HTTP Playlist Streaming With Adaptive Overlap Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current streaming services require specialized servers for distributing live content, leading to high costs and limited content availability, and often necessitate specialized skills for setup and operation.
Innovation Solution
The use of non-streaming protocols like HTTP to segment media data into files, create playlists with specified durations, and implement client-side algorithms for adaptive streaming to reduce polling and ensure continuous playback, even over varying connection speeds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specialized servers are used for distributing live content, then streaming reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments media data into multiple smaller files organized in playlists, allowing standard web servers to distribute content in manageable chunks. This segmentation enables reliable streaming without requiring specialized server hardware, as each segment can be independently served and reassembled by the client device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes standard web servers multi-functional by enabling them to serve streaming content through HTTP protocols. Instead of requiring dedicated streaming servers, any standard web server can handle media distribution by serving segmented files and playlists, thus eliminating the need for specialized server infrastructure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If media files are segmented into shorter durations, then client adaptability is improved, but playlist complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides media content into segmented files with specific duration constraints (e.g., 10 seconds each). This segmentation allows clients to adaptively select and buffer appropriate segments based on network conditions, improving client adaptability while maintaining manageable playlist structures through systematic organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary actions by pre-segmenting media files into standardized duration blocks and organizing them into playlists before distribution. This advance preparation enables clients to efficiently buffer and play back content without real-time processing complexity, as the segmentation and ordering are predetermined.
3Use of energy by moving object
If polling frequency is reduced to decrease energy consumption, then loss of information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action through scheduled playlist checks at predetermined intervals (e.g., every 10 seconds). This periodic polling balances energy consumption with information freshness, as clients only need to check for updates at these regular intervals rather than continuously, reducing energy use while maintaining adequate awareness of content changes.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses provide real-time or near real-time streaming of content, specified in one or more playlists, using transfer protocols such as an HTTP compliant protocol. In one embodiment, a method can adaptively determine a minimum overlap for an overlap in time between two streams being received concurrently in order to determine when to switch between the two streams, and the minimum overlap can be determined based on connection speed. In another embodiment, a minimum playlist duration can be set as a multiple of a target duration which specifies a maximum duration of a media file specified in a playlist. In another embodiment, a method can enforce a start point for playback at a client device.