Remote Media Startup Using Introductory Assets and Fewer Roundtrips
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users experience delays between requesting and receiving media items from network media services due to multiple communication roundtrips between client and server devices, which affect responsiveness and user experience.
Innovation Solution
The system reduces startup delays by including introductory assets that can be decrypted locally or not encrypted at all, and provides information about the first media item in initial startup messages, allowing for immediate playback while the full media item is processed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the system waits for the full media item to be received and decrypted before playback, then security and complete content delivery are ensured, but startup delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The media item is segmented into an introductory asset (first portion) and the remaining full media item. The introductory asset is transmitted and made available for playback before the complete media item is received and decrypted, allowing playback to start sooner while security for the full content is maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The introductory asset is prepared and transmitted in advance as a preliminary action. This allows the media player to begin playback of the introductory asset before the full media item decryption is complete, reducing perceived startup delay while maintaining security for the complete content.
2Reliability
If multiple roundtrips are used between client and server to ensure proper authentication and content delivery, then security and protocol compliance are maintained, but communication time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication and initial content delivery protocols are executed during the initial connection establishment phase, before the user requests a media item. This preliminary action ensures protocol compliance is satisfied in advance, so that when the media item is requested, fewer additional roundtrips are needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication process and initial content metadata delivery are merged into a single communication phase during connection establishment. This combines multiple operations that would otherwise require separate roundtrips into one unified process, reducing total communication time.
3Reliability
If the entire media item is transmitted before playback begins, then complete content delivery is ensured, but playback startup delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The media item is divided into an introductory asset and the remainder. The introductory asset is made available for immediate playback while the rest of the media item continues to be transmitted and decrypted in the background, enabling faster startup without compromising complete content delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission and decryption of the full media item continues in the background while playback of the introductory asset proceeds. This continuous background processing ensures complete content delivery without interrupting the useful action of playback startup.
Data Source
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AI summary
In some implementations, a computing system can reduce startup delays for presenting remote media items. For example, when a user requests media content from a media service, the computing system can include information about the first media item to be played in the initial startup messages to reduce the number of roundtrips needed between client and server devices to present the first media item. A media item can include an introductory asset. The introductory asset can be a portion of the full media item that can be decrypted with a local key or not encrypted at all so that a media client can receive and start presenting the introductory media asset quickly while the full media item is being processed by the media client. In some implementations, the system can remove leading silence from the media item so that the amount of delay perceived by the user is reduced.