Live Media Stream Ad Insertion with Partial Fetching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current client-side ad insertion systems for live media streams are inefficient as they continue to fetch and process the entire stream during ad periods, wasting bandwidth and resources, especially when consecutive ad periods are not detected.
Innovation Solution
The system fetches only a small portion of the live media stream during ad periods to detect consecutive ad indicators, allowing for efficient replacement ad insertion and reducing unnecessary stream processing by pausing and resuming stream reception only when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the system continues to fetch and process the entire live media stream during ad periods, then the system maintains continuous stream processing capability, but network bandwidth and processing resources are wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the live media stream processing into two distinct modes: full stream processing when ads are not present, and partial stream processing (fetching only a small portion) during ad periods. This segmentation allows the system to adapt resource consumption to actual processing needs, avoiding waste of network bandwidth and computing resources during ad playback while maintaining the ability to detect consecutive ad indicators.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts its stream processing behavior based on ad detection state. When an ad period is detected, the system transitions from fetching the entire stream to fetching only a small portion. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize resource usage in real-time based on the playback state, directly addressing the contradiction between continuous processing capability and resource efficiency.
2Loss of energy
If the system fetches only a small portion of the stream during ad periods, then network resources and processing overhead are conserved, but the ability to detect consecutive ad indicators may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of ad indicators by fetching a small portion of the stream before the ad period ends. This preliminary action allows the system to identify consecutive ad indicators in advance, preparing for seamless transition to the next ad period while consuming minimal resources. The detection is performed early enough to maintain reliability without requiring full stream processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary detection mechanism that uses a small sample of the stream to infer the presence of consecutive ad indicators. This intermediary approach acts as a mediator between full stream processing (which ensures detection accuracy) and no processing (which conserves resources), providing a balanced solution that maintains adequate detection reliability with reduced resource consumption.
3Loss of energy
If the system pauses stream reception during ad periods, then resource consumption is reduced, but seamless transition to the next ad period may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of consecutive ad indicators during the ad period by fetching a small portion of the stream. This preliminary action ensures that when the next ad period begins, the system is already prepared to continue fetching the full stream without interruption or delay, maintaining seamless transitions while minimizing resource consumption during the current ad period.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques and mechanisms described herein facilitate consecutive live ad insertion for live media streams. A live media stream is received and played at a client device. A first ad indicator in the live media stream, indicating a first start point for a first ad period, is detected. Upon reaching the first start point, reception of the live media stream is paused and one or more first replacement ads are played instead of one or more first original ads. Before the first ad period ends, a small portion of the live media stream is fetched in order to detect the presence of a second ad indicator indicating the presence of a second, consecutive ad period in the live media stream. Upon detecting the second ad indicator, one or more second replacement ads are played during the second ad period.