Companion Device Play-Position Synchronization Without Embedded Metadata
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems require significant resources to encode and decode metadata with content, leading to increased resource usage and inefficiency in delivering supplemental content to companion devices during media consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system where a server device provides metadata manifests associated with content timing information to a companion device, allowing the companion device to request and display interactive icons based on content timing information, reducing the need for the media device to handle heavy metadata processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If metadata is encoded and decoded with content in existing systems, then supplemental content can be delivered to companion devices, but resource usage increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts metadata from the content stream and processes it separately on the server device. Instead of encoding metadata with content, the system retrieves metadata independently from the server, synchronizes it with content timing information, and delivers it to the companion device separately, thereby reducing resource usage at the media device while maintaining supplemental content delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The server device acts as an intermediary between the content source and the companion device. It stores metadata manifests, receives content timing information from the media device, retrieves corresponding metadata, and delivers it to the companion device. This intermediary role eliminates the need for the media device to perform heavy metadata encoding and decoding operations
2Loss of information
If metadata processing is handled by the media device, then supplemental information can be provided, but device complexity and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex metadata processing function from the media device and relocates it to the server device. The media device only needs to extract and transmit content timing information, while the server device handles the complex tasks of metadata retrieval, synchronization, and delivery to the companion device
Solution Approach 2:
The server device serves itself by storing metadata manifests and automatically retrieving and delivering the appropriate metadata based on content timing information received from the media device. This self-service approach eliminates the need for the media device to perform complex metadata processing operations
Data Source
AI summary
A companion device for use with a server device, a media device and a display device, the server device having stored therein a metadata manifest including metadata and time data associated with content and being configured to transmit the metadata manifest, the media device being configured to provide the content and content timing information to the display device, the display device being configured to display media, the content timing information being additionally associated with the time data, the companion device comprising: a memory having instructions stored therein; and a processor configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory to cause the companion device to: receive the content timing information from the media device; transmit a manifest request to the server device based on the content timing information; receive the metadata manifest from the server device; and instruct the display to display an icon based on the metadata.