Content Break Slate Looping for Bandwidth Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Content distributors face challenges in managing network resources efficiently when displaying slates indicating unavailable video services, as these require similar bandwidth to active video services, leading to inefficient use of network resources during content breaks.
Innovation Solution
A content distribution device determines content breaks that satisfy a threshold and instructs downstream devices to store and loop secondary content, such as slates, during this time, reducing the need for continuous data transmission and optimizing resource usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If slates are displayed to indicate unavailable video services, then viewers are informed of service status, but network bandwidth is consumed similarly to active video services
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting content breaks before they occur and pre-loading secondary content into buffer memory. This allows the slate to be displayed from cached content rather than continuously transmitting new data, reducing network bandwidth consumption while maintaining reliable service status indication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of the slate content and stores it in buffer memory for repeated use during content breaks. Instead of continuously receiving and transmitting slate data over the network, the copied content is looped from local storage, significantly reducing network bandwidth requirements while maintaining the same viewer information display.
2Reliability
If slates are continuously transmitted during content breaks, then service unavailability is indicated, but network resources are inefficiently used
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by transmitting slate content only during identified content breaks rather than continuously. The content distribution device detects breaks in primary content and triggers slate display only during these periods, using buffered content to avoid continuous network transmission, thereby improving network resource efficiency while maintaining service status indication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of content breaks and pre-loads secondary content into buffer memory before the break occurs. This preliminary action enables the slate to be displayed from local cache during the break without requiring continuous network transmission, improving both reliability of status indication and efficiency of network resource usage.
3Reliability
If repeated requests are sent for secondary content during content breaks, then slate display is maintained, but network traffic increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates and stores a copy of the slate content in buffer memory at the content distribution device. Instead of sending repeated requests over the network during content breaks, the device loops the copied content from local storage, maintaining continuous slate display while eliminating repeated network traffic and associated energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by enabling the content distribution device to serve slate content from its own buffer memory during content breaks. The device autonomously loops cached secondary content without requiring continuous communication with the content source, reducing network traffic and energy usage while maintaining display continuity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for resource management are described. A computing device may determine a duration of a content break satisfies a timing threshold. Based on the duration of the content break satisfying the timing threshold, the computing device may cause an encoder to cease an encoding operation. Based on the duration of the content break satisfying the timing threshold, the computing device may cause the encoder to send to a media device, secondary content and cause the media device to repeatedly output the secondary content rather than sending repeated requests for the secondary content.