Media Packet Sequencing to Prevent Playback Freezing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media data transmission protocols like RTSP, RTMP, and HTTP/TCP suffer from sequence preserving performance issues that affect continuity and real-time performance of media services, leading to freezing during network deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A data packet transmission method where a network element determines and sends a data packet with sequence information to ensure continuity and real-time performance by re-determining packets that are to be discarded, allowing the terminal device to decode subsequent packets without waiting for missing data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If TCP sequence preserving performance is used to ensure data packet transmission reliability, then data transmission reliability is improved, but continuity and real-time performance of media services deteriorate due to freezing when packets are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sequence information from the original data packet structure and separates it into an independent field. This allows the terminal device to identify and process available packets for decoding while excluding lost packets from the decoding process, thereby preventing freezing and maintaining media service continuity even when some packets are lost
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring all packets in sequence to be received and decoded (traditional approach), the patent inverts the logic by allowing the terminal device to skip lost packets and decode subsequent packets using alternative reference frames. This inversion transforms the system from being blocked by packet loss to being able to continue playback despite packet loss
2Reliability
If retransmission of lost packets is performed to maintain data completeness, then data completeness is improved, but network delay increases causing freezing in live broadcast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-inserting sequence information into each data packet before transmission. This allows the terminal device to immediately identify lost packets and switch to alternative decoding modes without waiting for retransmission, thereby avoiding the time loss associated with retransmission while maintaining data completeness through alternative reference frame usage
3Reliability
If TCP acknowledge sequence numbers are used to ensure sorting reliability, then sorting reliability is improved, but continuity and real-time performance of media data playback deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sequence information as an intermediary element that mediates between the TCP layer's sorting reliability mechanism and the media playback continuity requirement. The sequence information enables the terminal device to independently identify and handle lost packets without being constrained by TCP's sequential delivery mechanism, thus decoupling sorting reliability from playback continuity
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of this application provide a data packet transmission method and a related device. In this method, a first network element may receive a first data packet of a first service from an application server. The first network element determines first sequence information of a second data packet. Then, the first network element determines a third data packet, and sends the third data packet to a terminal device. The second data packet is a to-be-discarded data packet of the first service, the first sequence information indicates a sequence of the second data packet, and the third data packet includes the first sequence information. Continuity and real-time performance of a service of the terminal device can be improved according to this application.