Dynamic Buffer Allocation for DASH Streaming Initial Frame

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing audio and video streaming technologies face challenges in quickly obtaining an initial frame and rapidly starting playback, particularly with Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH), where separate video and audio data files are required, leading to inefficiencies in buffering and traffic management.

Innovation Solution

The method involves obtaining video and audio bitrate information from separate files, determining the capacity of video and audio buffer areas based on these bitrates, and dynamically adjusting these capacities to prioritize video content for faster initial frame playback, ensuring that the video buffer area is larger than the audio buffer area to allocate more bandwidth for video content.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If separate video and audio data files are obtained in DASH streaming, then adaptability of streaming quality is improved, but buffering complexity and traffic management difficulty increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestreaming quality adaptabilityVSAvoidbuffering complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines separate video and audio buffer management into a unified buffer capacity determination mechanism. By calculating total buffer capacity based on the sum of video bitrate and audio bitrate, the system merges the complexity of managing separate buffers into a single integrated management approach, reducing buffering complexity while maintaining separate quality adaptability for each stream

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal buffer capacity calculation method that handles both video and audio streams through a single formula. The buffer capacity is determined by a unified mechanism that considers both bitrates simultaneously, making the buffer management system multi-functional and applicable to both video and audio data files without requiring separate management logic

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Ease of operation

If equal buffer capacity is allocated to video and audio streams, then fairness in resource allocation is improved, but video playback startup speed deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource allocation fairnessVSAvoidvideo playback startup speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allocating different buffer capacities to video and audio streams based on their respective bitrates. Instead of equal allocation, the video buffer capacity is specifically optimized to be larger than audio buffer capacity when video bitrate exceeds audio bitrate, providing localized optimization for video startup speed while maintaining overall resource allocation fairness through proportional distribution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically changes buffer capacity allocation parameters based on bitrate relationships. When video bitrate is greater than audio bitrate, the system adjusts the buffer capacity distribution to favor video, making the allocation flexible and adaptive rather than fixed and equal, thereby improving video startup speed while maintaining fairness under different conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If larger buffer capacity is allocated to video content, then video downloading speed is improved, but audio-video synchronization difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevideo downloading speedVSAvoidaudio-video synchronization precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic buffer capacity allocation that adjusts based on the relationship between video and audio bitrates. The system continuously evaluates bitrate proportions and dynamically modifies buffer capacities to maintain optimal video downloading speed while preventing excessive disparity that could cause synchronization issues. This dynamic adjustment mechanism ensures synchronization precision is maintained even when video buffer is larger

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Device complexity

If buffer capacities are determined without considering bitrate proportions, then system simplicity is improved, but network traffic efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem simplicityVSAvoidnetwork traffic efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces bitrate proportion as a key parameter in buffer capacity determination. By incorporating the ratio of video bitrate to audio bitrate into the buffer allocation formula, the system optimizes network traffic efficiency without significantly increasing system complexity. The calculation remains relatively simple while achieving substantial improvements in traffic utilization and preventing network congestion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11463494B2Balance of initial frame and limitation of traffic

Publication Date: 2022.10.04 SHANGHAI BILIBILI TECH CO LTD

AI summary

A method includes: obtaining a video data file and an audio data file of streaming media content to be played from a server, when the streaming media content is played using DASH; obtaining a video bitrate from the video data file, and obtaining an audio bitrate from the audio data file; and determining a capacity of a video buffer area and a capacity of an audio buffer area according to the video bitrate and the audio bitrate.