Network Media Transcoding for Cross-Device Playback Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a home network, playback devices with incompatible decoding algorithms cannot display audiovisual documents encoded in formats they do not support, resulting in a 'black screen' issue when a user tries to continue playback on a different device.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that automatically detect the decoding capabilities of a target playback device and transcode the audiovisual document into a compatible format, ensuring seamless playback across devices within the network, even if they have different decoding algorithms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If playback devices use different encoding and decoding algorithms from different manufacturers, then device compatibility and choice are improved, but the ability to play back documents on any device deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network device as an intermediary that stores encoded documents and provides transcoding services. When a playback device cannot decode a document format, the network device transcodes the document into a compatible format, enabling playback on any device regardless of its native decoding capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the encoding format parameter of the document dynamically based on the playback device's capabilities. The network device detects the target device's supported formats and transcodes the document accordingly, allowing the same content to be played back on devices with different encoding algorithms.
2Productivity
If documents are stored in their original encoding format, then storage efficiency and transmission speed are improved, but compatibility with devices having different decoding algorithms deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The network device performs transcoding in advance before the playback device requests the document. By pre-converting documents into formats compatible with various playback devices, the system ensures both fast transmission (using the original efficient format for storage) and broad compatibility (through pre-prepared alternative formats).
Solution Approach 2:
The network device acts as an intermediary between storage and playback, maintaining the original efficient encoding for storage while providing transcoded versions for compatibility. This mediator role allows the system to preserve transmission speed benefits while adding format adaptability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If transcoding is performed to ensure compatibility with any playback device, then format adaptability is improved, but computation capability requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the transcoding function from the playback devices and concentrates it in dedicated network devices. This segmentation allows playback devices to remain simple without transcoding capabilities, while network devices handle the computational burden of format conversion.
Solution Approach 2:
The network device serves as an intermediary that handles all transcoding operations, freeing playback devices from computation requirements. The mediator performs the complex format conversion centrally, reducing the computational burden on individual playback devices while maintaining broad format compatibility.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention can be used to play back an audiovisual or audio document received in a first encoding format within a local area network. A first device plays back the document in the received format, then a user decides to play back the document on a device having a second encoding format. Playback is first stopped on the first device and the document is stored. The user starts playing back the document on the second device at the moment at which playback of it was stopped on the first device. Depending on the decoding means of the second device, the document is transcoded from the first encoding format to the second encoding format. The invention also relates to a management device for issuing storage and transcoding requests so that a document played back from a first device can be transferred to a second device regardless of the capabilities for playing back encoded documents on the first and second devices.