Multicast Media Stream Advertisement Insertion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Media providers face challenges in seamlessly inserting advertisements into multicast streams due to lack of awareness about user join and leave timings, which affects efficient content delivery.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that involve generating instructions for users to tune into specific multicast or unicast streams, estimating preliminary condition fulfillment periods, and initiating content transmission without exact timing awareness, using a media processor and controller to manage media streams and user connections through a router.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If advertisement insertion is performed by a media provider using multicast streams, then content delivery efficiency is improved, but seamless insertion becomes difficult due to lack of awareness about user join and leave timings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network element (router or intermediary device) that acts as a mediator between the media provider and end users. This intermediary monitors multicast group membership changes and relays timing information to the media provider, enabling seamless advertisement insertion while maintaining multicast efficiency. The intermediary decouples the media provider from direct user connection management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where join and leave timing information from users is collected and fed back to the media provider. This feedback loop allows the media provider to adjust advertisement insertion timing dynamically, ensuring seamless transitions while maintaining efficient multicast delivery. The feedback includes timestamps and user identification data.
2Adaptability or versatility
If users are required to tune into different streams for advertisements, then advertisement delivery is enabled, but service continuity is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advertisement stream with the main program stream by using the same multicast group address for both. This allows users to receive advertisements and program content through a single continuous stream without needing to retune or switch channels, thereby maintaining service continuity while enabling flexible advertisement delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The multicast stream is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it carries both the main program content and advertisement content. The stream can dynamically switch between program and advertisement segments while maintaining the same transmission channel, making the system versatile for different content delivery scenarios without disrupting user service.
3Reliability
If the media provider waits for exact join and leave timings, then seamless insertion can be achieved, but transmission delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-buffering advertisement content and pre-calculating insertion points based on estimated join/leave timings. The intermediary device anticipates user actions and prepares content in advance, allowing the media provider to insert advertisements with minimal delay while maintaining seamless transitions. This proactive approach reduces waiting time for exact timing information.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method and a computer-readable medium having a computer-readable code embodied therein for providing content to a user, the method includes: generating, by a media provider, an instruction to fulfill a preliminary condition for receiving a second media conveying stream; transmitting the instruction to the user while also sending a first multicast media conveying stream; waiting for a preliminary condition fulfillment time period to lapse from an end of the transmitting of the instruction; and transmitting, by the media provider, the second media conveying stream towards the user, wherein the transmitting is initiated without being aware of an exact timing of a fulfillment of the preliminary condition.