Live Media Stream Re-synchronization via Command Manifest Polling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The synchronization of multimedia content, commands, and on-screen events transmitted over different Internet pathways is often disrupted due to varying latencies, encoding, and transcoding times, leading to an incoherent viewing experience.
Innovation Solution
A computer system and method that re-synchronizes the playback of live media streams with the execution of out-of-band commands and on-screen events by using a media encoder, streaming media server, publishing client, and multimedia player to manage and synchronize media streams and command manifests across different pathways.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If media streams are transmitted through different Internet pathways to improve delivery reliability and bandwidth utilization, then the system can handle high-volume data transmission effectively, but the varying latencies and delays cause synchronization issues between media content and on-screen events
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a timing synchronization mechanism that acts as an intermediary between the media stream and command stream. This mechanism includes a timing source that generates timing information, a media stream processor that extracts timing data from the media stream, and a command stream processor that uses this timing information to synchronize commands with the media content. The intermediary timing synchronization mechanism reconciles the different latencies introduced by separate transmission pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback through the timing information extracted from the media stream. The media stream processor continuously monitors the media stream for timing data, and this timing information is fed back to the command stream processor to adjust command execution timing. This closed-loop feedback ensures that commands are synchronized with the media content despite variations in transmission delays.
2Productivity
If separate transmission pathways are used for media streams and commands to improve network efficiency, then bandwidth utilization is optimized, but the differing latencies cause time discrepancies between receipt of media and events at user devices
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by extracting timing information from the media stream in advance and using this timing data to pre-synchronize the command stream. The timing synchronization mechanism prepares the synchronization parameters before commands need to be executed, allowing the system to compensate for transmission delays proactively rather than reactively.
Solution Approach 2:
The timing information acts as an intermediary that bridges the separate media and command transmission pathways. By using timing data extracted from the media stream as a reference, the system can synchronize command execution despite the commands traveling through a different network pathway with different latency characteristics.
3Adaptability or versatility
If encoding and transcoding are performed to enable multimedia broadcasting over the Internet, then the content can be delivered to multiple user devices, but the encoding and transcoding times contribute to delays that vary between different transmission pathways
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service by extracting timing information directly from the encoded media stream itself. Rather than relying on external synchronization signals or separate timing channels, the media stream contains its own timing data that can be used to synchronize the command stream. This self-contained approach eliminates the need for additional synchronization infrastructure and reduces overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems maintain synchronicity among elements intended to be displayed at various points during a live media stream. At a multimedia player, start playback of a live media stream. The systems receive input from a user selecting a new time of the media stream to playback, which is different than the current playback time of the media stream. The systems adjust playback of the media stream to restart at the new selected time, such that the current playback time of the output media stream is updated to the new selected time. The systems monitor the current playback time of the media stream as adjusted. The systems determine a user-initiated command to execute for displaying one or more visual elements at the multimedia player by polling a command manifest file based on the current playback time as adjusted.