Localized Redundancy for Fragment Processing in Live Media Encoding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Real-time live encoding of live streams is resource-intensive and inefficient due to overprovisioning and redundant encoders, requiring improved mechanisms for scalable and reliable encoding and fragmentation to ensure timely and disruption-free delivery across diverse devices and networks.

Innovation Solution

A distributed and dynamically scalable encoding system with localized and geographic redundancy, using stateless encoders and fraggers to process media streams into fragments, allowing for intelligent encoding, recording, and playback without centralized management, and enabling seamless delivery over TCP with preserved timing and sequence information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If real-time live encoding is performed using traditional encoding servers with application specific hardware, then encoding quality can be maintained, but resource consumption increases and scalability is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveencoding qualityVSAvoidresource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the live stream encoding process into multiple independent encoder instances that process different fragments of the video stream simultaneously. Each encoder handles a specific time fragment or spatial portion, allowing parallel processing that reduces overall resource consumption while maintaining encoding quality through distributed computation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically scales the number of encoder instances based on real-time demand and available resources. Encoder instances can be activated or deactivated dynamically, and the system adapts to varying workloads by adjusting the degree of parallelization, thereby optimizing resource usage while ensuring consistent encoding quality

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If overprovisioning and redundant encoders are used to ensure reliable delivery, then system reliability improves, but device complexity and resource inefficiency increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery reliabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates multiple copies of encoder instances that can be dynamically instantiated and terminated. These encoder copies serve as lightweight redundancy mechanisms where failed encoders can be replaced by spawning new instances from the same template, providing reliability without requiring complex redundant hardware architectures

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements self-healing capabilities where encoder instances automatically detect failures and trigger replacement mechanisms. The management system automatically provisions new encoder instances to replace failed ones without human intervention, reducing the need for complex manual redundancy management while maintaining high delivery reliability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Ease of operation

If centralized encoding management is used to coordinate encoders, then control is simplified, but processing speed and scalability are reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemanagement controlVSAvoidencoding throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the management control functions from a centralized architecture and distributes them across individual encoder instances. Each encoder instance maintains its own state and can operate independently, eliminating the bottleneck of centralized coordination while preserving operational simplicity through standardized interfaces and protocols

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Adaptability or versatility

If live streams are encoded into standard formats like H.264, then compatibility with diverse devices is improved, but encoding time and resource requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice compatibilityVSAvoidencoding time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary encoding actions by pre-processing video content into multiple resolution and format variants before live distribution. This allows the system to serve different device requirements from pre-prepared fragments, reducing real-time encoding time while maintaining broad device compatibility through advance preparation of compatible formats

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS9197900B2Localized redundancy for fragment processing

Publication Date: 2015.11.24 ADEIA MEDIA HOLDINGS INC

AI summary

A live media stream encoding system encodes live media streams into numerous variants of the live media streams each including multiple fragments. Live media streams are delineated, dispatched as jobs, and converted using distributed and dynamically scalable encoder and fragmenter resources without using any centralized encoding management system. Encoded fragments are maintained in shared storage and accessed as needed by devices during playback. Localized redundancy and/or geographic redundancy is provided throughout the system to prevent disruption upon failure of a particular node.