Multicast Server Grouping for Web Conference Bit Rate Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
In web conferences, attendees often experience degraded user experiences due to receiving data at a bit rate lower than their capabilities, resulting in latency and poor media quality, as servers use source-specific multicasting with varying bit rates to accommodate different network conditions, but cannot optimize each SSM channel to match individual receivers' inbound bandwidth.
Innovation Solution
A multicast server groups user devices with similar hardware and network characteristics into optimized source-specific multicast channels, adjusting these channels based on network reports to ensure each group receives data at a bit rate matching their capabilities, thereby enhancing user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If servers use source-specific multicasting with varying bit rates to accommodate different network conditions, then server outbound bandwidth and costs are reduced, but user experience degrades due to receiving data at bit rates lower than capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments users into different groups based on their network capabilities and characteristics. Each group is assigned to a specific SSM channel with an optimized bit rate matching that group's capabilities. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing the server to use lower overall bandwidth (benefit) while ensuring each user group receives data at appropriate bit rates (maintaining quality).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by optimizing the bit rate of each SSM channel specifically for its assigned user group's capabilities. Instead of using a uniform bit rate for all users, each channel is tailored to the local characteristics of its user group, resolving the contradiction between bandwidth efficiency and quality assurance.
2Productivity
If servers send data via different SSM channels with varying bit rates, then data transmission efficiency improves, but users receive data at suboptimal bit rates not matching their capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where users provide information about their network capabilities and conditions. The server uses this feedback to accurately match users to SSM channels with appropriate bit rates. This feedback loop resolves the contradiction by ensuring precise bit rate matching while maintaining efficient multi-channel data transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of bit rate assignment from a uniform or heuristic-based approach to a user-capability-based approach. By adjusting the bit rate parameter according to each user group's measured capabilities, the system achieves both efficient transmission and accurate matching.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are presented herein for a multicast server to group receivers, or user devices, with other receivers having similar characteristics, so that the group can be paired with source-specific multicast channel that is optimized specifically for the receivers of the group. The server receives information regarding hardware and network capabilities from each of the user devices. The server then groups the user devices according to their information, where each group contains user devices having hardware and network information that is similar to one another. The server then receives, at random intervals, network reports that are generated by at least one user device from at least one of the groups, where the network reports include information related to the network performance experienced by a user device. The server then adjusts the SSM channel associated with the group of user devices based on the information in the network report.