Multimedia Stream Control Signaling for Protocol Version Compatibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional communication systems lack flexibility and efficiency in signaling and versioning, particularly in supporting evolving data and control protocols, which limits their ability to adapt to new technologies and unforeseen changes, and is inefficient in bandwidth usage.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating and receiving control information that uses a tree-based data structure with extensible service descriptors to configure multimedia streams, allowing for dynamic reconfiguration of communication layers and efficient bit usage, enabling forward and backward compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional communication systems use predefined data and control stream formats with limited flexibility, then system simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to new technologies and unforeseen changes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control information is segmented into multiple groups, each associated with different protocol versions. This allows the system to transmit multiple versions of control information simultaneously, enabling receivers to select the appropriate version without requiring the entire system to be upgraded, thus improving adaptability while maintaining manageable complexity through modular organization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts to different protocol versions by allowing control information groups to be selectively processed based on receiver capabilities. The transmitter can dynamically include or exclude certain control information groups based on the intended receiver's protocol version, providing flexibility without requiring rigid system reconfiguration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If XML-based extensible data structuring is used to support indeterminate change, then forwards compatibility is improved, but bandwidth efficiency deteriorates due to excessive overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the parameter representation from text-based XML to compact binary formats. Control information groups use efficient bit-level encoding where protocol version identifiers and control parameters are represented in minimal bits. This dramatically reduces bandwidth consumption while maintaining the ability to represent diverse protocol versions and control options, achieving forwards compatibility without XML's overhead.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple protocol versions are transmitted to support legacy and new devices, then adaptability is improved, but data structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Control information is divided into distinct groups, each tagged with its associated protocol version. This segmentation allows receivers to efficiently filter and process only the relevant groups for their protocol version, avoiding the need to parse entire complex data structures. The segmented approach reduces effective processing complexity while supporting multiple protocol versions simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary data structure (the control information with version tags and group identifiers) that mediates between the transmitter's multi-version output and the receiver's single-version processing capability. This intermediary structure enables seamless interoperation between legacy and new devices without requiring complex transformation logic at the receiver end.
Data Source
AI summary
Control information for configuring an audiovisual device to present multimedia content according to a first service type may be generated. A method may include generating first control information for configuring an audiovisual device to decode a multimedia stream, generating first data that indicates a structure of the first control information, and transmitting the first data and the first control information. The first control information may be generated according to a first protocol version. Second data and second control information may be similarly generated and transmitted according to a second protocol version. Disclosed techniques may facilitate receiving devices to determine whether they support received wireless transmissions and decode the transmissions based on the control information.