Media Content Delivery via Pre-transcoding and Auxiliary Files
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing media content delivery systems face challenges in efficiently converting content from source formats to target formats, leading to time-consuming and computationally intensive processes, which result in slow content delivery, congestion, and degraded user experience due to the variety of formats and increased storage requirements.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate a modified media file and an auxiliary file to facilitate low-latency delivery by transcoding and streaming media content in real-time, allowing partial transmission before the entire file is modified, and utilizing auxiliary files to provide location information for seamless streaming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If content is converted from source format to target format using traditional transcoding methods, then format compatibility is improved, but delivery time and computational resources are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary transcoding of media content into multiple target formats and stores the transcoded versions in advance. When a user requests content, the pre-transcoded files are immediately available for delivery without requiring real-time conversion, thus resolving the contradiction between format compatibility and delivery time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the media content delivery process into distinct phases: pre-transcoding phase where content is converted to multiple formats and stored, and delivery phase where the appropriate pre-converted format is selected and transmitted. This segmentation allows the system to achieve both format versatility and fast delivery by performing the computationally intensive work beforehand.
2Speed
If all content formats are pre-converted and stored, then delivery speed is improved, but storage requirements and system complexity are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal transcoding infrastructure that can convert content to multiple formats on-demand or in advance. Rather than maintaining separate copies of content in every possible format indefinitely, the system provides multi-format support through a flexible transcoding framework that generates target formats as needed, achieving fast delivery without proportionally increasing storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs parameter changes by adjusting transcoding settings and selecting appropriate target formats based on user device characteristics, network conditions, and content type. This allows the system to optimize the balance between storage investment and delivery performance by converting content to specific formats only when needed, rather than maintaining all possible format variations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional content processing methods are used, then format conversion is achieved, but computational resources and system congestion are significantly increased
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs format conversion in advance during off-peak periods or when computational resources are available, rather than processing all conversions in real-time when requests arrive. This preliminary action distributes the computational load over time, reducing peak processing demands and preventing system congestion while maintaining format conversion capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of media content in different formats and stores them for efficient retrieval. By pre-creating these format copies, the system avoids repeated real-time transcoding operations that would consume significant computational resources, thereby reducing the processing power required during actual content delivery while maintaining versatile format support.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for delivering media content includes receiving a request identifying a requested media file. The method also includes, in response to receiving the request, accessing the requested media file. The requested media file includes media content in a first format. The method further includes generating a modified media file based on the requested media file. The modified media file includes media content in a second format. Additionally, the method includes generating an auxiliary file associated with the modified media file. The auxiliary file includes a plurality of content records associated with different portions of the media content in the modified media file and indicating a location of the associated portion. Each content record includes information to facilitate transmission of the associated portion of the media content to a remote client prior to the modified media file being completely generated.