HTTP Media Capability Negotiation via EPG
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing HTTP progressive download technologies face service chaos during media transmission when enhanced servers and clients interact, as they lack clear capability negotiation mechanisms to determine which party executes HTTP Streaming enhanced functions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for transmitting HTTP media that involves determining the HTTP streaming media capabilities used by both the server and client through an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), allowing the server to provide media services and the client to request content fragments based on the determined capabilities, thereby avoiding service chaos by ensuring both parties execute the necessary functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If enhanced servers and enhanced clients interact with each other, then HTTP Streaming functionality is supported, but service chaos occurs during media transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing capability negotiation between server and client before media transmission begins. The server and client exchange capability information through EPG and capability determination requests, establishing a clear understanding of which party supports enhanced HTTP Streaming functions. This pre-negotiation prevents service chaos during actual media transmission by ensuring both parties operate with compatible expectations and roles.
2Reliability
If capability negotiation is not performed, then interaction between enhanced server and enhanced client is simple, but service chaos occurs during media transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback through a bidirectional capability negotiation mechanism. The server provides capability information to the client via EPG, and the client responds with a capability determination request. The server then determines the client's capability and communicates this back to the client. This feedback loop ensures both parties have accurate knowledge of each other's capabilities, enabling reliable service while managing complexity through structured information exchange.
Solution Approach 2:
The EPG (Electronic Program Guide) serves as an intermediary in the capability negotiation process. It carries capability information from the server to the client, and the capability determination mechanism acts as a mediator to establish mutual understanding of supported functions. This intermediary approach structures the negotiation process, making it manageable despite the added complexity of capability determination.
3Ease of operation
If HTTP progressive download is used, then file download is improved with simultaneous download and play, but Fast Forward and Forward Seek operations are not supported for undownloaded content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the HTTP Streaming system to adapt its behavior based on the negotiated capabilities. When enhanced capability is confirmed through negotiation, the system dynamically enables additional operations such as Fast Forward and Forward Seek for undownloaded content. This transforms the static HTTP progressive download into a dynamic system that can adjust its functionality based on real-time capability assessment, providing both download-and-play capability and seek operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
In the field of media transmission technologies, a method and an apparatus for transmitting Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) media are provided, which solve a problem that a specific capability mode to be used cannot be determined when both a server and a client have enhanced functions. In the method and a system for transmitting the HTTP media, information of HTTP streaming media capabilities supported by the server and information of HTTP streaming media capabilities supported by the client are obtained; according to the obtained information of the HTTP streaming media capabilities supported by the server and the obtained information of the HTTP streaming media capabilities supported by the client, the HTTP streaming media capability used by the server or the client in a subsequent media transmission procedure is determined; the server provides media services according to the determined HTTP streaming media capability; or the client obtains the media services according to the determined HTTP streaming media capability. The embodiments are mainly applied in various media obtaining systems such as an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and a system based on an Electronic Program Guide (EPG).