Netflix Patent Grants

Techniques for advancing playback of interactive media titles in response to user selections

Granted: February 27, 2024
Patent Number: 11917271
A playback application seamlessly advances playback of and interactive media title in response to user selections in a manner that minimizes latency and preserves user immersion in a narrative. The playback application buffers an interstitial segment included in the interactive media title and feeds portions of the interstitial segment to a media player only when those portions are needed for display. When the user selects an option displayed during the interstitial segment, the playback…

Encoding technique for optimizing distortion and bitrate

Granted: February 20, 2024
Patent Number: 11910039
An encoding engine encodes a video sequence to provide optimal quality for a given bitrate. The encoding engine cuts the video sequence into a collection of shot sequences. Each shot sequence includes video frames captured from a particular capture point. The encoding engine resamples each shot sequence across a range of different resolutions, encodes each resampled sequence with a range of quality parameters, and then upsamples each encoded sequence to the original resolution of the…

Media aware content placement

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11902597
The disclosed computer-implemented method includes accessing cluster hardware information that identifies at least two different types of storage media within a cluster and provides an indication of a respective amount of data throughput for each identified type of storage media. The method next includes accessing popularity information for digital content that is to be stored in the cluster. The popularity information indicates how often the digital content is predicted to be accessed…

Systems and methods for optimizing hard drive throughput

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11899558
The disclosed computer-implemented method includes accessing a hard drive to measure operational characteristics of the hard drive. The method next includes deriving hard drive health factors used to control the hard drive that are based on the measured operational characteristics. The derived hard drive health factors include an average per-seek time indicating an average amount of time the hard drive spends seeking specified data that is to be read and an average read speed indicating…

Media aware content placement

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11902597
The disclosed computer-implemented method includes accessing cluster hardware information that identifies at least two different types of storage media within a cluster and provides an indication of a respective amount of data throughput for each identified type of storage media. The method next includes accessing popularity information for digital content that is to be stored in the cluster. The popularity information indicates how often the digital content is predicted to be accessed…

Systems and methods for optimizing hard drive throughput

Granted: February 13, 2024
Patent Number: 11899558
The disclosed computer-implemented method includes accessing a hard drive to measure operational characteristics of the hard drive. The method next includes deriving hard drive health factors used to control the hard drive that are based on the measured operational characteristics. The derived hard drive health factors include an average per-seek time indicating an average amount of time the hard drive spends seeking specified data that is to be read and an average read speed indicating…

Methods and systems for providing dynamically composed personalized media assets

Granted: January 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11871095
The disclosed computer-implemented method may include accessing a media item that includes multiple media item segments that are to be played back in a specific manner. The method may also include generating playgraphs for the media item, where the playgraphs define different playback paths between media item segments. The method may next include selecting a specific playgraph from the generated playgraphs, and then providing the selected playgraph to a playback device. Playback of the…

Iterative techniques for encoding video content

Granted: January 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11871002
In various embodiments, an iterative encoding application encodes a source video sequence. The encoding optimization application generates a set of shot encode points based on a set of encoding points and a first shot sequence included in the source video sequence. Each shot encode point is associated with a different encoded shot sequence. The encoding optimization application performs convex hull operation(s) across the set of shot encode points to generate a first convex hull…

Comparing video encoders/decoders using shot-based encoding and a perceptual visual quality metric

Granted: January 9, 2024
Patent Number: 11870945
In various embodiments, an encoder comparison application compares the performance of different configured encoders. In operation, the encoder comparison application generates a first global convex hull of video encode points based on a first configured encoder and a set of subsequences included in a source video sequence. Each video encode point is associated with a different encoded version of the source video sequence. The encoder comparison application also generates a second global…

Temporal placement of a rebuffering event

Granted: January 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11863814
A method includes receiving, with a computing system, data representing a video item into a buffer. The method further includes outputting the video item from the buffer to a display system. The method further includes determining that utilization of the buffer falls below a predetermined threshold. The method further includes, in response to determining that the utilization of the buffer falls below the predetermined threshold, determining that there is a specified rebuffering point…

Techniques for client-controlled pacing of media streaming

Granted: January 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11863607
In various embodiments, a media delivery application transmits encoded chunks of a media title to a playback application. In operation, the media delivery application receives, via a media channel, an encoded chunk request that has been transmitted over a TCP connection. The media delivery application also receives, via a side channel, a pacing specification that is associated with the encoded chunk request and has been transmitted over the TCP connection. As per the encoded chunk…

Watermark-based techniques for change-data-capture

Granted: January 2, 2024
Patent Number: 11860849
Various embodiments set forth systems and techniques for concurrent log and dump processing. The techniques include selecting, from a datastore, a chunk comprising one or more rows of data; comparing the one or more rows of data in the chunk with a first set of log events in a change log associated with the datastore, wherein each log event included in the first set of log events occurs after a first log event in the change log and prior to a second log event in the change log;…

Branching logic in a playback environment

Granted: December 5, 2023
Patent Number: 11837261
The disclosed computer-implemented method may include accessing a pre-rendered multimedia item. The pre-rendered multimedia item may have branching logic associated with it, where the branching logic includes branching points that direct non-sequential playback of the pre-rendered multimedia item. The method may also include initializing playback of the pre-rendered multimedia item and accessing, at the branching points, various trigger conditions that direct playback order of different…

Dynamically cropping digital content for display in any aspect ratio

Granted: November 28, 2023
Patent Number: 11830161
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for dynamically cropping image data transmitted to an endpoint device. The technique includes computing a first visual interest score for a first visual interest region within a digital image based on content included in the first visual interest region, computing a second visual interest score for a second visual interest region within the digital image based on content included in the second visual interest region, and…

File interface to dynamically manage access to remote files

Granted: November 28, 2023
Patent Number: 11829500
Various embodiments of the present application set forth a computer-implemented method for accessing data comprising determining a manifest associated with a given user of an application, where the manifest identifies one or more assets that are accessible by the given user, for each of the one or more assets, one of a plurality of endpoint stores that stores data associated with the asset, and for each of the one or more assets, one of the plurality of endpoint stores that stores…

Comparing video encoders/decoders using shot-based encoding and a perceptual visual quality metric

Granted: November 21, 2023
Patent Number: 11825029
In various embodiments, an encoder comparison application compares the performance of different configured encoders. In operation, the encoder comparison application generates a first global convex hull of video encode points based on a first configured encoder and a set of subsequences included in a source video sequence. Each video encode point is associated with a different encoded version of the source video sequence. The encoder comparison application also generates a second global…

Optimizing encoding operations when generating encoded versions of a media title

Granted: November 14, 2023
Patent Number: 11818375
In various embodiments, a sequence-based encoding application partitions a set of shot sequences associated with a media title into multiple clusters based on at least one feature that characterizes media content and/or encoded media content associated with the media title. The clusters include at least a first cluster and a second cluster. The sequence-based encoding application encodes a first shot sequence using a first operating point to generate a first encoded shot sequence. The…

Systems and methods for network telemetry data replication

Granted: November 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11811892
The disclosed computer-implemented method includes identifying a target networking device communicatively connected to a cluster of networked server instances. The networked server instances are configured to consume network telemetry messages. The method further includes applying a shared lock to the target networking device, so that only a single networked server instance has access to network telemetry messages produced by the target networking device. The method also includes…

Displaying a scene to a subject while capturing the subject's acting performance using multiple sensors

Granted: November 7, 2023
Patent Number: 11810254
A system surrounds an area with a first set of display panels. A second set of display panels is positioned above the area, and a third set of display panels is positioned below the area. A subject is positioned within the area and may be on an omnidirectional treadmill within the area. A controller communicates content to the first set of display panels, the second set of display panels, and the third set of display panels that presents a multidimensional scene when displayed. A set of…

Techniques for performing data reconciliation in distributed data store systems

Granted: October 17, 2023
Patent Number: 11789926
In one embodiment, a data reconciliation engine works with data store nodes included in a distributed data store system to ensure consistency between the data store nodes. In operation, the data reconciliation receives a different data snapshot from each of the data store nodes. In response, the data reconciliation engine generates one or more recommendations designed to resolve inconsistencies between the data snapshots. The data reconciliation engine then transmits each recommendation…