Proxy Server Manifest Validation for Streaming Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content streaming systems face issues with manifest inconsistencies, leading to interruptions, slowdowns, and quality-of-service problems due to incomplete, inaccurate, or timed-out manifest files, which client devices struggle to handle effectively.
Innovation Solution
A proxy server acts as an intermediary between the content delivery network server and the client device, monitoring content stream segments for manifest inconsistencies and applying pre-defined solutions stored in a database to resolve these issues before delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If client devices directly handle manifest files from content servers, then device autonomy and simplicity are maintained, but manifest inconsistencies cause streaming interruptions and quality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy server as an intermediary between the content server and client device. The proxy server receives manifest files from the content server, validates them against schema rules, and forwards only valid manifests to the client device. This resolves the contradiction by improving streaming reliability through validation while keeping the client device simple and unchanged.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manifest files are dynamically updated to reflect real-time stream changes, then streaming adaptability is improved, but manifest accuracy deteriorates due to timing issues and inconsistencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the proxy server continuously monitors manifest files from the content server, validates them against schema rules, and only forwards manifests that pass validation. This feedback loop ensures that dynamic updates maintain both adaptability and accuracy by filtering out inconsistent manifests before they reach the client.
Solution Approach 2:
The proxy server performs preliminary validation of manifest files before forwarding them to the client device. By checking manifests against schema rules in advance, the system ensures accuracy is maintained during dynamic updates, preventing inconsistent manifests from causing streaming issues.
3Reliability
If multiple manifest variants are provided for different network conditions, then streaming quality is improved, but the complexity of managing and validating manifests increases
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy server acts as an intermediary that automatically validates and manages multiple manifest variants according to their respective schemas. This eliminates the need for complex client-side manifest management while ensuring streaming quality is maintained through proper validation of all manifest variants.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for dynamic filtering of content stream manifests are provided. Rules may be stored in memory of a proxy server regarding a plurality of different manifest inconsistencies. Each rule may associate a different manifest inconsistency with one or more indicators and a corresponding solution. One or more segments of a content stream may be provided between a content delivery network server and a client device. Such segments may be monitored by the proxy server, which may act as an intermediary between the content delivery network server and the client device. The proxy server may detect when a manifest of the monitored content stream exhibits one of the manifest inconsistencies based on the presence of the associated indicators. The solution corresponding to the exhibited manifest inconsistency may be identified based on the stored rule associated with the detected indicators. The retrieved solution may then be applied to the content stream, such that the exhibited manifest inconsistency is resolved before the monitored segments are delivered to the client device.