Client Edge Communication Channel for CDN Playback Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media content delivery systems experience disruptions during playback due to the lack of locally available fragments in edge server caches, leading to potential interruptions as clients may need to retrieve fragments from origin servers, which can be farther away and slower.
Innovation Solution
Implementing communication channels between client devices and edge servers that allow devices to anticipate and communicate their bandwidth and resource changes, enabling the edge server to proactively cache or evict fragments based on anticipated requests, thus optimizing cache content and reducing playback disruptions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fragments are cached at edge servers, then playback continuity is improved, but cache memory is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting future fragment requests before they occur. The client device sends predictions about upcoming fragments, and the edge server proactively caches these predicted fragments in advance, ensuring they are ready when needed and maintaining playback continuity without waiting for actual requests
Solution Approach 2:
The caching strategy is made dynamic through continuous prediction and adaptation. The system continuously monitors client behavior, bandwidth conditions, and resource availability to dynamically adjust which fragments are cached. This dynamic approach allows the cache to adapt its contents based on changing conditions rather than using static caching rules
2Quantity of substance
If fragments are retrieved from origin server, then cache memory usage is reduced, but playback latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system retrieves fragments from the origin server in advance based on predictions, rather than waiting for actual playback requests. By proactively fetching predicted fragments before they are needed, the system eliminates retrieval latency during playback while maintaining efficient cache utilization
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips the normal request-wait-retrieve cycle by rushing through the fragment retrieval process in advance. Predicted fragments are fetched immediately upon prediction, bypassing the delays that would occur if retrieval waited for actual playback requests
3Reliability
If edge server caches all requested fragments, then playback disruptions are eliminated, but network bandwidth is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of caching all possible fragments, the system uses partial action by caching only the predicted fragments that are likely to be requested. This selective approach provides sufficient playback reliability for predicted content while avoiding the bandwidth waste of caching unnecessary fragments
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from client device predictions to guide caching decisions. The client provides feedback about its bandwidth conditions, resource availability, and anticipated requests, allowing the edge server to adjust its caching strategy accordingly - caching more when resources are abundant and caching less when resources are constrained
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are described for implementing a communication channel between a client device and a content distribution network (CDN) during playback of media content. The communication channel can be used by a client device to provide the CDN information pertaining to fragments the client device anticipates requesting from the CDN, as well as by the CDN to provide feedback to the client device regarding whether it is likely that the CDN will be able to satisfy the anticipated requests. The CDN can perform various operations based, at least in part, upon the information it receives from the client device.