Adaptive Streaming Manifest Customization with Runtime Metadata Insertion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing adaptive bitrate streaming systems lack the ability to dynamically customize and extend manifest files during runtime, limiting the insertion of metadata payloads such as advertisements and blackout content without requiring customized formats for each customer.
Innovation Solution
A manifest manipulator system that inserts metadata payloads at runtime, using placeholders and configuration syntax to support multiple customers, allowing dynamic insertion of alternate content like advertisements and blackout content into the manifest.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manifest files use static format definitions, then system complexity is reduced, but adaptability and versatility are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The manifest file format transitions from static to dynamic by allowing runtime insertion of metadata payloads. The system enables dynamic customization where metadata can be inserted at specified positions within the manifest structure during operation, rather than requiring fixed pre-defined formats. This resolves the contradiction by making the manifest adaptable to different customers and content types while maintaining a consistent underlying structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The manifest structure is segmented into distinct regions where metadata payloads can be inserted at specific positions. Rather than requiring the entire manifest format to be customized for each customer, the system divides the manifest into configurable segments that can be dynamically populated with customer-specific metadata while maintaining the overall manifest structure integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manifest files are customized for each customer, then adaptability improves, but device complexity and maintenance difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The manifest structure is designed with universal placeholders and insertion points that can accommodate different customer-specific metadata payloads. Rather than creating entirely separate manifest formats for each customer, the system uses a universal manifest template with configurable metadata insertion points, allowing one manifest structure to serve multiple customers with different requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer between the fixed manifest structure and customer-specific metadata requirements. This intermediary mechanism allows dynamic insertion of customer-specific payloads without modifying the core manifest format, simplifying maintenance while maintaining adaptability.
3Productivity
If metadata payloads are inserted dynamically at runtime, then productivity and real-time content insertion improve, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manifest structure is prepared in advance with designated placeholders and insertion points where metadata payloads can be dynamically inserted. This preliminary structuring enables efficient runtime customization without requiring complex real-time manifest generation, as the framework is already in place to accommodate dynamic content insertion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method receives a manifest for video requested by a client device. The manifest including links for different versions of the video for the client device to use to request segments of the different versions of the video based on conditions detected by the client device. A placeholder in the manifest is selected based on a configuration specifying the placeholder as a trigger to insert alternate content into the manifest. The method then selects a metadata payload based on the configuration specifying the placeholder and a source of the metadata payload and dynamically inserts the metadata payload into the manifest at a position based on the placeholder. The metadata payload is added with an identifier from the configuration that identifies the metadata payload to the client device. The manifest is outputted with the metadata payload for use by the client device while playing the video.