Multicast Media Synchronization via HTTP Timestamp Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unicast content delivery networks face inefficiencies in media distribution, particularly in environments with a large number of devices requesting media simultaneously, leading to network traffic overload and decreased media playback quality due to buffering and disconnections.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multicast content delivery system that uses a local manager to synchronize media playback across devices via HTTP communication, reducing network traffic by monitoring timestamps and providing seek instructions for devices to synchronize with each other, rather than relying on a primary media playback device for synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If unicast architecture is used to deliver media content to multiple devices, then each device can receive media independently, but network traffic increases significantly and media playback quality decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate media streams into a single multicast stream that is distributed to multiple devices simultaneously. The head end server receives media content and distributes it through a multicast group, combining what would traditionally be n separate unicast transmissions into one efficient data flow, thereby reducing network traffic while maintaining playback quality across all devices
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a head end server as an intermediary component between the media source and multiple client devices. This server manages the multicast distribution process, handling media content reception, processing, and efficient distribution to multiple devices, thereby mediating the network traffic and improving overall system efficiency
2Ease of operation
If a primary media playback device is used for synchronization, then synchronization control is simplified, but network utilization increases and scalability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having a single primary device control synchronization and broadcast commands to others, the patent inverts the approach by having all devices in the multicast group synchronize simultaneously based on common timestamps embedded in the media stream. This distributed inversion eliminates the need for centralized control while reducing network utilization
Solution Approach 2:
Each device in the multicast group performs self-synchronization by independently monitoring its own playback timestamps and comparing them with timestamps from the multicast stream. Devices automatically adjust their playback without requiring external control commands, enabling decentralized synchronization that reduces network traffic
3Reliability
If separate HTTP streams are delivered to each device, then media delivery is reliable, but network bandwidth is consumed excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges n separate HTTP streams into a single multicast HTTP stream. The head end server receives the media content once and distributes it through the multicast group to all interested devices, reducing network bandwidth consumption from O(n) to O(1) while maintaining delivery reliability through the standardized HTTP protocol
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods are disclosed to synchronize media playback at devices in a multicast environment. Disclosed is a system to synchronize media playback, the system comprising programmable circuitry, and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed or instantiated by the programmable circuitry, facilitate performance of operations, comprising transmitting, using a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), a first request in a first HTTP message to a first client device and to a second client device, receiving, from the first client device in response to the first request. a first time stamp associated with a first presentation, the first time stamp representing a first playback time within the first presentation, receiving, from the second client device in response to the first request, a second time stamp associated with a second presentation, the second time stamp representing a second playback time within the second presentation, calculating a time difference between the first time stamp and the second time stamp, determining whether the time difference satisfies a threshold, transmitting a second HTTP message to the first client device and the second client device in response to a determination that the time difference fails to satisfy the threshold, the second HTTP message to cause the first client device to pause the first presentation and the second client device to pause the second presentation, transmitting seek instructions in a third HTTP message to the second client device, the seek instructions to cause the second client device to synchronize the second presentation to the first presentation by setting the first and second playback times equal, and transmitting a fourth HTTP message to cause the first client device to resume the first presentation and the second client device to resume the second presentation.