Media File Cluster Indexing for Fast Seeking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media streaming solutions experience excessive loading times and breaks when users attempt to seek within media content, degrading the user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method that utilizes a file header with a cluster index for coarse searching and a cluster header with a content index for fine searching, allowing for efficient seeking within media content by identifying the relevant cluster and content position, and providing the corresponding media content to the user without significant delays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If conventional streaming methods are used for seeking within media content, then the system structure remains simple, but the user experiences excessive loading times and frequent breaks
Solution Approach 1:
The media file is divided into multiple clusters, each representing a temporal segment of the media content. Each cluster contains a subset of media frames organized in a hierarchical structure, allowing the system to locate and load only the relevant cluster containing the requested content rather than loading the entire file or large portions of it.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested hierarchical structure where clusters are contained within the media file, frames are contained within clusters, and picture data is contained within frames. This nested organization allows progressive refinement of content location from cluster level to frame level to specific picture data, enabling efficient seeking without loading unnecessary content.
2Speed
If the entire media file is loaded into memory for random access, then seeking is instantaneous, but the memory requirements and loading time become excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The media file is segmented into multiple smaller clusters that can be independently loaded into memory. When a user seeks to a specific position, only the relevant cluster containing that position is loaded, rather than loading the entire media file. This segmentation enables fast seeking with minimal memory usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-organizes the media file into a hierarchical cluster structure with index information that enables rapid location of content. This preliminary organization allows the system to quickly identify and load only the necessary cluster data when seeking, avoiding the need to load entire files while maintaining fast access speeds.
3Productivity
If a hierarchical cluster structure with indexes is implemented, then seeking efficiency is dramatically improved, but the file structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The media content is segmented into clusters with hierarchical indexing. The file header contains a cluster index that maps temporal positions to cluster identifiers. This segmentation creates a manageable structure where complex indexing is confined to metadata rather than the entire file, improving access efficiency while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cluster headers as intermediary structures between the file header and the actual media data. Cluster headers contain content indexes that bridge the high-level cluster organization and the detailed frame-level data, enabling efficient seeking without requiring the entire file structure to be complex.
4Duration of action of moving object
If streaming is performed without pre-loading content, then memory usage is low, but loading delays occur during playback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments media content into clusters that can be independently streamed. Instead of buffering large portions of content, the system loads only the relevant cluster data needed for current playback position, reducing buffer requirements while minimizing loading delays through efficient cluster-level streaming.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device with one or more processors, memory and a display obtains a file header for a file that corresponds to a plurality of separately indexed clusters. The file is divided into segments one or more of which include multiple sequential clusters. The file header includes a segment index that enables identification of a segment that includes requested content. The device receives a request to seek to a respective position within the file. In response, the device identifies a first segment that includes content that corresponds to the respective position based on the segment index, obtains the first segment, and obtains a content index for a respective cluster within the first segment. After obtaining the first segment and the content index, the device identifies respective content within the respective cluster that corresponds to the respective position based on a content index and provides the respective content to a user.