Audio Streaming Buffer Management and Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio streaming technologies face disruptions due to network congestion, leading to buffering issues, and lack advanced navigation features for efficient content seeking within audio streams.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that includes an audio streaming server, a client buffer, a buffer status sensor, and a client audio output enhancer that inserts silence or pre-recorded audio segments to maintain a stable stream, along with an audio sampler and seeker for sophisticated seeking within audio streams, allowing users to navigate audio content via telephone or IVR with voice commands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If streaming audio over network with buffer, then users can listen without waiting for complete download, but network congestion causes buffer depletion and playback interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-loads audio data into the buffer before playback is needed, and continuously refills the buffer during playback. This preliminary action ensures that sufficient audio data is available in the buffer to maintain continuous playback even when network conditions deteriorate, directly addressing the contradiction between reducing download waiting time and ensuring playback reliability.
2Ease of operation
If use basic navigation functions (fast forward, rewind, pause), then users can control playback, but cannot efficiently locate specific segments in large audio content
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an audio sampler that creates a separate summary audio stream containing key segments and cues from the original audio content. This intermediary summary stream acts as a mediator that enables users to quickly navigate and locate specific segments without having to manually fast-forward or rewind through the entire audio content, thus improving both ease of operation and reducing time to locate specific segments.
3Reliability
If insert silence or pre-recorded segments to maintain stable stream, then audio streaming quality improves during congestion, but adds complexity to the streaming system
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs an audio output enhancer that automatically detects buffer status and autonomously inserts silence or pre-recorded audio segments when buffer depletion is detected. This self-service mechanism maintains audio streaming stability during network congestion without requiring manual intervention or complex external control systems, thereby improving reliability while keeping the added complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for providing enhanced quality audio streaming, including an audio streaming server providing an audio stream, a client including a buffer storing at least portions of the audio stream received from the audio streaming server, a buffer status sensor operative to monitor the contents of the buffer and a client audio output enhancer operative in response to an output from the buffer status sensor for providing a modified audio stream output.