Server-Side Paced Delivery for OTT Bandwidth Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Independent OTT video streaming clients are greedy in nature, leading to unfair access to network resources and limiting the ability of service providers to enforce differentiated service, which is crucial for monetization and bandwidth management.
Innovation Solution
Implementing paced segment delivery using a server or network proxy that adjusts the download rate of video content based on encoded bitrate and class-of-service multipliers, allowing for differentiated bandwidth allocation without explicit client coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If greedy client behavior is allowed to maximize individual throughput, then client download speed is improved, but network resource fairness and service differentiation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server-side intermediary mechanism that mediates between the client's greedy download behavior and the network's fairness requirements. The server acts as a mediator by implementing paced delivery that artificially controls the download rate, preventing clients from monopolizing network resources while still allowing them to achieve their desired throughput through coordinated server-side rate adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the delivery rate parameter from client-determined to server-controlled through pacing. By introducing a paced delivery rate that differs from the client's requested rate, the system transforms the throughput estimation mechanism, allowing the server to enforce fairness constraints while maintaining client satisfaction through adaptive parameter adjustment.
2Ease of operation
If paced delivery is used to enforce service differentiation, then bandwidth management control is improved, but delivery complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the server automatically adjusts delivery pacing based on service class information without requiring complex manual configuration or explicit client coordination. The system serves itself by using pre-defined service class parameters to automatically determine pacing rates, simplifying operations while maintaining control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the delivery control mechanism into discrete service classes with predefined pacing parameters. By dividing the delivery system into distinct service tiers (e.g., premium, standard, basic), each with its own pacing rules, the system achieves fine-grained bandwidth management without requiring complex continuous control logic, thereby reducing operational complexity.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If artificial pacing is applied to temper client greediness, then network resource fairness is improved, but download time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic pacing adjustment where the delivery rate is not fixed but adapts based on network conditions, service class, and content characteristics. The server dynamically adjusts the pacing parameter to balance fairness requirements with download efficiency, allowing faster delivery when resources are abundant while maintaining fairness constraints when resources are limited.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-defining service class parameters and pacing rules before actual content delivery. By establishing the pacing framework in advance based on service subscriptions and network capacity planning, the system avoids real-time complex calculations during delivery, reducing overall download time while maintaining fairness.
Data Source
AI summary
A server device delivers content to a client device by sending the content as a series of segments using chunked delivery. The sending is paced in accordance with a class of service for the client device, the class of service having an associated target chunk send time that decreases with higher classes of service. Pacing includes sending a chunk over an actual chunk send time and calculating an inter-chunk delay as a difference between the target chunk send time and the actual chunk send time. If the inter-chunk delay is positive, then the server waits the inter-chunk delay before beginning to send a next successive chunk, and otherwise it immediately begins sending the next successive chunk. The server also employs bitrate selection to manage client use of available bandwidth.