Media Position Control via HTTP Intermediary Channel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current media position control methods in media streaming rely on terminal capabilities and media player support, which are not universally available, especially in handsets, impacting user experience and making it difficult to port clients to new devices.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow a client to request media playback from a specific point in the media stream without relying on terminal capabilities, by establishing a direct communication channel with the server, defining an interfacing message to indicate a read position, and updating timestamps and sequence numbers to create a continuous stream.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If media position control is implemented using existing RTSP protocols and player APIs, then media playback control functionality is achieved, but the solution requires media player support and terminal capability which are not universally available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the media position control functionality from the player-dependent RTSP protocol layer and creates an independent HTTP-based control channel between client and server. This allows the control logic to be removed from the player implementation and handled directly by the streaming server, eliminating the requirement for player support while maintaining device compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an HTTP communication channel as an intermediary between the client and streaming server for media position control. This intermediary layer bypasses the need for player API support by establishing a direct control path through standard HTTP protocols, enabling universal device compatibility without requiring complex player integrations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a direct HTTP communication channel is established between client and server for media position control, then player support requirement is eliminated, but additional communication infrastructure is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universality of HTTP protocol, which is already widely supported across all devices and platforms. By using HTTP for media position control, the solution achieves player independence while avoiding the need for specialized communication infrastructure, as HTTP is a standard protocol already present in virtually all web-capable devices.
3Stability of the object's composition
If timestamps and sequence numbers are updated to create a continuous stream, then stream continuity is maintained during position jumps, but additional processing is required at the server
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and updating the timestamps and sequence numbers of media packets before they are transmitted to the client. When a position jump is requested, the server proactively adjusts these parameters in advance, ensuring stream continuity without requiring complex real-time processing during playback. This reduces server processing complexity during actual media delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus, system, method, server, and client are provided for media position control. A client sends to a player a request for setting up a streaming session, and the streaming session is set up between the player and a server. A communication channel is set up between the client and the server. An interfacing message is defined and communicated between the client and the server over the communications channel that indicates a read position in a media. A continuous stream is created in the server in accordance with the read position.