Encoder Boundary Point Structure for Multi-Standard Adaptive Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for adaptive bitrate streaming lack the ability to efficiently support multiple standards and segmentation modes, as they cannot mark segment borders for more than two different standards and do not provide indexing for identified standards.
Innovation Solution
The CableLabs Encoder Boundary Point (EBP) structure is extended to accommodate multiple partitions, allowing it to mark the start of one or more partitions, with a bit-mask indicating the partitions, and a Program Map Table (PMT) descriptor providing information for processing these partitions, enabling support for multiple standards and segmentation modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the EBP structure is extended to accommodate multiple partitions with bit-mask indication, then the adaptability to support multiple standards and segmentation modes is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The EBP structure is segmented into multiple partition fields (first partition field, second partition field, etc.), each independently indicating boundaries for different standards. This allows the structure to handle multiple segmentation modes without becoming unmanageably complex, as each partition can be processed independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended EBP structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it marks boundaries for traditional IPTV-style multicasts, indicates chunk boundaries for Apple HLS (10-second chunks), and provides segmentation points for Microsoft SmoothStreaming (2-second chunks). This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the structure adaptable to various standards while maintaining a unified framework.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple partition fields are added to the EBP structure, then the ability to mark segment borders for different standards is improved, but the loss of information increases due to larger data structures
Solution Approach 1:
Each partition field in the EBP structure is designed to carry specific information relevant to particular standards. The first partition field handles traditional IPTV boundaries, while the second partition field handles ABR streaming boundaries. This local specialization allows efficient information encoding without unnecessary overhead, as each field contains only the data needed for its specific purpose.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments are provided for segment demarcation and identification in adaptive streaming by enabling marking chunks according to multiple standards simultaneously. An encoder boundary point (EBP) structure is used to indicate a plurality of partitions corresponding to a plurality of representations for a same content. A partition is a set of continuous chunks within a media stream of a defined length according to a corresponding standard. The EBP structure includes a bit-mask that is set to indicate one or more partitions in the stream. The EBP structure can indicate a boundary point for more than two partitions allowing a stream to be partitioned in several ways according to different standards. Additionally, a program map table (PMT) descriptor is used to describe each partition, providing information to process each partition. The PMT descriptor includes a packet identifier (PID) value for packets containing EBP structures.