Cloud DVR Secondary Content Insertion During Playback Pauses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Consumers using cloud-based Digital Video Recorders (cDVR) face challenges in accessing relevant secondary content at the right time and location while time-shifting primary content, leading to diminished viewing experiences and increased bandwidth and memory usage.
Innovation Solution
The system inserts secondary content during natural breaks in primary content delivery, such as commercial breaks or network-induced pauses, using trick play commands and network monitoring to enhance user experience and optimize bandwidth and memory usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If secondary content is provided continuously with primary content, then consumers receive relevant secondary content, but bandwidth and memory usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system delivers secondary content periodically during natural breaks in primary content delivery rather than continuously. When playback pauses occur (whether user-initiated or network-induced), the system inserts secondary content at these discrete intervals, achieving relevant content delivery without continuous bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares and buffers secondary content in advance before playback pauses occur. By pre-loading secondary content segments and positioning them ready for insertion at anticipated pause points, the system reduces memory requirements compared to holding all secondary content in readiness.
2Loss of information
If secondary content is inserted frequently, then consumers receive more relevant secondary content, but viewing experience is interrupted more often
Solution Approach 1:
Secondary content is inserted periodically only at natural break points in the primary content stream, such as commercial breaks or scene transitions. This rhythmic insertion pattern ensures secondary content delivery while maintaining the flow and continuity of the primary content viewing experience.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects playback pauses and user trick play commands, then autonomously inserts secondary content without requiring manual user intervention. This self-service mechanism ensures relevant secondary content delivery while minimizing disruption to the viewing experience.
3Speed
If primary content is delivered at high speed, then consumers receive content quickly, but network congestion causes delivery pauses
Solution Approach 1:
The system converts network-induced delivery pauses, which are harmful to content delivery continuity, into beneficial opportunities for inserting secondary content. Rather than viewing pauses as failures to be avoided, the system exploits them as natural insertion points for secondary content, thereby improving overall content delivery efficiency and relevance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts content delivery based on real-time network conditions and user playback state. When network congestion causes pauses, the system adapts by inserting secondary content during these intervals, maintaining optimal utilization of available bandwidth while ensuring content delivery reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
Linear content that is recorded often includes secondary content that is no longer relevant to the consumer, and lacks secondary content that is relevant to the consumer, such as, emergency alerts, which are time dependent in their relevancy. Inserting secondary content during playback of the recorded content is challenging, as it may interrupt playback and degrade the consumer's viewing experience. Therefore, systems and method are provided herein that exploit pauses in the playback, such as when the content is loaded on a viewing device or a consumer uses trick play options, to insert relevant secondary content without further interrupting the viewing experience, to reduce storage requirements for a cloud-based recording and playback system, and to improve the user experience thereof