Server Bookmarking for Cross-Device Media Playback Continuity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Users of streamed media content face challenges in resuming playback from a paused location across different devices due to the deletion of playback indicators by client-side applications, leading to repeated viewing of previously seen content and potential loss of opportunities for content distribution.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow users to pause and replay media content through bookmarks stored on a server device, enabling seamless continuation from the paused location on any connected device without re-streaming the entire content, using a server-side bookmarking system that processes pause requests and buffers content for efficient playback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If playback indicators are stored on client-side memory buffer, then playback state can be maintained locally, but the indicator may be deleted by the application after closing or after a period of time, causing loss of playback position information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary to store and manage playback position information. Instead of relying solely on client-side storage which is vulnerable to deletion, the server acts as a mediator that maintains the playback state across different devices and sessions, ensuring the playback position information is preserved and accessible whenever needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent moves the storage of playback position information from the client device (one dimension) to the server (another dimension). This dimensional shift from local to remote storage ensures that the playback state is maintained independently of the client device's application lifecycle, solving the reliability issue.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the entire media content is re-streamed when using a different client device, then the user can access the content on any device, but the user wastes time repeatedly viewing portions of the content that have already been seen
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by storing the playback position information on the server before the user switches devices. When the user accesses the content from a different device, the system retrieves the pre-stored playback position and continues from that point, avoiding the need to re-stream already viewed content and saving the user's time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback by continuously updating the server with the current playback position as the user views content on any device. This real-time feedback mechanism ensures that when the user switches devices, the system knows exactly where to resume playback, preventing time wastage from re-streaming.
3Reliability
If the bookmark location is stored on the server device, then the playback state can be maintained across different client devices, but the server device requires additional storage and processing capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential playback position information (bookmark location) from the entire media content and stores it on the server. Instead of storing or processing the full media content on the server, only the critical metadata indicating playback position is maintained, significantly reducing server storage and processing requirements while ensuring playback state persistence.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus, and system of pause and replay of media content through bookmarks on a server device are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method of a server device includes authenticating a user of a client device, communicating a media content to the client device through a network, processing a pause request of the client device to pause the media content, storing a bookmark location indicating a current playback location of the media content in the client device on the server device, processing a play request of the user to play the media content from the bookmark location (e.g., the play request may be received from a different client device of the user), and communicating the media content from the bookmark location to the user.