Media Transcoder Intermediate Format Latency Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing media-content delivery systems face challenges in efficiently converting content from source to target formats, leading to slow content delivery, increased storage needs, and degraded user experience due to the variety of formats and high computational intensity.

Innovation Solution

A system comprising a transcoder, content store, and clients that allows for on-demand modification and delivery of media files in various formats, enabling low-latency transcoding and storage by transmitting modified content portions before the entire file is processed, thus reducing latency and increasing efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If content is converted from source format to target format using traditional transcoding methods, then content format compatibility is improved, but content delivery time increases and system latency worsens

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent format compatibilityVSAvoidcontent delivery time

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary transcoding by converting content from source format to an intermediate format in advance, before the actual playback request. This pre-processing allows the content to be ready for faster final conversion to target format, reducing delivery time while maintaining format compatibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The transcoding process is divided into multiple stages: source to intermediate format conversion, and intermediate to target format conversion. This segmentation allows parallel processing and optimization of each stage, improving overall efficiency and reducing total delivery time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If content is converted from source format to multiple target formats, then adaptability to diverse devices is improved, but computational intensity and processing time increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadaptability to diverse devicesVSAvoidcomputational intensity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses an intermediate format as a universal representation that can serve as the source for multiple target format conversions. This multi-functional approach allows a single transcoding operation to enable delivery to diverse devices, reducing total computational intensity compared to converting from each source format separately

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The content is pre-converted to an intermediate format that is optimized for subsequent conversions to multiple target formats. This preliminary action reduces the computational burden of multiple separate transcoding operations by establishing a common intermediate representation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If content is converted from source format to target format, then format compatibility is improved, but storage requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveformat compatibilityVSAvoidstorage requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system stores content in an intermediate format that serves as a universal source for multiple target format conversions. This eliminates the need to store multiple copies of the same content in different formats, reducing storage requirements while maintaining the ability to deliver to diverse devices

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of storing multiple original format versions, the system creates copies in an intermediate format that can be efficiently converted to various target formats as needed. This copying strategy reduces storage requirements compared to maintaining multiple source format versions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

4Productivity

If content processing is distributed across multiple components, then system scalability is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem scalabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system merges the transcoding functionality into a centralized component that handles conversions from source format to intermediate format and from intermediate format to target format. This consolidation reduces system complexity compared to having separate distributed transcoding components, while maintaining scalability through the efficient intermediate format architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS7818355B2System and method for managing content

Publication Date: 2010.10.19 IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS CORP

AI summary

A system for managing media files having different format characteristics includes a transcoder, a content store, and a plurality of clients. The content store is capable of storing a media file in a first format. The clients are each associated with one or more media file formats and capable of playing media files to users. The transcoder is capable of receiving a request identifying a media file from a first client and, in response to receiving the request, retrieving the media file from the content store in a first format. The transcoder is also operable of modifying the media file from the first format to a second format associated with the first client and, while modifying the media file from the first format to the second format, transmitting a modified portion of the media file to the first client.