment, is applicable for the video containing a plurality of
I-frames.
[0091] The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a
computer program product. The computer program product may include
a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer
readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to
carry out aspects of the present invention.
[0092] For example, a computer program product for storing a video
may comprise a computer readable storage medium having thereon
first program instructions and second program instructions. The
first program instructions are executable by a processor to store
I-frames of the video in first storage device 701. The second
program instructions are executable by the processor to store
P-frames and B-frames of the video in second storage device 702
that is separated from first storage device 701. In one embodiment,
first storage device 701 may be a local storage device, and second
storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device. In another
embodiment, second storage device 702 may include first sub-storage
device 7021 and second sub-storage device 7022, and the processor
may be caused to store the P-frames in first sub-storage device
7021 and store the B-frames in second sub-storage device 7022.
Additionally, the computer readable storage medium may have thereon
third program instructions, which are executable by the processor
to store in first storage device 701, for each of the I-frames,
reference information indicting P-frames and B-frames associated
with the I-frame. The reference information may further include an
indication of a storage location of the P-frames and B-frames
associated with the I-frame in second storage device 702.
[0093] As another example, a computer program product for playing a
video may comprise a computer readable storage medium having
thereon first program instructions, second program instructions and
third program instructions. The first program instructions are
executable by a processor to load an I-frame of the video and
reference information from first storage device 701, the reference
information indicates P-frames and B-frames associated with the
I-frame. The second program instructions are executable by the
processor to load the P-frames and B-frames from second storage
device 702 that are separated from first storage device 701 based
on the reference information. The third program instructions are
executable by the processor to play the video based on the loaded
I-frame, P-frames and B-frames. In one embodiment, first storage
device 701 may be a local storage device, and second storage device
702 may be a cloud storage device. In another embodiment, second
storage device 702 may include first sub-storage device 7021 and
second sub-storage device 7022, and the processor may be caused to
load the P-frames and B-frames from first sub-storage device 7021
and second sub-storage device 7022 based on the reference
information, respectively. The reference information may further
include an indication of a storage location of the P-frames and
B-frames associated with the I-frame in second storage device 702.
Second storage device 702 may be a cloud storage device with an
authentication service, and the processor, when executing the
second program instructions, may be caused to authenticate with
second storage device 702, and load, if the authentication passes,
the P-frames and B-frames load from the storage location in second
storage device 702 according to the indication in the reference
information.
[0094] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible
device that can retain and store instructions for use by an
instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium
may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage
device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an
electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or
any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of
more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium
includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk,
a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable
programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static
random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only
memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a
floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or
raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon,
and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable
storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being
transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely
propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves
propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g.,
light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical
signals transmitted through a wire.
[0095] Computer readable program instructions described herein can
be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a
computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or
external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a
local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network.
The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical
transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls,
switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter
card or network interface in each computing/processing device
receives computer readable program instructions from the network
and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage
in a computer readable storage medium within the respective
computing/processing device.
[0096] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out
operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions,
instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine
instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware
instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object
code written in any combination of one or more programming
languages, including an object oriented programming language such
as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, and conventional procedural
programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or
similar programming languages. The computer readable program
instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry
including, for example, programmable logic circuitry,
field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays
(PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by
utilizing state information of the computer readable program
instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to
perform aspects of the present invention.
[0097] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with
reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of
methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products
according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood
that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block
diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations
and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable
program instructions.
[0098] These computer readable program instructions may be provided
to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose
computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to
produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via
the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing
apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts
specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in
a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a
programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to
function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable
storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an
article of manufacture including instructions which implement
aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block
diagram block or blocks.
[0099] The computer readable program instructions may also be
loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing
apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps
to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or
other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that
the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable
apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified
in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
[0100] The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate
the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible
implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products
according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this
regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent
a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one
or more executable instructions for implementing the specified
logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the
functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in
the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in
fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may
sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the
functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of
the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations
of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can
be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that
perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations
of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
[0101] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present
invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are
not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments
disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to
those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention. The terminology used herein was chosen
to best explain the principles of the embodiment, the practical
application or technical improvement over technologies found in the
marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to
understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
* * * * *