Multimedia Stream Synchronization via Unicast to Multicast Conversion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current multimedia content distribution systems face challenges in synchronizing multiple streams of multimedia content across different viewers, particularly in reducing temporal deltas between streams to enable seamless collaboration and interaction, while conserving bandwidth and maintaining low latency.

Innovation Solution

The method involves identifying temporal deltas between multimedia streams, altering their timing to reduce synchronization deltas, and incorporating additional content to synchronize streams, using social network concepts to select viewers for synchronization, and employing techniques like playback rate manipulation and advertisement sequence adjustments to achieve synchronization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If unicast streams are used to provide content to different viewers asynchronously, then viewer flexibility and low latency are improved, but bandwidth consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovelatencyVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple unicast streams into a single multicast stream when synchronization conditions are met. The system monitors temporal deltas between viewers and, when below a threshold, merges the streams to conserve bandwidth while maintaining synchronization through timestamp comparison and selective fast-forwarding or pausing of individual viewer streams.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically switches between unicast and multicast modes based on real-time synchronization status. When temporal deltas indicate viewers are synchronized, the system transitions to multicast for bandwidth efficiency; when desynchronization occurs, it reverts to unicast to maintain low latency and viewer flexibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Loss of energy

If multicast streams are used to conserve bandwidth, then bandwidth consumption is reduced, but synchronization between viewers becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebandwidth consumptionVSAvoidsynchronization

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system continuously monitors temporal deltas between viewer streams and uses this feedback to maintain synchronization. When viewing a multicast stream, the system compares timestamps of individual viewer streams against the common multicast stream, detecting desynchronization and triggering corrective actions such as fast-forwarding or pausing to realign viewers.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a synchronization mechanism as an intermediary layer between the multicast stream and individual viewers. This mediator monitors temporal relationships and applies corrective transformations (fast-forwarding, pausing) to individual viewer streams to maintain synchronization with the common multicast stream.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If playback rate manipulation is used to synchronize streams, then synchronization is achieved, but content distortion may occur

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesynchronizationVSAvoidcontent quality

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies playback rate manipulation only partially and temporarily, only when necessary to achieve synchronization. Fast-forwarding or pausing is applied minimally to bridge temporal gaps between viewers, and only for the duration needed to realign streams, thereby limiting content distortion to the smallest possible extent.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

4Reliability

If additional content is incorporated to synchronize streams, then synchronization delta is reduced, but content duration increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesynchronizationVSAvoidcontent duration

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDuration of action of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system incorporates additional content (such as advertisements) in advance to proactively reduce synchronization deltas between viewers. By pre-inserting content segments of controlled duration, the system can advance or delay specific viewer streams to achieve synchronization without requiring real-time playback rate manipulation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10194184B2Dynamic synchronization of media streams within a social network

Publication Date: 2019.01.29 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

A method of synchronizing first and second streams of a multimedia content program is operable for determining a temporal difference indicative of a relative timing between first and second streams of the program, the first stream being provided to a first multimedia processing resource (MPR) and the second stream being provided to a second MPR. The method includes manipulating at least one of the streams to reduce the temporal difference until the temporal difference is less than a predetermined threshold and enabling a viewer of the first stream to interact with a viewer of the second stream regarding the program. Interactions are visually detectable on a first display screen corresponding to the first MPR.