Client-Side Media Portioning for Stateless Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current streaming media technologies face challenges with server resource management, particularly in stateful systems, which incur high costs and performance issues due to the need for pre-partitioning media files into chunks, and are inefficient for mobile clients that may experience disruptions during data transfer.
Innovation Solution
A method where the client device determines and retrieves portions of media files based on a playback sequence, allowing for flexible portion sizes and on-demand retrieval without pre-partitioning, while the server remains stateless, reducing memory overhead and improving streaming efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If media files are pre-partitioned into chunks and stored on the server, then the client can retrieve portions efficiently, but the server memory requirements and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The client device performs preliminary actions by determining the portions and sequences of media files before requesting them from the server. The client analyzes the media file structure, identifies playable portions, and creates a retrieval plan locally, eliminating the need for server-side pre-partitioning while maintaining efficient retrieval.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional architecture by making the client stateful and the server stateless. Instead of the server maintaining state about media file partitions and client playback progress, the client device maintains all state information including portion sequences, playback position, and retrieval plans. This inversion reduces server complexity while preserving retrieval efficiency.
2Reliability
If the server maintains state for client sessions to manage downloads, then client information can be tracked, but server processing power and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies state inversion by transferring session management responsibilities from the server to the client. The client device maintains playback state, portion retrieval sequences, and session information locally. The server merely responds to HTTP requests without maintaining session state, dramatically reducing server processing requirements while ensuring reliable session management through client-side state tracking.
3Quantity of substance
If large media files are downloaded through mobile networks, then complete media can be retrieved, but network disruptions and transfer failures occur frequently
Solution Approach 1:
The client device segments the media file into playable portions and determines retrieval sequences based on current playback position and network conditions. Instead of downloading entire large files, the client requests only necessary portions in sequence, allowing graceful handling of network disruptions by resuming from the last successfully retrieved portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic portion retrieval where the client adjusts its download strategy based on real-time network conditions, playback state, and buffer levels. The client can dynamically change portion sizes, retrieval sequences, and quality parameters to optimize for varying network reliability, ensuring continuous playback even during network fluctuations.
Data Source
AI summary
Illustrative embodiments disclose receiving a command to play a selected audio visual media on a client device. The client device determines portions of audio visual media from elected audio visual media and a sequence identifying each portion of the portions in a particular order for playing the portions. The portions and the sequence are determined according to a policy for playing each portion on the client device. The client device retrieves the portions to play in sequence and plays at least a partially retrieved first portion of the portions of the selected audio visual media on the client device. The first portion is identified based on the particular order in the sequence.