Adaptive Streaming Bit-Rate Control with User Limits

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional media players fail to provide a consistent viewing experience due to variations in network capacity, lack of control over bit-rate, and inability to indicate current media quality, leading to interruptions and fluctuating video quality during adaptive streaming.

Innovation Solution

A media streaming system that generates signals for bandwidth/quality changes, allowing users to set minimum and maximum bit-rate limits and providing information on current quality, enabling consistent playback by managing bandwidth and quality within specified ranges.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If adaptive streaming is used to handle network capacity variations, then streaming flexibility is improved, but viewing experience consistency deteriorates due to quality fluctuations

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestreaming flexibilityVSAvoidviewing experience consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameter of bit-rate selection from fully dynamic (conventional adaptive streaming) to constrained within user-defined minimum and maximum limits. The system monitors network conditions and adjusts bit-rate adaptively, but only within the bounds set by the user, thereby maintaining both flexibility and consistency in viewing experience.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring network capacity and comparing it against user-defined bit-rate limits. When network conditions change, the system adjusts the streaming quality within the specified range, providing feedback loops that maintain consistent viewing experience while adapting to network variations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Ease of operation

If user control over bit-rate limits is implemented, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional control mechanisms

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser control capabilityVSAvoidcontrol mechanism complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary action by obtaining user-defined minimum and maximum bit-rate limits before streaming begins. These pre-set constraints are then used throughout the streaming session to guide adaptive quality adjustments, simplifying real-time control decisions while providing comprehensive user control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple representations are provided for adaptivity, then adaptability is improved, but information overhead increases due to quality indication requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverepresentation selection flexibilityVSAvoidbandwidth information overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system extracts only the essential bandwidth/quality change information and transmits it to the client. By focusing on notifying clients of representation changes rather than providing exhaustive quality data, the system reduces information overhead while maintaining adaptability across multiple representations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS9479739B2Methods and apparatuses for adaptive control of streaming

Publication Date: 2016.10.25 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

AI summary

Apparatuses and methods used in a media streaming system in which at least two representations of a media content item are available are provided. An apparatus (500, 600) has a processor (504, 604) configured to generate signals when a change of representation and bandwidth is occurring in a sequence of segments of the media content item to be used by a streaming application.