Multiclient Streaming Bitrate Allocation by Display Profile
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multiclient streaming systems face challenges in optimizing streaming bitrate due to bandwidth constraints and server limitations, leading to degraded playback quality on display devices with varying capabilities, especially when multiple clients request high-quality streams concurrently.
Innovation Solution
A streaming media server assigns display profile-dependent bandwidth allotment thresholds to each client media receiver based on the display device's characteristics, adjusting bitrates using adaptive bitrate techniques to ensure optimal quality distribution across multiple streams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a streaming media server concurrently delivers separate media streams to multiple playback devices at maximum quality levels, then the viewing quality for each client is improved, but the server becomes unable to simultaneously encode all streams at maximum quality due to bandwidth and processing constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different quality levels to different client streams based on their specific display capabilities. The server profiles each client device and delivers appropriately optimized stream quality - higher quality to devices with larger screens and higher resolution capabilities, and lower quality to devices with smaller or lower-resolution displays. This resolves the contradiction by ensuring each client receives maximum appropriate quality without all clients demanding maximum quality simultaneously, thus maintaining server bandwidth and processing capacity.
2Productivity
If the streaming media server reduces bitrate to accommodate multiple clients, then concurrent stream capacity is maintained, but the viewing quality degrades noticeably on display devices with larger display areas and higher resolution capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements parameter changes by dynamically adjusting the bitrate and encoding parameters of each stream based on the client device's display profile. The server modifies parameters such as resolution, bitrate, and frame rate according to the specific capabilities of each device. This allows the server to maintain high concurrent stream capacity while ensuring that each client receives a stream optimized for its display characteristics, preventing noticeable quality degradation on high-resolution devices.
3Reliability
If the streaming media server applies ABR techniques to adjust encoding parameters in response to network bandwidth variations, then network bandwidth utilization is optimized, but the ability to maintain high quality streams for multiple clients simultaneously is limited by server encoding capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-profiling each client device's display capabilities before streaming begins. The server stores and retrieves display profiles containing information about screen size, resolution, and other characteristics. This preliminary characterization allows the server to pre-determine appropriate encoding parameters for each client, enabling it to maintain high video quality for multiple clients simultaneously while efficiently utilizing network bandwidth through ABR techniques.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and devices are provided for optimizing streaming bitrate during multiclient streaming sessions based, at least in part, on display profiles associated with client media receivers to which different video streams are concurrently provided. The method may be carried-out by a streaming media server in communication with first and second client media receivers over a network. In various embodiments, the method may include establishing at the streaming media server first and second bandwidth allotment thresholds based, at least in part, on display profiles assigned to display devices associated with the client media receivers. During an ensuing multiclient streaming session, the streaming media server further encodes segments of video streams at variable bitrates regulated in accordance with the established bandwidth allotment thresholds. Additionally, the streaming media server transmits the encoded segments of the video streams over the network to the client media receivers for presentation on the display devices.