Prefetching Mediation Data to Reduce Media Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users experience significant latency issues when selecting digital media items on client devices due to poor Internet connections, inefficient media identification, and improper digital media player functioning, leading to frustrating delays in online digital media consumption.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that predict the likelihood of content selection, initiating a mediation process to prefetch mediation data, including media tags and valuation data, before the content is selected, which involves sending this data to a remote allocation manager to receive allocation data for presenting the digital media item on the client device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the system waits for user selection before retrieving and presenting digital media items, then network bandwidth is conserved and server load is reduced, but user experience deteriorates due to significant latency (5-20 seconds or more)
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting which digital media items a user is likely to select and initiating retrieval processes before actual selection occurs. The patent implements a prediction module that analyzes user behavior patterns, content characteristics, and contextual information to identify probable selections, then pre-loads these items into buffer memory or caches them on the server side, thereby reducing perceptible latency when users actually select the content.
2Productivity
If the system prefetches mediation data (media tags and valuation data) before content selection, then media presentation speed improves, but system complexity increases due to additional prediction and mediation processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mediation layer that acts as an intermediary between the prediction module and the content delivery system. This mediation component receives predicted content selections, coordinates the prefetching of associated mediation data (media tags, valuation data, metadata), and manages the timing and sequencing of data retrieval. The mediator simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing coordination logic and providing a clear interface between prediction algorithms and data retrieval mechanisms.
3Measurement precision
If the system implements accurate content selection prediction, then prefetching accuracy improves and latency is reduced, but measurement and detection difficulty increases due to the complexity of analyzing user behavior patterns
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the content selection prediction process into multiple independent analytical components: user profile analysis (historical behavior, preferences), contextual analysis (current session state, device information), content analysis (media type, duration, category), and temporal analysis (time of day, usage patterns). Each segment processes specific aspects of user behavior independently, then their results are combined to form the final prediction. This segmentation reduces the complexity of analyzing overall user behavior by breaking it into manageable, specialized sub-tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
Mediation data may be prefetched to reduce latency associated with presentation of digital media. Prior to the selection of online content associated with presentation of digital media in a media space, a mediation process may be initiated. Initiating the mediation process may include prefetching mediation data from a remote server, wherein the mediation data includes a media tag corresponding to a particular media item and valuation data indicative of a value of presenting the particular media item in the media space. After the selection of the online content, the mediation process may be completed. Completing the mediation process may include sending the mediation data to a remote allocation manager, and receiving allocation data indicative of a digital media item to be presented in the media space. Subsequent to the completion of the mediation process, the digital media item identified by the allocation data may be presented in the media space.