Generic Media Encoding for Bandwidth Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Network bandwidth consumption is high due to multiple content providers encoding media objects differently, leading to inefficient use of bandwidth as the same media objects are treated as distinct, necessitating separate streaming to each subscriber despite being identical in content.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that generically encodes media objects by encoding rendered frames, allowing for caching and multicasting, and using fingerprinting to identify identical media objects across different encodings, enabling playback from cache instead of re-streaming from content providers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple content providers encode media objects differently, then each content provider can maintain its own encoding standards and quality, but network bandwidth consumption increases due to redundant streaming of identical content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple differently-encoded versions of the same media object into a single generically encoded version. The system receives media objects from multiple content providers with different encodings, identifies them as representing the same content, and creates one generic encoding that can serve all subscribers regardless of which content provider they access, thereby eliminating redundant transmissions
Solution Approach 2:
The generically encoded media object serves multiple functions: it can be used to satisfy requests from any subscriber accessing any content provider, replacing the need for separate encodings from each provider. This universal encoding approach allows the same encoded object to fulfill multiple delivery requirements across different content provider-subscriber pairs
2Loss of energy
If the system generically encodes media objects by re-encoding rendered frames, then bandwidth consumption is reduced through caching and multicasting, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs generic encoding in advance before actual subscriber requests are made. When a media object is first received from a content provider, the system proactively creates its generically encoded version and stores it in a cache, so that subsequent requests for the same content from any subscriber can be served immediately from the pre-prepared generic encoding without requiring real-time re-encoding
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of re-encoding media objects repeatedly for each request, the system creates a single generic copy of the rendered frames and reuses this copy for serving multiple subscribers. The generically encoded media object is a replicated version that can be distributed and cached across multiple locations, eliminating the need for repeated encoding operations
3Loss of energy
If the system caches generically encoded media objects for multiple subscribers, then network bandwidth is optimized, but system complexity increases due to encoding management and fingerprinting requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex manual or rule-based encoding management with automated fingerprinting technology. The system uses fingerprinting to automatically identify when different media objects represent the same content, eliminating the need for manual tracking of which encodings correspond to which content. This automated identification mechanism simplifies the management of multiple encodings and caching decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a generic encoding layer as an intermediary between content providers and subscribers. This intermediate generic encoding format acts as a mediator that standardizes the representation of media objects, simplifying the complexity of managing multiple provider-specific encodings by translating them all into a common format that can be uniformly cached and distributed
Data Source
AI summary
Described herein are ways to advantageously reduce bandwidth use between an internet service provider and its subscribers by re-encoding media objects to have a generic encoding that can be cached at subscriber devices. When a subscriber makes an authorized request for a media object from a content provider, a cached version of the generically encoded media object may be played by the subscriber even if the subscriber is not a customer of the content provider that originally provided the media object. This can eliminate the need for streaming a new copy of the media object from the content provider. The disclosed systems are configured to identify when differently-encoded media objects represent the same media object so that subscribers can play cached media objects rather than requiring each media object be streamed from different content providers.