PTS Restart Handling via Index File Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in maintaining correct content sequence and progress bar integrity during trick-play operations due to Presentation Timestamp (PTS) restart events (PTSrs), leading to discontinuities and a poor user experience.
Innovation Solution
A system and process that generate a loop over index file to manage PTS restarts, allowing for accurate sequencing of data packets during trick-play operations by associating index values with PTS values, ensuring continuous and correct content presentation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If PTS restart events are allowed to occur in the data stream, then the timestamp range can be reused efficiently, but content sequencing discontinuities occur during trick-play operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mapping mechanism that associates original PTS values with looped PTS values. This mapping table acts as a mediator between the timestamp system and the content playback system, allowing the timestamp to loop while maintaining the correct content sequence through the mapping relationship. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by decoupling the timestamp reuse function from the content sequencing function.
2Reliability
If PTS values are looped from PTSmin after reaching PTSmax, then timestamp overflow is handled, but trick-play operations jump to incorrect positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing a mapping table that correlates original PTS values with looped PTS values before trick-play operations occur. This mapping relationship is prepared in advance, allowing the system to accurately determine content positions during trick-play operations by referencing the pre-computed mapping, thus preventing position jumps while maintaining timestamp looping.
3Reliability
If index values are associated with looped PTS values, then content sequencing is maintained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the timestamp management system into distinct components: the original PTS generation mechanism, the looped PTS generation mechanism, and the mapping table that associates them. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, maintaining content sequencing accuracy while organizing the complexity into manageable, modular segments rather than a monolithic complex system.
Data Source
AI summary
Devices, systems, and processes for reducing interruptions due to a presentation timestamp restart (PTSrs) are provided. A process includes receiving content data packets identifiable by a timestamp. The timestamps vary between a PTSmin and a PTSmax. When PTSmax is reached, a next data packet is restarted at substantially equal to PTSmin. The process includes first determining whether one of the timestamps have restarted and, if so, generating a loop over index file associating a first timestamp with a first index value (A), a second timestamp with a second index value (B), a third timestamp with a third index value (C), and a fourth timestamp with a fourth index value (D). PTSrs may be detected when the second timestamp is greater than the fourth timestamp or when the first timestamp is greater than the third timestamp. When a restart occurs, adjustments to content playback sequence are made using the index values.