Multicast Adaptive Bitrate Streaming Channel Change Method

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional multicast IPTV systems face scalability issues and degrade user experience due to high resource demands and noticeable picture inconsistency during channel changes, as they often rely on unicasting full-quality streams or generating low-quality streams for efficient bandwidth utilization.

Innovation Solution

The system employs a channel change method in a multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) streaming network that allows rapid channel switching within operator-configured time thresholds by generating multicast burst retransmit streams and using an ABR video management agent to stitch these streams with the target service channel, optimizing bandwidth allocation and maintaining high bitrate quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional multicast IPTV systems use unicasting full-quality streams for channel changes, then channel change quality is maintained, but network resource demands increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvechannel change qualityVSAvoidnetwork resource demand

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of unicasting the complete full-quality stream during channel changes, the system transmits only partial data (I-frames or key frames) through a dedicated low-bitrate channel. This partial action approach provides sufficient information for seamless channel switching while dramatically reducing the network resources consumed compared to full-quality unicast transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates a temporary, low-bitrate dedicated channel that exists only during the channel change period. This cheap, short-lived channel carries minimal data (I-frames) just long enough to enable rapid channel switching, then is discarded. This eliminates the need for persistent high-resource dedicated channels while maintaining channel change quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Quantity of substance

If traditional multicast systems generate low-quality streams with just I-frames for channel changes, then bandwidth is saved, but picture inconsistency occurs during channel changes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth consumptionVSAvoidpicture consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different quality levels to different parts of the stream. The dedicated channel carries low-quality I-frames specifically for channel change transitions, while the main multicast channel maintains high-quality continuous streaming. This local quality differentiation ensures picture consistency during channel changes without wasting bandwidth on high-quality data throughout the entire stream.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system prepares and transmits I-frames in advance through the dedicated low-bitrate channel before the actual channel switch occurs. This preliminary action ensures that the necessary picture data is ready and transmitted efficiently during the transition, maintaining picture consistency without requiring high-quality continuous transmission.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Device complexity

If multicast systems support only a single bitrate of content, then network simplicity is maintained, but user experience flexibility is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork simplicityVSAvoiduser experience flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the video stream into multiple bitrate representations (e.g., high-bitrate main channel and low-bitrate dedicated channel). This segmentation allows the network to maintain overall simplicity while providing multiple quality levels through separate channels, enabling flexible user experience adaptation without complex single-stream bitrate switching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The dedicated low-bitrate channel acts as an intermediary that facilitates flexible user experience by providing a simple, reliable transmission path for channel changes. This intermediary channel enables users to switch between different content types and quality levels without complicating the main multicast network architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3348067B1Fast channel change in a multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) streaming network using multicast repeat segment bursts in a shared progressive ABR download pipe

Publication Date: 2020.11.04 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

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AI summary

A system and method for effectuating channel changes in a multicast adaptive bitrate (MABR) streaming network using temporarily borrowed bandwidth from a shared progressive download ABR bandwidth pipe for burst transmitting a requested channel's data. A video management agent is configured to stitch burst-transmitted data with the regular channel stream during the channel change to generate a hybrid stream, which is multicast streamed toward the requesting device. Once the data from the regular channel stream is properly joined, burst transmission ceases and the bandwidth consumed for sending burst-transmitted data is released back to the progressive download ABR pipe.