Dynamic MPD Update Mechanism for DASH Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content delivery systems using MPEG DASH struggle with efficiently updating media presentation description (MPD) information during content playback, leading to excessive loading and network congestion, as they require continuous polling for updates to replace additional segments with alternative content.
Innovation Solution
The system dynamically modifies and provides MPD information to client devices based on geographic location or demographics, using in-band messages to trigger updates only when necessary, allowing for seamless insertion of alternative content without frequent polling, by setting the Minimum Update Period (MUP) value to zero initially and switching to periodic updates during alternative content segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous polling is used to check for MPD updates, then timely alternative content can be provided, but network traffic and system loading increase excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic polling only during alternative content segments by setting MUP to a non-zero value, while using event message triggering during program segments. This selective periodic action reduces unnecessary polling during stable program content while ensuring timely updates when alternative content is being delivered, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the MUP parameter based on the current playback state - switching between event message triggering (MUP=0) during program segments and periodic polling (MUP>0) during alternative content segments. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize network traffic while maintaining timely content delivery, directly resolving the technical contradiction.
2Loss of information
If frequent MPD updates are requested to ensure current content, then content relevance is improved, but network congestion and server loading worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic polling only when necessary (during alternative content segments) by setting MUP to a non-zero value, while using event message triggering during program segments. This reduces the frequency of MPD requests significantly compared to continuous polling, thereby reducing network congestion and server loading while maintaining content relevance through targeted updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses in-band event messages embedded in the content stream to trigger MPD updates automatically when alternative content segments are detected. This self-service mechanism allows the content delivery system to notify clients of updates without requiring continuous client-initiated polling, reducing network traffic and server loading while ensuring content currency.
3Loss of energy
If event message triggering is used to reduce polling, then network traffic is reduced, but timely detection of alternative content updates may be delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines event message triggering with periodic polling by setting MUP to a non-zero value during alternative content segments. This hybrid approach ensures that while event messages reduce overall network traffic, periodic polling provides a backup mechanism to detect updates timely, thus resolving the contradiction between network traffic reduction and update detection speed.
4Loss of energy
If MUP is set to zero to eliminate periodic polling, then network loading is minimized, but the system cannot support dynamic alternative content replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically adjusts the MUP parameter based on the current playback state - setting MUP to zero during program segments to minimize network loading, and switching to non-zero values during alternative content segments to enable periodic polling for dynamic content replacement. This dynamic parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction between network loading minimization and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system selectively applies periodic polling (MUP>0) only during alternative content segments while using event message triggering (MUP=0) during program segments. This selective periodic action enables dynamic content replacement when needed while minimizing network loading during stable program content, thus resolving the technical contradiction.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus that facilitate providing alternative content to customer devices in systems supporting DASH streaming are described. Various features relate to dynamically modifying and providing media presentation description (MPD) information to customer devices. MPD information is used by customer devices to obtain media content, e.g., program content and/or alternative content. The client device, e.g., a IP content playback device, switches between a mode used during playing of program segments in which an in-band EMSG is used to trigger a request for an MPD update and a mode of operation used during the playing of additional or alternative content segments during which the client device will periodically request MPD information. By limiting requests for MPD information during normal program segments to requests triggered by an EMSG the number of update requests can be minimized or reduced as compared to other approaches where requests for updated MPD information are made periodically.