Distributed ABR Proxy Gateway Transcoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
In adaptive bit rate (ABR) content delivery networks, user devices can only determine local network bandwidth conditions, lacking awareness of bandwidth conditions between the device and the ABR server, which limits optimal content streaming.
Innovation Solution
A distributed adaptive bit rate proxy system is implemented, where gateway devices act as intermediaries, transcoding content segments and caching them locally or across units to reduce latency and bandwidth utilization, allowing for adaptive streaming based on both local and remote network conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If user devices directly retrieve content from ABR server, then network bandwidth utilization is optimized, but user devices cannot accurately determine remote network bandwidth conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces gateway devices as intermediaries between user devices and ABR servers. These gateways act as local ABR servers that receive content from remote ABR servers and provide it to user devices. The gateways monitor both local network conditions (between gateway and user devices) and remote network conditions (between gateway and ABR server), thereby providing complete bandwidth information to user devices while maintaining a relatively simple client-side implementation.
2Loss of time
If gateway devices cache content segments locally, then latency is reduced, but device complexity and memory requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments content into discrete segments that can be independently cached and delivered. Instead of caching entire content items, the gateway device caches individual segments locally. This segmentation allows the gateway to store only the segments that are currently needed or frequently requested, reducing overall storage requirements while still achieving low-latency delivery for cached segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device performs preliminary actions by pre-caching content segments before they are requested by user devices. The gateway monitors network conditions and proactively retrieves and caches segments that are likely to be needed, thereby reducing latency when user devices request content without requiring the gateway to store all possible content.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple adaptive bit rate profiles are provided, then streaming quality is improved, but device complexity and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the ABR server functionality with the gateway device. Instead of having separate entities for content storage, transcoding, and distribution, the gateway device combines these functions. The gateway receives content from remote ABR servers, performs local transcoding to generate multiple adaptive bit rate profiles, and distributes content to user devices. This merging allows multiple profiles to be provided while distributing processing requirements across the network infrastructure rather than concentrating complexity in single devices.
Data Source
AI summary
A distributed adaptive bit rate (ABR) proxy system may include a gateway device that includes a first transcoder and is configured to receive segments of a content item from an ABR server, and a secondary device that includes a second transcoder and is configured to receive the segments of the content item from the gateway device. The first transcoder may transcode the segments based at least in part on a first ABR profile to generate first transcoded segments, and the second transcoder may transcode the segments based at least in part on a second ABR profile to generate second transcoded segments. The gateway device may advertise the first and second ABR profiles to user devices and may transmit the first transcoded segments to the user devices in response to requests therefor. The secondary device may transmit the second transcoded segments to the user devices in response to requests therefor.