Interleaved Content Caching for Fast Trick Play Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for enabling trick play in audio and video consumer electronic applications face challenges in achieving efficient memory usage and fast response times, as they either consume excessive memory by storing complete content streams or cause mechanical wear and tear through rapid re-acquisition during trick play.
Innovation Solution
The method involves acquiring and caching interleaved segments of digital content data before presentation, allowing for fast access and reducing memory requirements, while also utilizing an anti-shock buffer to minimize mechanical wear and optimize data acquisition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the complete content stream is stored in a cache memory to enable trick play, then trick play response time is improved, but memory consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The content stream is divided into segments that are selectively cached based on trick play probability. Only portions of the content stream that are likely to be accessed during trick play operations are stored in the cache memory, rather than caching the entire content stream. This segmentation approach reduces memory consumption while maintaining fast trick play response times for the most commonly accessed segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary caching of content segments during normal playback operations before trick play is requested. By proactively caching segments as they are encountered during sequential playback, the system prepares data for potential future trick play operations without requiring advance knowledge of user behavior, thus reducing both memory requirements and trick play response time.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the reading head moves rapidly to re-acquire data during trick play, then trick play functionality is enabled, but mechanical wear and tear increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system caches content segments during normal playback operations before trick play is requested. This preliminary caching action ensures that data is already available in the cache memory when trick play operations are initiated, eliminating the need for rapid re-acquisition and the associated mechanical wear and tear on the reading head.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of content segments and stores them in cache memory during normal playback. These copies can then be accessed during trick play operations without requiring the reading head to rapidly re-acquire data from the storage medium, thereby reducing mechanical stress while enabling full trick play functionality.
3Quantity of substance
If a combination of cache memory and re-acquisition is used, then some disadvantages are mitigated, but trick play response time remains insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously performs preliminary caching of content segments during normal playback operations, maintaining a ready supply of data in the cache. This proactive approach ensures that when trick play operations are initiated, the required segments are already cached and can be immediately presented, achieving fast response times without requiring excessive memory capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system monitors playback behavior and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust which segments are cached and prioritized in the cache memory. By learning from user playback patterns, the system optimizes cache utilization to ensure that the most frequently accessed segments during trick play operations are readily available, improving response times while maintaining efficient memory usage.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a method of caching a part of digital content data from a content source (202), comprising the step of: acquiring the digital content data from the content source (202), wherein said part of the digital content data comprises interleaved segments (130; 131) of the acquired digital content data, and said interleaved segments (130; 131) of the acquired digital content data are stored on first storage means (203), thereby allowing for fast access to said digital content data. The disclosure moreover relates to a device for carrying out such a method. The content sources can be DVD, CD, CD-ROM, hard disk, RAM, Flash memory or remote sources accessible over a network, such as the Internet.