Seamless Media Asset Transitions via Segment Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing streaming media technologies often result in perceptible disturbances, such as gaps and skips, during transitions between multiple video assets due to the difficulty in identifying corresponding segments at client devices.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves determining a starting point for rendering the next media asset by synchronizing audio and video segments, potentially through cross-fading, and using timestamps and sequence numbers to align the segments to a common time base, ensuring seamless transitions between media assets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a coding server supplies coded segments for multiple media assets without tracking, then the distribution server can transmit various media assets to client devices, but the client device has difficulty identifying segments corresponding to each media asset, resulting in perceptible disturbances during transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The coding server tracks and provides feedback information about which media asset each coded segment corresponds to. This feedback mechanism allows the distribution server and client device to properly identify and handle segments from different media assets, ensuring smooth transitions without perceptible disturbances while maintaining the ability to transmit multiple media assets.
Solution Approach 2:
The coding server acts as an intermediary that introduces metadata or tracking information alongside coded segments. This intermediary information enables the distribution server to properly route and identify segments corresponding to specific media assets, resolving the identification difficulty without limiting the versatility of transmitting multiple media assets.
2Ease of operation
If the client device receives coded segments from the distribution server without segment identification information, then the device can decode segments, but transitions between media assets produce gaps, skips, and perceptible disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The coding server performs preliminary action by embedding or associating identification information with each coded segment before transmission. This advance preparation ensures that when the client device receives segments, it can immediately identify which media asset each segment belongs to, enabling smooth transitions without gaps or perceptible disturbances while maintaining ease of decoding.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of segment data by adding identification metadata or tracking information to each coded segment. This parameter change enables the client device to distinguish between segments from different media assets, eliminating perceptible disturbances during transitions without complicating the decoding process.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for transitioning between media assets are described. In the described techniques, a client device may receive and render a first plurality of coded segments corresponding to a first media asset. Subsequently, while rendering the first media asset, the client device may receive a second plurality of coded segments corresponding to a second media asset. In order to transition between the media assets, a starting point for the rendering of the second media asset is determined.