Adaptive Buffer Injection for Playback Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for playing back Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) or Digital Broadcast System (DBS) transport streams struggle to maintain optimal buffer levels during playback, leading to potential data loss due to overflow or underflow, which interrupts the playback experience.
Innovation Solution
An adaptive transport injection method and apparatus that manages buffer fullness by dynamically adjusting the data injection size based on the smallest available space in the buffer, ensuring that data is injected at the right time to prevent overflow and underflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is continuously injected into the buffer during playback, then the buffer remains full and playback can proceed without underflow interruptions, but the buffer may overflow and cause data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the data injection rate based on real-time buffer status. The playback manager continuously monitors buffer fullness and adapts the injection rate accordingly - increasing injection when buffer level is low and decreasing or pausing injection when buffer is nearly full, thereby preventing both underflow and overflow conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the playback manager monitors the buffer fullness level and uses this information to control the data injection process. The buffer status feedback loop enables the system to automatically adjust injection rates to maintain optimal buffer levels, preventing data loss while ensuring continuous playback
2Productivity
If data injection rate is increased to prevent buffer underflow, then playback continuity is improved, but buffer overflow risk increases causing data loss
Solution Approach 1:
The injection rate is made dynamic rather than fixed. The playback manager adjusts the data injection rate in real-time based on buffer fullness monitoring, enabling the system to optimize productivity by injecting data at higher rates when buffer has capacity while preventing data loss by reducing injection rate when buffer is nearly full
3Device complexity
If fixed buffer management is used during playback, then system complexity is reduced, but buffer overflow or underflow occurs interrupting playback
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer management system is self-regulating through automatic monitoring and adjustment. The playback manager autonomously monitors buffer fullness and adjusts data injection without requiring external intervention or complex manual control mechanisms, achieving reliable playback continuity while keeping the control logic relatively simple
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a method and apparatus for adaptive transport injection for playback. The apparatus includes a playback manager for managing at least one buffer to maintain a fullness of the at least one buffer for a data playback by adapting a data injection size, relating an amount of data injected at a given time into the at least one buffer, to smallest available space in the at least one buffer.