Network Assistance Service for Collaborative Media Streaming Optimization

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Solution Overview

Problem

In collaborative media production scenarios, existing technologies fail to optimize uplink media streaming effectively when multiple client devices stream data simultaneously, leading to inefficient resource allocation and reduced quality of experience due to individual optimization of each streaming link without considering shared network conditions.

Innovation Solution

A method is introduced where a network assistance service collects and analyzes connection status information from multiple client devices, determines network condition information, and transmits it to a media production service to prioritize resource allocation and adjust streaming parameters, ensuring improved resource utilization and quality of experience by coordinating uplink network assistance across multiple devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If each individual streaming link is optimized individually, then the transmission speed of each individual stream is improved, but the overall resource utilization and quality of collaborative media production deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission speed of individual streamVSAvoidoverall resource utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges individual streaming link optimizations into a unified collaborative optimization framework. The network assistance service aggregates connection status information from multiple client devices and determines coordinated network condition information that considers the collective state of all devices, enabling resource allocation that benefits the overall collaborative media production rather than just individual streams.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the network assistance service continuously collects connection status information from client devices, determines network condition information, and provides recommendations back to devices for adjusting their streaming parameters. This closed-loop feedback enables dynamic adaptation to changing network conditions while maintaining optimal overall resource utilization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If multiple client devices stream data simultaneously with individual optimization, then each device achieves its maximum data rate, but network load and interference increase reducing overall quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata rate of individual deviceVSAvoidnetwork load and interference

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes streaming parameters dynamically based on collective network conditions. The network assistance service determines recommended media rates and encoding parameters for each device based on the aggregated state of all devices sharing the network, allowing individual devices to adjust their data rates and encoding settings to reduce network load and interference while maintaining acceptable quality for collaborative production.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If network assistance is provided without coordination, then individual devices receive network optimizations, but the collaborative media production quality deteriorates due to lack of synchronization

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork assistance effectivenessVSAvoidquality of collaborative production

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a network assistance service as an intermediary that coordinates optimizations across all client devices. This intermediary aggregates connection status information from multiple devices, determines coordinated network condition information, and provides synchronized recommendations to ensure that individual device optimizations contribute to rather than detract from the overall collaborative media production quality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3841722B1Method and system for utilizing network conditions feedback for improving quality of a collaborative media production

Publication Date: 2023.12.13 SONY GROUP CORP

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AI summary

The media production element (12) combines media content from a plurality of streaming electronic devices when they are registered to be within the same streaming event. The media production element (12) can produce a combined live video stream or a combined media production using selections and combinations of the streamed content provided by the multiple electronic devices. A network assistance device (42) can provide feedback to the media production element (12) regarding network conditions for the electronic devices that are registered to an event. Such feedback can prevent bad network connections from affecting the final media production by helping the media production element (12) to decide which data stream to use in the production and when to switch from an electronic device that can be on its way to losing optimum radio conditions.