Latency Compensation for Synchronous Video Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional web conference systems face challenges in sharing video content at full resolution and framerate due to networking limitations, leading to reduced resolution and framerate, and asynchronous playback across client devices due to network latency.
Innovation Solution
The system employs latency compensation techniques to enable synchronous sharing of video content by continuously uploading streams from a sharer's device and accommodating network latency variations, allowing client devices to buffer and play video content independently at intended resolution and framerate without initial rendering and uploading from the sharer's device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If video content is fully processed and rendered at the sharer's device before being transmitted in an upload stream, then the video content can be shared across the web conference system, but the video content cannot become available for download until it has been both rendered on the sharer's device and uploaded to the web conference server, causing delays
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having client devices pre-buffer video content segments before they are actually needed for playback. The media player on each client device receives and buffers video segments in advance, so when playback is initiated, the content is already available locally without waiting for real-time upload and download through the web conference server.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where video content is shared directly between client devices through a peer-to-peer connection or direct stream, bypassing the traditional upload-download path through the web conference server. The media player acts as an intermediary that receives video segments directly and makes them available for immediate playback without requiring server-mediated transmission.
2Speed
If networking limitations require the resolution and framerate of the video content to be reduced prior to being added to the upload stream, then the video content can be transmitted through the network, but the video quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by allowing each client device to receive and render video content at its full original quality locally, rather than transmitting reduced-quality content through the network. The video segments are transmitted at high quality and only converted to lower resolution during local playback on the client device, ensuring that network transmission occurs at optimal quality while local rendering adapts to device capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of video quality transmission by transmitting video segments at their original high resolution and framerate through the network, rather than pre-reducing them. The conversion to lower resolution and framerate occurs locally on the client device during playback, allowing the network to carry high-quality content while adapting to individual device capabilities at the point of consumption.
3Ease of operation
If the shared video content is transmitted to different client devices with different networking latency, then the video content can be distributed to all participants, but the shared video content may be inadvertently played at different playhead positions at different client devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by having the media player on each client device send timing information and playback status back to the system, which then adjusts the distribution of video segments to compensate for network latency differences. The system monitors the playback state of each device and dynamically adjusts segment transmission timing to ensure all devices reach the same playhead position simultaneously, correcting for varying network conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the system calculate and compensate for network latency differences before video content is distributed to client devices. The media player buffers video segments in advance and the system pre-adjusts transmission timing based on measured network latency, so that despite different network conditions, all devices receive and play back video content at synchronized playhead positions.
Data Source
AI summary
A system to perform latency compensation techniques to facilitate synchronous sharing of video content during a communication session. The system enables video content that is being shared during the communication session to be played synchronously across numerous different client devices that are being used to participate in the communication session, notwithstanding variations in networking latency associated with the different client devices. The disclosed technologies provide improvements over existing screen sharing techniques which include continuously uploading streams of shared media content from a sharer's device and distributing these uploaded streams to other devices. For example, the techniques described herein enable a system to facilitate sharing of video content during a communication session without initially rendering video content at and simultaneously uploading the rendered video content from a sharer's device. Furthermore, the techniques described herein include latency compensation to accommodate for variations in network latency experienced across numerous different client devices.