Segmented Content Stream Supplementary Insertion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing content streaming technologies, such as adaptive bitrate streaming, face challenges in inserting supplementary content like advertisements into a content stream without disrupting the playback experience, particularly when the insertion point falls within a segment or period of the content.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves processing the content stream to split periods or segments around the insertion point, allowing for the insertion of supplementary content at any specified time, including within segments, and managing playback to pause and resume seamlessly, ensuring continuity of the primary content stream.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If supplementary content is inserted at a segment boundary using adaptive bitrate streaming, then playback continuity is maintained, but insertion flexibility is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinsertion flexibilityVSAvoidsegment management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The content stream is divided into segments with identified boundaries, allowing supplementary content to be inserted at segment boundaries without disrupting playback. The system segments the content stream and uses these boundaries as insertion points, maintaining playback continuity while enabling flexible supplementation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Segment boundaries are pre-identified and marked in the content stream before playback begins. This preliminary segmentation allows the system to plan insertion points in advance, ensuring that supplementary content can be seamlessly integrated at appropriate boundaries without causing playback disruptions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If supplementary content is inserted within a segment, then insertion flexibility is improved, but playback continuity may be disrupted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinsertion flexibilityVSAvoidplayback continuity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts segment boundaries based on the insertion requirements of supplementary content. When insertion within a segment is needed, the system can dynamically create new boundaries or adjust existing ones, allowing flexible insertion while maintaining playback continuity through real-time adaptation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary processing layer is introduced between the content stream and playback system. This intermediary manages the insertion of supplementary content by buffering and reassembling segments, ensuring that even when insertion occurs within segments, the final output maintains continuous playback without disruptions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If the content stream is segmented for adaptive bitrate streaming, then resource variation compensation is improved, but supplementary content insertion becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource adaptation capabilityVSAvoidsupplementary content insertion ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The segment boundary structure serves multiple functions: it enables adaptive bitrate streaming by allowing switching between different bitrate versions at boundaries, and simultaneously provides standardized insertion points for supplementary content. This multi-functionality resolves the conflict between resource adaptation and insertion ease.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The segmented structure inherently provides the information needed for both adaptive bitrate streaming and supplementary content insertion. The segment boundaries self-serve as natural insertion points, eliminating the need for separate complex insertion mechanisms and making the process easier while maintaining resource adaptation capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS10009400B2Insertion of supplementary content into a segmented content stream

Publication Date: 2018.06.26 ADOBE INC

AI summary

Techniques for insertion of supplementary content into a segmented content stream are described. In at least some embodiments, a content stream includes primary content, such as streaming web content, a movie, an event broadcast (live and/or recorded), a television program, and so on. The content stream can be segmented, such as via techniques for adaptive bitrate streaming. Techniques discussed herein enable supplementary content, such as an advertisement, to be inserted into the content stream. The supplementary content can be inserted at any specified time point, even if the specified time point falls within a segment of the content stream. Techniques further enable playback of the content stream to be paused during playback of the supplementary content, and to resume after playback of the supplementary content.