HLS Multicast Delivery via IP/UDP Encapsulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) for live television delivery is bandwidth-intensive, requiring simultaneous unicast delivery to each client device, which is inefficient and costly for managed video access networks.
Innovation Solution
Implementing HLS multicast delivery over IP/MPLS networks and PONs, encapsulating HLS containers into IP/UDP for multicast distribution, with a hand-off to unicast at the CDN origin or edge for enhanced services and error correction, allowing a single video stream to be delivered to thousands or millions of devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast delivery is used for HLS streams, then each client device can receive the video stream individually, but bandwidth usage increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple unicast streams into a single multicast stream. Instead of sending separate HLS streams to each client device, the system combines them into one multicast stream that can be received by multiple devices simultaneously, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining delivery reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a multicast intermediary layer between the origin server and client devices. The origin server sends a single HLS stream to a multicast network, which then distributes it to multiple clients. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for multiple separate unicast connections while ensuring reliable delivery to all clients.
2Adaptability or versatility
If unicast delivery is used for HLS streams, then client devices can be served individually, but the system becomes costly to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual client service requests into a single multicast delivery operation. By merging the delivery mechanism, the system maintains the ability to serve individual clients while dramatically reducing operational costs associated with maintaining multiple separate unicast connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the HLS stream universally deliverable to multiple client devices through a single multicast transmission. The same stream can be received by any number of clients simultaneously, providing universal service capability while reducing the cost per client served.
3Reliability
If HLS streams are replicated for every client device, then each device receives a dedicated stream, but network efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the replication function into a network-level multicast mechanism rather than application-level copying. Instead of replicating HLS streams at the server for each client, the network infrastructure handles the distribution of a single stream to multiple clients, maintaining delivery guarantees while improving network efficiency.
4Loss of energy
If multicast delivery is implemented, then bandwidth usage is reduced, but compatibility with conventional HLS clients may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the network infrastructure as an intermediary that handles multicast delivery while presenting a unicast-compatible interface to clients. The multicast mechanism operates transparently in the network, allowing standard HLS clients to receive streams without modification, thus maintaining compatibility while achieving bandwidth savings.
Data Source
AI summary
A system receives one or more content streams for a program including a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Live Streaming (HLS) master manifest file for the program, HLS media segments having different bitrate variants, and HLS media manifest files for each of the different bitrate variants. The system encapsulates the HLS master manifest file, the HLS media segments, and the HLS media manifest files into Internet Protocol/User Datagram Protocol (IP/UDP) packets and sends the IP/UDP packets via multicast to video serving offices. Network devices in the video serving offices extract from the IP/UDP packets the HLS master manifest file, the HLS media segments, and the HLS media manifest files. The network devices send to a cache device the HLS media segments and the HLS media manifest files; and forward the IP/UDP packets via multicast to devices in customer premises.