Media Stream Fragment Request Gap Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
HTTP Dynamic Streaming (HDS) playback can suffer from 'liveness' and 'dropout' issues due to server-side problems, where a stale or incomplete media stream index is provided, leading to interrupted or stalled playback.
Innovation Solution
A client system identifies gaps in the media stream index and requests missing fragments using a determined naming convention, such as sequential or timestamp-based identifiers, until a predetermined number of failed requests occurs, ensuring robust playback by retrieving potentially missing fragments from server systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the client system requests only fragments listed in the received index, then the playback follows the server-provided index, but playback may stall or interrupt when the index is stale or has gaps
Solution Approach 1:
The client system performs preliminary actions by proactively requesting fragments that are not listed in the received index but are expected to exist based on the naming convention. This advance preparation ensures that gaps in the index are filled before playback needs them, preventing stalls and interruptions.
Solution Approach 2:
The client system uses feedback from the naming convention pattern to identify potentially missing fragments. By analyzing the sequential pattern of fragment identifiers, the system determines which fragments should exist but are absent from the index, then requests them to complete the media stream.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the client system proactively requests potentially missing fragments, then playback continuity is improved, but network bandwidth is consumed for requests that may not be necessary
Solution Approach 1:
The client system applies partial action by requesting only the specific fragments that are suspected to be missing based on the naming convention, rather than requesting all possible fragments. This targeted approach fills gaps in the media stream without unnecessarily consuming network bandwidth for fragments that are already available.
3Reliability
If the client system requests fragments beyond the index range, then missing fragments are recovered, but the number of requests increases which may cause server overload
Solution Approach 1:
The client system extracts only the specific fragment identifiers that are potentially missing based on the naming convention analysis. By isolating and requesting only these specific fragments rather than broadly requesting all fragments, the system recovers missing content while minimizing the total number of requests to the server.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for requesting potentially missing fragments in a media stream index are described in this specification. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a fragmented media stream index at a client system, where the media stream index includes a list of sequentially arranged fragment identifiers. Fragments listed in the media stream index can be requested from a server system. Fragment identifiers that are potentially missing in the media stream index can be identified based, at least in part, on a determined naming convention indicating the sequential arrangement of the fragment identifiers. Fragments can be requested based on the potentially missing fragment identifiers and processed for display when received.