Multi-Server Content Streaming Rate Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods fail to maintain a constant transmission rate for multimedia content streaming from multiple servers to user devices due to varying server and network conditions, leading to inconsistent streaming services.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that calculate and control the transmission rate for each server based on reference transmission rate ranges, ensuring a stable content delivery by dynamically assigning data packets from multiple servers to maintain a consistent transmission rate to user devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If multimedia contents are provided from a single contents server through streaming, then the system complexity is reduced, but the transmission rate varies depending on server and network state leading to inconsistent streaming service
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single contents server into multiple contents servers (first contents server, second contents server, etc.) that can independently provide multimedia contents. Each server is assigned specific content segments or can be dynamically selected based on network conditions, thereby distributing the streaming load and improving service consistency while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple contents servers into a unified streaming system where servers work together to provide multimedia contents. The user device or control system can select and combine content from different servers based on their respective states and network conditions, merging their capabilities to achieve more reliable and consistent streaming service than a single server could provide alone.
2Reliability
If contents are received from multiple contents providing servers, then transmission rate stability can be improved, but it becomes impossible to maintain a constant transmission rate of all contents due to varying server and network states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic transmission rate adjustment by continuously monitoring the state of each contents server and network conditions. The system dynamically selects which server to receive content from and adjusts the transmission rate based on real-time conditions, allowing it to adapt to varying server and network states while maintaining overall transmission stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the transmission rate parameter dynamically based on the state of contents servers and network conditions. By adjusting the transmission rate according to server load, network bandwidth availability, and content priority, the system can receive content from multiple servers while maintaining a effectively constant overall transmission rate to the user device.
3Quantity of substance
If a streaming scheme is used for mobile devices with limited storage, then the device storage capacity constraint is satisfied, but smooth playing cannot be guaranteed due to variable transmission rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary buffering and pre-loading of multimedia content segments before actual playback. By receiving and storing content segments in advance from multiple servers, the system creates a local buffer that can supply content during playback even if network conditions deteriorate, thereby ensuring smooth playing while maintaining the streaming advantage of minimal device storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the system continuously monitors playback status, network conditions, and server states, then adjusts the transmission rate and content reception strategy in real-time. This feedback loop ensures that the streaming system can adapt to changing conditions and maintain smooth playback by dynamically optimizing content delivery from multiple servers.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for receiving contents through multiple channels includes a content manager configured to receive, from multiple content providing servers through the multiple channels, multiple packet data related to appropriate contents which is suitable for a user device, and transmit the appropriate contents to the user device by using the received multiple packet data and a transmission rate manager configured to set each of reference transmission rate ranges of each of the multiple content providing servers, wherein the content manager is further configured to receive the multiple packet data from the multiple content providing servers based on the reference transmission rate ranges set by the transmission rate manager.