ABR Segment Reconciliation Across Redundant Sites
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In adaptive bitrate (ABR) video streaming, achieving seamless failover across redundant sites is hindered by the lack of synchronization in segment naming and history due to unpredictable splice points and input loss, which prevents deterministic segment naming and maintaining equivalent content across parallel pipelines.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a reconciliation process that synchronizes ABR segments across redundant sites by using a common UTC timeline, aligning chunk boundaries, and employing reconciliation devices to update and copy segments between manifests, ensuring identical content and history across sites, even in failure scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If parallel pipelines operate independently without synchronization, then operational autonomy is maintained, but segment naming and content history become inconsistent across sites
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a synchronization mechanism that acts as an intermediary between parallel pipelines. This mechanism uses a common UTC timeline and manifest file synchronization to coordinate segment naming across sites, allowing pipelines to operate independently while maintaining consistent segment identifiers and content history through the mediating synchronization process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If segment boundaries are determined by unpredictable splice points and input loss, then processing flexibility is improved, but deterministic segment naming becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by establishing segment boundaries and assigning segment identifiers based on a predetermined UTC timeline before actual content processing variations occur. This allows the system to maintain deterministic naming conventions even when splice points and input loss cause variations in actual segment content and timing.
3Reliability
If redundant sites maintain independent content history, then site independence is preserved, but seamless failover capability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying to maintain synchronized content history across redundant sites. Each site maintains a local copy of the manifest file and segment metadata that is continuously updated through synchronization mechanisms, ensuring that failover can occur seamlessly with minimal interruption while preserving site independence for normal operations.
4Loss of time
If manifest files are updated frequently to reflect real-time segment availability, then content freshness is improved, but synchronization complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where manifest files are updated based on actual segment production status and synchronization state. The system monitors segment availability and manifest consistency across sites, updating manifests only when necessary to maintain synchronization, thus balancing content freshness with reduced synchronization complexity through condition-based updates.
Data Source
AI summary
Reconciling Adaptive Bitrate (ABR) segments across redundant sites may be provided. First, a working manifest may be set to match a primary downstream manifest and the working manifest may be updated using an auxiliary downstream manifest. Next, first segments missing from the working manifest as identified during updating the working manifest using the auxiliary downstream manifest may be copied from the auxiliary downstream manifest to the primary downstream manifest. The working manifest may then be updated using a primary upstream manifest. And then second segments missing from the working manifest as identified during updating the working manifest using the primary upstream manifest may be copied from the primary upstream manifest to the primary downstream manifest.