Mobile Content Gateway for Adaptive Video Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
The B2B video services sector faces challenges in delivering video content to mobile devices due to the need for significant upgrades in existing delivery networks to support IP unicast transmission and adaptive streaming, which is costly and time-consuming, and requires substantial investment in new system elements.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize existing stationary devices with spare resources to create local mobile content gateways, which receive and process video content for distribution to mobile devices via wireless transmission, allowing for adaptive streaming without requiring extensive network upgrades or new infrastructure investments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If unicast transmission is used to deliver video content to mobile devices, then service quality and adaptability are improved, but network traffic load increases significantly and requires substantial network upgrades
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the delivery network into two parts: a broadcast segment that delivers content to stationary devices efficiently, and a unicast segment that delivers content from stationary devices to mobile devices. This segmentation allows the bulk of traffic to be handled via efficient broadcast while only individualized content requests traverse the unicast path, reducing overall network load.
Solution Approach 2:
Stationary devices act as intermediaries between the broadcast network and mobile devices. They receive content via broadcast and then deliver it to mobile devices via unicast, offloading the primary content delivery burden from the core network and enabling adaptive streaming at the edge.
2Reliability
If network upgrades to support IP unicast and adaptive streaming are implemented, then service quality for mobile devices is improved, but investment cost and implementation time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes stationary devices multi-functional by enabling them to serve both traditional broadcast reception and mobile content delivery purposes. This allows existing infrastructure to be reused for new services without requiring dedicated new equipment, significantly reducing implementation costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables existing stationary devices to automatically provide content delivery services to mobile devices using their existing reception capabilities. No additional infrastructure investment is required as the stationary devices self-configure to provide both broadcast reception and mobile content delivery functions.
3Ease of manufacture
If existing stationary devices are utilized with spare resources, then infrastructure investment is reduced, but device complexity and resource management become more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the mobile content gateway monitors and manages the status of stationary devices, their available resources, and content delivery performance. This centralized control allows efficient resource allocation and device management without requiring complex local decision-making at each stationary device.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds a new dimension of control by introducing the mobile content gateway as a management layer that coordinates between stationary devices and mobile clients. This external control dimension simplifies resource management by centralizing decision-making rather than requiring complex autonomous management at each stationary device.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for distributing video content to at least one mobile device (411-413) at a customer premises (140) system comprising a plurality of stationary devices (421-423) capable of receiving the video content from at least one content provider (160). The method comprises the steps of: receiving, at the stationary devices (421-423), requests to tune a tuner (512, 513) of the stationary device (421-423) to a requested channel received from the content provider (160); outputting the content, of the channel tuned to by at least one stationary device (421-423), to a mobile content gateway (414) at the customer premises (140) system; handling, at the mobile content gateway (414), a list of video channels (611) comprising data associating each channel of the list with a stationary device (421-423); sending, from the mobile content gateway (414), to the at least one stationary device (421-423) requests to tune to channels assigned according to the list of video channels (611); preparing at least one single-program stream from the content received from the at least one stationary device (421-423); outputting, from the mobile content gateway (414), the at least one single-program stream as at least one adaptive stream; and providing the at least one adaptive stream to the at least one mobile device (411-413) over a wireless data transmission interface.