Local Manager Multicast Media Request Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unicast systems face inefficiencies in delivering over-the-top media due to high network traffic demands, leading to decreased media playback quality and increased latency, especially in environments with many devices requesting media simultaneously, and are vulnerable to security risks from local DNS servers.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multicast content delivery network with a client device that uses beacon agent circuitry to receive a local manager IP address and request modifier circuitry to redirect media requests through the local manager, eliminating the need for direct communication with content providers and reducing network traffic and latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast architecture is used to deliver media to multiple devices, then each device receives a separate copy of media content, but network traffic demand increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple unicast streams into a single multicast stream at the local manager. Instead of delivering separate copies of media content to each device through individual unicast connections, the system combines these into one multicast transmission that reaches all requesting devices simultaneously, thereby reducing network traffic while maintaining reliable delivery to multiple endpoints
2Reliability
If unicast systems deliver media to n different devices, then each device gets its own stream, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The local manager merges multiple device requests into a single multicast stream transmission. By consolidating what would otherwise be n separate unicast transmissions into one multicast transmission, the system eliminates the sequential processing delays inherent in unicast architectures, thereby reducing latency while ensuring reliable delivery to all n devices
3Ease of operation
If local DNS servers are used in unicast systems, then media requests can be resolved, but security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a local manager as an intermediary between client devices and content providers. This local manager handles media request resolution and multicast stream distribution, replacing the traditional local DNS server functionality. The intermediary architecture maintains ease of operation by resolving media requests locally while improving security by eliminating the vulnerability associated with local DNS servers and keeping request handling within the trusted local network environment
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods are disclosed. An example system includes programmable circuitry; a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed or instantiated by the programmable circuitry, facilitate performance of operations, comprising: forming a data structure representing a request to a content provider for a media stream; modifying the data structure to represent a request to a local manager for the media stream, the modified request data structure including an address corresponding to the local manager; transmitting a request to the local manager as a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request, the request based on the modified data structure; and receiving a response from the local manager as a user datagram protocol (UDP) stream.