Instant Channel Change via Dedicated Pre-Transmission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing video channel switching technologies result in a slow user experience due to the time gap between channel change and display, caused by waiting for independent frames and potential packet jitter, leading to over-dimensioned networks and asynchronous viewing for steady state users.
Innovation Solution
Transmitting the video channel ahead of time as a dedicated stream at a slower motion speed, allowing the decoding device to catch up with steady state users, and then switching to common transmission mode, without requiring additional bandwidth or control signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If video channel switching waits for independent frames and handles packet jitter, then video decoding reliability is improved, but channel switching time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-transmitting independent frames (I-frames) and necessary decoding data to the decoding device before the user actually switches channels. The network unit predicts which channels may be switched to and prepares their independent frames in advance, so when channel switching occurs, the decoding device already has the necessary data ready, eliminating the need to wait for independent frames during switching.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by dynamically adjusting the transmission mode based on channel switching states. During normal operation, common multimedia streams are transmitted efficiently. When channel switching is detected or predicted, the system dynamically switches to dedicated multimedia stream transmission for the target channel, providing prioritized delivery of independent frames and handling packet jitter more aggressively, then transitions back to common streaming mode after switching completes.
2Speed
If dedicated multimedia streams are transmitted to support instant channel changes, then channel switching speed is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing multimedia stream transmission into two distinct segments: common multimedia streams that are shared among multiple decoding devices, and dedicated multimedia streams that are transmitted only when channel switching occurs. This segmentation allows the system to use efficient common streaming during normal operation (saving bandwidth) while providing dedicated resources only when needed for instant channel changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by dynamically adjusting the transmission mode based on channel switching states. During normal operation, common multimedia streams are transmitted efficiently. When channel switching is detected or predicted, the system dynamically switches to dedicated multimedia stream transmission for the target channel, providing prioritized delivery of independent frames and handling packet jitter more aggressively, then transitions back to common streaming mode after switching completes.
3Loss of time
If video frames are transmitted ahead of time for channel switching, then channel change responsiveness is improved, but video synchronization between users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by providing different transmission qualities and timing to different users based on their state. Steady-state users receive common multimedia streams with standard timing, while users in the process of channel switching receive dedicated multimedia streams with prioritized independent frame transmission. This local differentiation allows fast channel switching for changing users without disrupting the synchronized viewing experience for steady-state users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamics by dynamically adjusting the transmission mode based on channel switching states. During normal operation, common multimedia streams are transmitted efficiently. When channel switching is detected or predicted, the system dynamically switches to dedicated multimedia stream transmission for the target channel, providing prioritized delivery of independent frames and handling packet jitter more aggressively, then transitions back to common streaming mode after switching completes.
Data Source
AI summary
The network unit includes a signaling unit and a video transmitting unit. The signaling unit is configured to receive a request from a decoding device requesting transmission of the video channel. The video transmitting unit is configured to transmit the video channel towards the decoding device, initially as a dedicated multimedia stream dedicatedly supplied to the decoding device and including an anchor frame as a first transmitted video frame, and further in time as a common multimedia stream commonly supplied to a plurality of decoding devices. The video transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the video channel within the dedicated multimedia stream having an earlier time frame with respect to transmission of the video channel within the common multimedia stream, and the video channel is to be initially played at an averagely slower motion speed than the nominal motion speed that the common multimedia stream is to be played.