Video Playback Synchronization via CDN Caching and Long Links

Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for synchronously playing a video on multiple clients are inefficient and prone to frame freezing due to high real-time requirements for content delivery networks (CDN) in live streaming.

Innovation Solution

A video playback method that caches video resources on CDN nodes, establishes long links with clients, and synchronizes playback states using these links to ensure simultaneous playback across multiple clients without frame freezing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If live streaming is used to ensure synchronous playback on multiple clients, then playback synchronization is improved, but frame freezing occurs due to high real-time performance requirements and CDN node complexity

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayback synchronizationVSAvoidframe freezing

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The video resource is cached in advance at CDN nodes before playback begins. When playback starts, the video stream is pushed to multiple CDN nodes simultaneously, and clients retrieve the video from these pre-positioned cached resources, eliminating the need for continuous real-time fetching and preventing frame freezing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

CDN nodes serve as intermediary components that cache and distribute video resources to clients. Instead of clients directly accessing the source video stream in real-time, the CDN nodes act as intermediaries that provide buffered copies, reducing real-time performance pressure and preventing frame freezing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If live streaming is used to ensure synchronous playback, then playback synchronization is improved, but a large quantity of CDN nodes are required, increasing device complexity and operational costs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayback synchronizationVSAvoidCDN node quantity

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The video resource is cached in advance at CDN nodes before playback begins. When playback starts, the video stream is pushed to multiple CDN nodes simultaneously, and clients retrieve the video from these pre-positioned cached resources, eliminating the need for continuous real-time fetching and preventing frame freezing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

CDN nodes serve as intermediary components that cache and distribute video resources to clients. Instead of clients directly accessing the source video stream in real-time, the CDN nodes act as intermediaries that provide buffered copies, reducing real-time performance pressure and preventing frame freezing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Stability of the object's composition

If CDN nodes continuously obtain latest video stream data in real-time, then playback synchronization is improved, but operational complexity and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveplayback synchronizationVSAvoidoperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The video resource is cached in advance at CDN nodes before playback begins. When playback starts, the video stream is pushed to multiple CDN nodes simultaneously, and clients retrieve the video from these pre-positioned cached resources, eliminating the need for continuous real-time fetching and preventing frame freezing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

CDN nodes serve as intermediary components that cache and distribute video resources to clients. Instead of clients directly accessing the source video stream in real-time, the CDN nodes act as intermediaries that provide buffered copies, reducing real-time performance pressure and preventing frame freezing

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12342005B2Video playback method and apparatus, device, and readable storage medium

Publication Date: 2025.06.24 SHANGHAI HODE INFORMATION TECH CO LTD

AI summary

This application discloses techniques of playing videos. The techniques comprise caching a video resource of a target onto a plurality of content delivery network (CDN) nodes; establishing a long link with each of a plurality of client computing devices in response to detecting that the plurality of client computing devices access a playback page of the target video; simultaneously sending, via the established long links, signals indicative of a start state of the target video to all of the plurality of client computing devices, wherein each of the plurality of client computing devices simultaneously plays the video resource while separately obtaining the video resource from a corresponding CDN node; simultaneously sending, via the established long links, signals indicative of an end state of the target video to all of the plurality of client computing devices that access the playback page.