Server-Side Stream Mixing for Live Event Interaction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current virtual video streaming technologies do not support highly interactive engagement among multiple participants, limiting real-time feedback and collaboration, especially for events with large audiences or numerous contributors.
Innovation Solution
A live media streaming architecture that utilizes a cluster of server computers to mix and distribute live streams, enabling interactive experiences by composing streams into a grid format, allowing participants to interact with performers or other individuals, and supporting global distribution through a cloud-based auto-scaling system with minimized latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple individual live streams are transmitted separately to each participant, then each participant can see all other participants, but the bandwidth requirements and system complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual live streams into a single mixed stream that contains all participants. The mixer receives separate streams from each participant and composites them into one unified stream that is then distributed to all participants, reducing total bandwidth consumption while maintaining full interactivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mixer as an intermediary component between participants. The mixer acts as a central hub that receives individual streams, processes them by combining into a composite view, and redistributes the mixed stream, thereby mediating the communication between all participants efficiently.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a centralized video conferencing system is used, then interaction among participants is enabled, but the system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the video conferencing system into independent functional components: individual participant devices, a central mixer, and distribution channels. Each component performs a specific function, allowing the system to be built and scaled modularly without requiring complex integrated infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixer serves multiple functions simultaneously: receiving individual streams, compositing them into a unified view, and distributing the mixed stream to all participants. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components, simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Quantity of substance
If live streams are mixed and composed into a unified stream, then bandwidth requirements are reduced, but real-time interaction latency may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mixer performs stream composition and mixing in advance before distribution, preparing the unified stream proactively. This preliminary processing allows the mixed stream to be ready for immediate distribution, minimizing delays between participant actions and their visibility to others.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing process operates continuously without interruption, maintaining a constant flow of the composite stream. This continuous processing ensures that updates from any participant are seamlessly integrated and distributed in real-time, preventing gaps or delays in the interactive experience.
Data Source
AI summary
A live media streaming architecture facilitates live interaction among multiple participants, such as viewers and stage performers for a show. A cluster of computers is responsible for generating, transmitting, and displaying a composed live stream, such as a grid, of one group of individuals, by mixing live streams from those individuals, that will allow them to interact with a stage performer or other contributors or other individuals during an event. The architecture can support receiving the live streams at a physical location of an event or other locations for centralized redistribution.