Multicast Timecode Synchronization for Live Performance Streaming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current broadcast systems are unable to synchronize and stream multiple types of live inputs, such as video, audio, motion capture data, and show control messages, simultaneously across millions of devices with low latency, making it difficult to deliver immersive virtual events like concerts and conferences.
Innovation Solution
A live multicasting performance system that generates a new data stream with a multicast timecode, allowing for the synchronization and broadcasting of multiple data streams, including video, audio, motion capture, and show control data, using network-based real-time communication methods like WebRTC and HTTP Live Streaming, enabling both low-latency and high-latency modes for interactive and archival purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple data streams from different sources are synchronized and buffered for low-latency playback, then the synchronization precision and playback quality improve, but the system complexity and computational requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex synchronization task by creating separate buffered data streams for each input source (video, audio, motion capture, show control) and processing them independently through dedicated encoding pipelines before combining them for playback
Solution Approach 2:
A central server acts as an intermediary that receives, synchronizes, and coordinates multiple data streams from different sources, managing the buffering and playback timing to achieve precise synchronization without requiring complex coordination between distributed systems
2Reliability
If data is buffered to ensure synchronization across multiple streams, then the playback reliability improves, but the latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts buffer sizes and playback timing based on the specific synchronization requirements of each data stream type, optimizing the balance between reliability and latency for video, audio, motion capture, and show control data
Solution Approach 2:
Different buffering parameters and latency thresholds are applied to different data streams based on their requirements, allowing the system to maintain reliable synchronization while minimizing overall latency through parameter optimization
3Quantity of substance
If the system streams to millions of customer devices simultaneously, then the audience scale increases, but the network bandwidth and server load increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple data streams into a single synchronized broadcast that is distributed to all customer devices simultaneously, reducing the total network bandwidth required compared to sending separate streams to each device
Solution Approach 2:
The system is designed to handle a universal range of data stream types (video, audio, motion capture, show control) and can scale to serve any number of devices through its multicast architecture, making it adaptable to different audience sizes without redesign
Data Source
AI summary
A method of performing multicast broadcasting of a plurality of streams corresponding to an event is disclosed. The plurality of data streams corresponding to the event are received. Each of the plurality of streams has a different type or format. A multicast timecode is determined based on a synchronization time for each of a plurality of buffers associated with the plurality of streams. A new data stream is generated. The new data stream includes the plurality of data streams and the multicast timecode.