Hybrid Server Mixing Video Streams for Real-Time Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current videophone services face challenges in providing high-resolution, real-time video streaming to large audiences due to limitations in network traffic management and time delays associated with existing SFU and MCU schemes, which restrict the number of simultaneous participants and degrade real-time performance.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid server system is introduced, comprising a first server that mixes individual audience video streams and forwards them as group streams, and a second server that receives these streams, combines them with the performer's video stream, and forwards the combined video to audience terminals, enabling simultaneous display of both performer and audience videos on one screen.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If SFU scheme is used to provide real-time high-definition video streaming, then real-time characteristic and video quality are improved, but network traffic control complexity increases and the number of simultaneous participants is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the video streaming architecture into two distinct server components: an MCU server that handles video mixing and combination, and an SFU server that handles selective forwarding to multiple clients. This segmentation allows each server to specialize in specific functions, reducing the overall complexity of network traffic control while maintaining real-time high-definition video quality.
2Loss of energy
If MCU scheme is used to reduce network traffic consumption, then network traffic is reduced, but time delay increases due to encoding and compression operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the advantages of both MCU and SFU schemes by combining their functional capabilities into a hybrid architecture. The MCU server performs video mixing to reduce network traffic, while the SFU server performs selective forwarding to minimize processing delays. This merging allows the system to achieve both low network traffic consumption and reduced time delay simultaneously.
3Adaptability or versatility
If hybrid server system is implemented to provide performer and audience videos simultaneously, then video service quality is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hybrid server system implements multi-functionality by enabling the same server architecture to handle multiple video streaming scenarios: performer-to-audience broadcasting, audience-to-audience sharing, and interactive video communication. The system provides universal video service quality improvement across different event types (performances, conferences, seminars) without requiring separate specialized systems for each use case.
Data Source
AI summary
The hybrid server includes a first server configured to separately receive individual video media streams of an audience from audience terminals as uploads, mix the received individual video media streams as one or more group video media streams, and forward the group video media streams as downloads and a second server configured to receive the group video media streams from the first server as uploads and receive a video media stream of a performer from a performance terminal as an upload. The second server selects any one of the group video media streams and the video media stream of the performer or combines the group video media streams and the video media stream of the performer and forwards the selected video stream or the combined video streams to the audience terminals.