Playlist Error Tags for Streamed Media Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media streaming techniques fail to effectively adapt to errors in media streams, leading to disruptions and desynchronization issues when audio and video streams are presented together, particularly due to interruptions or encoding errors during processing and transmission.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating error tags into playlist files to identify and manage erroneous media segments, allowing terminal devices to switch to alternative segments or perform error concealment, thereby maintaining a seamless playback experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If media segments are transmitted and processed through coding and distribution, then the media content can be delivered to viewing devices, but errors and corruption may occur in the media segments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by embedding error tags in playlist files before media segments are transmitted to terminal devices. This allows the distribution server to pre-identify and mark erroneous segments, enabling terminal devices to proactively handle errors without experiencing playback disruptions. The error tags are inserted into the playlist structure in advance, so when terminal devices request media segments, they already have information about potential errors and can prepare alternative actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using error tags that provide information about the quality status of media segments. The distribution server analyzes media segments and inserts error tags into playlist files, creating a feedback loop where error information is communicated back to terminal devices. This feedback mechanism allows terminal devices to make informed decisions about segment playback, switching to alternative segments when errors are detected, thereby maintaining reliable media stream delivery.
2Reliability
If error tags are added to playlist files to identify erroneous segments, then terminal devices can switch to alternative segments, but the playlist file complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the playlist file into discrete entry structures, each representing a media segment. Error tags are embedded within individual playlist entries rather than requiring complex global restructuring. Each playlist entry is a self-contained unit that can independently contain error information, allowing terminal devices to process only the specific entries they need while maintaining overall playlist simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by applying error tags selectively to specific playlist entries that contain erroneous segments, rather than uniformly complicating the entire playlist structure. Only the affected segments carry error tag information, while other segments maintain their standard simple structure. This localized approach minimizes the overall complexity increase while providing targeted error handling capability.
3Loss of information
If terminal devices attempt to download and render all media segments, then complete media content is delivered, but resource utilization increases and errors cause disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing error tag information in playlist files before terminal devices download media segments. This allows terminal devices to pre-identify erroneous segments and avoid downloading them entirely, or to download alternative segments instead. By having error information available in advance, terminal devices can make efficient download decisions, reducing unnecessary resource consumption while ensuring complete usable media content is delivered.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements taking out by extracting and removing erroneous media segments from the playback sequence using error tags. Terminal devices read error tags from playlist files, identify segments marked with errors, and exclude these segments from download and playback. This extraction approach ensures that only quality segments are processed, reducing terminal device resource utilization while maintaining media content completeness through alternative segment selection.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclose describes techniques for delivery and rendering of streamed media using error tags in a corresponding media playlist. The playlist may represent organization of the media item, providing information of coded media segments that constitute the media item. When segments of coded media are received for a media item, a determination may be made whether the coded media segments contain errors. When a coded media segment is encountered that does not contain an error, a playlist entry representing the coded media segment may be added to the playlist. When a coded media segment contains an error, a playlist entry may be added to represent this coded media segment. This playlist entry may indicate the segment error. The playlist may be stored for access by player device(s).