Local Proxy Server for Streaming Playlist Bandwidth Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current media streaming techniques for live video and other content types face challenges in reducing network bandwidth overhead, particularly during live events where repeated downloading of event playlists is necessary, leading to increased bandwidth utilization.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a media player with a proxy server that intercepts sliding-window playlist requests, generates on-demand playlist requests, and maintains a local copy of the playlist, allowing seamless navigation within a live event timeline without the need for repeated full playlist downloads, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If repeated downloading of event playlists is used for live streaming, then navigation capability within the event timeline is improved, but network bandwidth overhead increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the playlist into two distinct types: sliding-window playlists for live streaming and on-demand playlists for navigation. The sliding-window playlist contains only recent segments for continuous playback, while the on-demand playlist stores historical segments for navigation purposes. This segmentation allows the system to download only the necessary portions of the playlist, reducing bandwidth overhead while maintaining navigation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by downloading and storing the on-demand playlist once at the beginning of the live event. This pre-loaded playlist contains all historical segments that may be needed for navigation, eliminating the need to repeatedly download the entire playlist during the event. The proxy server maintains this pre-downloaded playlist in local storage, enabling fast navigation without additional network bandwidth consumption.
2Loss of information
If full event playlists are downloaded repeatedly, then complete event history is available for navigation, but data transmission volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the navigation functionality from the continuous streaming process. Instead of downloading the complete event playlist repeatedly, the system extracts only the necessary historical segments and stores them in the on-demand playlist. This extracted playlist contains only the information needed for navigation (historical segments), separating this function from the live streaming function, thereby reducing data transmission volume while preserving event history availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a local copy of the on-demand playlist and stores it in the proxy server's memory. This local copy allows the media player to access historical event data without repeatedly transmitting the full playlist over the network. The copy is updated with new historical segments as they become available, maintaining event history availability while using local storage instead of continuous network data transmission.
3Loss of energy
If sliding-window playlists are used for continuous streaming, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but navigation to historical segments becomes limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by having the media player utilize both sliding-window playlists for continuous streaming and on-demand playlists for navigation. The system determines the user's intent based on the requested segment and switches between the appropriate playlist type. This universal approach allows a single media player to perform both streaming and navigation functions efficiently, using the sliding-window playlist for bandwidth-efficient continuous playback and the on-demand playlist for historical segment access.
Data Source
AI summary
A client device implements a streaming client and a proxy server. The proxy server intercepts one or more playlist requests from the streaming client directed to one or more network servers external to the client device. Responsive to interception of a sliding-window playlist request of a particular type, the proxy server generates a corresponding on-demand playlist request. The intercepted sliding-window playlist request and the corresponding on-demand playlist request are sent from the proxy server to the one or more network servers. The proxy server receives an on-demand playlist from the one or more network servers responsive to the on-demand playlist request, and generates a local copy of the on-demand playlist. A current version of the local copy of the on-demand playlist is subsequently provided by the proxy server to the streaming client responsive to interception in the proxy server of a request from the streaming client for the on-demand playlist.