Server-Side ABR Streaming With Encoded Single-Manifest Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Low-latency delivery protocols challenge client-side adaptive bitrate streaming by making bandwidth estimation unreliable, as they deliver content in micro-bursts, necessitating server-side ABR switching logic that is not well-supported by existing HTTP-level bandwidth estimation.
Innovation Solution
Implement server-side ABR with a specially-encoded single manifest file that includes bitrate options and segment sizes, using client telemetry to determine bitrate switches, allowing the server to decide on bitrate changes based on real-time network conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If client-side ABR bandwidth estimation is used, then it works well for traditional streaming protocols, but it becomes unreliable for low-latency delivery protocols that deliver content in micro-bursts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces server-side ABR switching logic as an intermediary between the content delivery system and the client. The server receives client telemetry data, performs bandwidth estimation and bitrate selection centrally, and returns switching decisions to the client. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by centralizing the estimation function where it can operate reliably for low-latency protocols while maintaining compatibility across different delivery protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional ABR architecture by moving the ABR algorithm from client-side to server-side execution. Instead of the client performing bandwidth estimation and making bitrate decisions locally, the server performs these functions centrally based on received telemetry data. This inversion enables reliable ABR for low-latency protocols while maintaining protocol compatibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple manifest files are provided (one per bitrate), then each bitrate can be optimized independently, but the manifest size and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate manifest files (one per bitrate) into a single unified manifest file that contains all bitrate options. The manifest includes encoded entries with bitrate options and segment size information for each segment. This merging reduces manifest complexity and size while maintaining the ability to optimize different bitrates independently through the server-side ABR logic that processes the unified manifest.
Data Source
AI summary
An enhanced server-side Adaptive Bitrate Streaming (ABR) of source content. The ABR switching logic is located in association with a server, and this logic also receives telemetry data as measured by the client. The client receives a single manifest comprising a set of encoded entries each associated with a segment of the source content and comprising a first portion encoding, as a set of options, each of the multiple bitrates, and a second portion that, for each of the multiple bitrate options, encodes a size of the segment associated therewith. The client media player makes a request for a portion of the source content, and that request includes one of the encoded entries. In response, the ABR switching logic determines whether to switch delivery of the source content from an existing first bitrate to a second bitrate. If so, the portion is delivered to the client at the second bitrate.