Burst Efficient Fast Program Acquisition for IPTV Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
IPTV systems face significant latency issues when subscribers switch between programs due to the need to leave one multicast group and join another, exacerbated by the processing time for video frames, which can be mitigated but at the cost of increased bandwidth requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a burst efficient fast program acquisition system that removes unused B-frames, truncates and recodes fast bursts, and pre-calculates streamlined bursts for frequently viewed programs to reduce latency and bandwidth demands, allowing seamless transitions without picture loss or degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If a fast burst of data is sent to the subscriber immediately upon receiving the program acquisition request, then program acquisition latency is reduced, but bandwidth requirements increase and stress network resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unused B-frames from the fast burst data transmission. When a subscriber joins mid-GOP, the system identifies and eliminates B-frames that occur after the join point, as these frames cannot be decoded without future reference frames. This extraction reduces the bandwidth consumption of fast bursts while maintaining the ability to display video from the join point forward.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-calculating and pre-processing fast burst data before actual program acquisition requests occur. The system pre-identifies which B-frames would be unused for potential join points, and pre-processes the video stream to mark or remove these frames. This preliminary processing reduces the computational burden during actual program switching and optimizes bandwidth usage in advance.
2Reliability
If all video frames including unused B-frames are transmitted in the fast burst, then complete video data is provided, but network bandwidth is wasted on data that cannot be displayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and removes unused B-frames from the fast burst transmission. B-frames that occur after the subscriber's join point are identified and eliminated, as they reference future frames that the subscriber cannot access. This ensures that only usable video data is transmitted, maintaining reliability for displayable content while eliminating bandwidth waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of video frame selection by dynamically determining which frames to include in the fast burst based on the join point position. The system adjusts the fast burst composition to exclude B-frames beyond the join point, transforming the transmission from a static complete-GOP approach to a dynamic trimmed approach that adapts to actual subscriber needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Various methods, systems, and apparatuses can be used to perform burst efficient fast program acquisition. In some implementations, a burst efficient fast program acquisition system can operate to remove unused B-frame thereby reducing the bandwidth required for a fast burst. In other implementations, the burst efficient fast program acquisition system can decode the fast burst, identify the video frames needed for reassembly, and encode a truncated group of frames for fast burst transmission. A burst efficient fast program acquisition system can also use pre-calculated streamlined burst fast burst in conjunction with program prediction methods such as adjacent program and frequently viewed program thereby further reducing the latency associated with IPTV program acquisitions.