CMCD Energy Signaling for Adaptive Streaming Bitrate Selection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing video streaming technologies do not account for energy-related information in adaptive streaming, leading to inefficient energy consumption and increased carbon footprint, despite the desire to reduce these factors while maintaining high Quality of Experience (QoE).

Innovation Solution

Implement a method for client devices to signal energy-related information to the server, enabling the construction of an energy-aware bitrate ladder that estimates and optimizes energy consumption and carbon footprint across the streaming chain functions, using device characteristics and energy models.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If adaptive streaming selects higher bitrate representations to improve Quality of Experience, then video quality improves, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveQuality of ExperienceVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by reporting client energy-related information (such as battery level, power consumption rate, and energy models) to the CDN server. The server uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the bitrate ladder and recommend representations that optimize QoE while considering the client's energy constraints, creating a closed-loop control system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameter set used for adaptive representation selection by incorporating energy-related parameters (battery level, power consumption rate, energy models) into the decision-making process. This extends the traditional bitrate-only selection to a multi-parameter optimization that balances quality and energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If adaptive streaming consumes more bandwidth to deliver higher quality content, then Quality of Experience improves, but carbon footprint increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveQuality of ExperienceVSAvoidcarbon footprint
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback by reporting client energy-related information (such as battery level, power consumption rate, and energy models) to the CDN server. The server uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the bitrate ladder and recommend representations that optimize QoE while considering the client's energy constraints, creating a closed-loop control system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the parameter set used for adaptive representation selection by incorporating energy-related parameters (battery level, power consumption rate, energy models) into the decision-making process. This extends the traditional bitrate-only selection to a multi-parameter optimization that balances quality and energy consumption.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If the system reports detailed client energy-related information to the CDN, then energy estimation accuracy improves, but communication overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveenergy estimation accuracyVSAvoidcommunication overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention extracts only the essential energy-related parameters (battery level, power consumption rate, energy models) needed for energy-aware adaptive streaming and transmits them to the server. This selective extraction avoids transmitting unnecessary detailed information while maintaining sufficient accuracy for energy estimation and optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4712441A1CMCD client energy relative information signaling for adaptive streaming services
Publication Date: 2026.03.18 INTERDIGITAL CE PATENT HOLDINGS SAS
  • EP4712441A1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP4712441A1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP4712441A1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

Some embodiments of a method may include: obtaining a description of services provided by a Content Delivery Network (CDN) according to a Media Presentation Description (MPD) file; obtaining a selection of a first service selected from the description of services provided by the CDN; connecting to a session for the first service; obtaining a plurality of content segments corresponding to a first representation for the first service; providing, to an application for playback, one or more of the plurality of content segments corresponding to the first representation; providing, to the CDN, a report of client energy-related information; obtaining an updated description of services provided by the CDN according to an updated MPD file, wherein the updated description of services provided by the CDN was updated based on the report of client energy-related information; and switching to a second representation for the first service.