Multi-streaming Manifest for Synchronized Multimedia Playback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing streaming technologies struggle to deliver synchronized multimedia content across multiple client devices with varying capabilities, limiting the ability to provide coordinated and uninterrupted playback of primary and alternate media streams.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a multi-streaming system that uses a modified manifest file, incorporating Universal Resource Indicators (URIs) for both primary and alternate content, allows affiliated client devices to synchronize playback through HTTP-based adaptive streaming, utilizing techniques like MPEG-DASH to manage and coordinate the delivery of multimedia content across different devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If HTTP-based adaptive streaming is used to deliver content to multiple client devices, then delivery flexibility and device compatibility are improved, but synchronized playback across multiple devices becomes difficult to achieve

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice compatibilityVSAvoidsynchronized playback

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The manifest file is segmented to include distinct URI lists for primary content and alternate content, allowing client devices to selectively download and synchronize specific content segments across multiple devices while maintaining playback coordination

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The server acts as an intermediary that coordinates content delivery by providing a manifest file with structured URI lists, enabling synchronized playback across multiple client devices through centralized control of content segment locations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If separate streaming systems are used for primary and alternate content, then content delivery flexibility is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent delivery flexibilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges primary content and alternate content delivery into a single manifest file structure with organized URI lists, reducing system complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require separate streaming systems into one unified delivery mechanism

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The manifest file serves multiple functions by containing URI lists for both primary and alternate content, allowing a single file structure to manage diverse content delivery scenarios without requiring separate specialized systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10148723B2Multi-streaming multimedia data

Publication Date: 2018.12.04 GOOGLE TECHNOLOGY HOLDINGS LLC

AI summary

A method for multi-streaming multimedia content data over a network to affiliated client devices is provided. A manifest including a list of Universal Resource Indicators (URIs) for different segments of multimedia content data for selected primary multimedia content and a list of URIs for different segments of multimedia content data for at least one alternate multimedia content related to and different from the selected primary multimedia content is built and made available for download over the network with a transfer protocol. Synchronization of display of the selected primary multimedia content on a primary display and display of the at least one alternate content on the at least one auxiliary client device is thereby enabled. A system for streaming multimedia data over a network to affiliated client devices is also disclosed.