Multimedia Content Slicing with Asynchronous Layer Coding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for distributing multimedia content over unreliable protocols face challenges with packet errors and retransmissions, leading to increased waiting times and bandwidth usage, especially in scenarios without return channels and during live content transmission.
Innovation Solution
The method involves slicing multimedia content into coded slices using asynchronous layer coding, generating N coded symbols including K source and N-K error symbols, allowing for transmission on request and decoding once K symbols are received, enabling robustness against random losses and order-of-arrival issues, and allowing for independent decompression and simultaneous transmission over multiple channels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional data carousel is used for transmission, then packet loss can be handled by cyclic playback, but the waiting time increases to the duration of the entire file
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the content into multiple slices, each independently coded with forward error correction. This segmentation allows the receiver to reconstruct individual slices without waiting for the entire content cycle, reducing waiting time from full file duration to just the duration needed to receive K coded symbols per slice.
Solution Approach 2:
Forward error correction codes are applied in advance to each slice, generating N coded symbols from K source symbols before transmission. This preliminary encoding enables the receiver to tolerate packet losses and reconstruct content without requesting retransmissions or waiting for carousel cycles.
2Reliability
If retransmission is used when packets are lost, then content can be recovered, but bandwidth usage increases dramatically and it does not scale well
Solution Approach 1:
Forward error correction is applied in advance to each slice, generating N coded symbols from K source symbols before transmission. This preliminary encoding enables the receiver to tolerate packet losses and reconstruct content without requesting retransmissions, thus avoiding increased bandwidth usage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses asymmetric communication where the sender provides error correction capability unilaterally without requiring feedback or interaction from the receiver. The receiver can independently reconstruct content from received coded symbols without needing to request retransmissions, eliminating the scalability problems of interactive retransmission systems.
3Loss of time
If buffered distribution method is used, then waiting time before playback is reduced, but packet errors during transmission still cause problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides content into multiple independent slices with internal error correction coding. This segmentation allows parallel downloading of slices while providing built-in protection against packet errors within each slice, combining the speed benefits of buffering with the reliability of error correction.
Solution Approach 2:
Forward error correction codes are applied in advance to each slice, generating N coded symbols from K source symbols before transmission. This preliminary encoding enables the receiver to tolerate packet losses and reconstruct content without requesting retransmissions or waiting for carousel cycles.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a system for distributing multimedia content to at least one client device over a network. Said system comprises: a slicer (SLI) for slicing the multimedia content into a set of slices; a coder (ALC) for coding a slice according to an asynchronous layer coding technique such that N coded symbols including K source symbols and N−K error symbols are generated; a content server (SER) for storing and transmitting said coded slices upon request of the client device; a client device (CLD) comprising means for receiving said coded slices and a decoder (DEC) for decoding a coded slice as soon as K coded symbols of said slice have been received.