Segmented Video Sharing via Encryption Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Storing unique copies of streaming media content for multiple users in a cloud-enabled digital video recording (cDVR) environment is inefficient due to the significant storage space required for multiple copies of the same data, which can be exacerbated by policies requiring common copies to be shared among users.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where a single common copy of streaming media content is stored and shared among users when possible, using encryption windows and keys to manage segment retrieval, facilitating efficient segmented video delivery through HTTP Live Streaming, HTTP Smooth Streaming, or Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP, and generating manifests that reference shared content segments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a unique copy of streaming media content is stored for each user, then content security and user-specific access control are improved, but storage space consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments video content into discrete segments and organizes them using manifest files. Multiple users can reference the same segmented content through different manifests, allowing storage sharing while maintaining user-specific access control. The segmentation enables the system to manage content at a granular level, where segments can be shared across users but individual user manifests can control access permissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates lightweight manifest file copies for each user rather than copying the actual video content. These manifests reference shared segmented content, providing user-specific access control without duplicating the heavy video data. This approach maintains security and accessibility while dramatically reducing storage requirements compared to storing unique content copies for each user.
2Quantity of substance
If a common copy of streaming media content is shared among multiple users, then storage space efficiency is improved, but content security and user-specific access control may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting content and using manifest files to manage access, the system allows a single physical copy of segmented content to be shared among multiple users while maintaining security through manifest-based access control. Each user receives a customized manifest that references the shared segments but enforces user-specific permissions, thus achieving both storage efficiency and content security.
Solution Approach 2:
The manifest file acts as an intermediary between users and the shared segmented content. It provides a layer of abstraction that enables multiple users to access the same physical content segments while enforcing user-specific access control policies. The manifest mediates between the shared storage resource and individual user requirements, maintaining security without requiring content duplication.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple copies of content are stored for different users, then user-specific customization and access control are improved, but network efficiency and storage overhead deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments video content into reusable units and uses manifest files to provide user-specific customization. Instead of storing and transmitting multiple complete content copies, the system transmits lightweight manifests that reference shared segmented content. This reduces network bandwidth consumption while maintaining the ability to customize content delivery for different users through manifest configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple user requests for the same content segments into a single physical storage and transmission operation. By using shared segmented content with manifest-based access control, the system combines the benefits of user-specific customization with efficient resource sharing, reducing redundant network traffic and storage overhead while maintaining adaptability to different user needs.
4Quantity of substance
If content is segmented and shared across multiple manifests, then storage overhead is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation to divide content into manageable segments that can be shared across multiple manifests. This segmentation approach reduces storage overhead by eliminating redundancy while the use of standardized manifest formats keeps the system complexity manageable. The segmentation enables efficient storage sharing without requiring complex custom solutions for each user.
Solution Approach 2:
The manifest file structure serves multiple functions: it provides user-specific access control, references shared segmented content, and enables efficient storage management. This universal manifest approach handles multiple requirements through a single mechanism, reducing the need for separate complex systems for each function and thereby managing overall system complexity while achieving storage efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
Segments of media content may be shared amongst multiple requesting entities in a cDVR environment. In one illustrative example, a first request to initiate recording of media content at a first start time is received from a first requesting entity. In response, a first encrypted copy of a first plurality of content segments of the media content is cached in network memory, in a first encryption window associated with a first encryption key. A first manifest including a first set of URLs is generated and sent to the first requesting entity, where URLs of the first set reference a first identifier of the first encryption window and a respective one of the content segments. If a second request to initiate recording of the media content is received from a second requesting entity at a second start time that does not exceed an interval threshold, no additional copy needs to be made. Here, a second manifest including a second set of URLs is generated and sent to the second requesting entity, where URLs of the second set also reference the first identifier of the first encryption window and a respective one of the content segments.