Streaming Content Pod Distribution via Client-Side Caching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for dynamically inserting supplementary audiovisual content into streaming content are resource-intensive for servers and exacerbate bandwidth consumption when multiple client devices request content simultaneously, leading to delays and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid approach where content pods are selected asynchronously during live streaming and cached by client devices, allowing for staggered requests based on pre-fetched content, reducing the number of simultaneous requests and alleviating server load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple client devices request content simultaneously during content breaks, then content delivery relevance is improved, but server resource consumption and bandwidth usage increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by providing first content pods to client devices before the content break occurs. These content pods are prepared and transmitted in advance, so when the content break arrives, the devices can play the pre-provided content without needing to request additional content during the peak demand period. This reduces simultaneous requests and server resource consumption during content breaks.
Solution Approach 2:
The content delivery is segmented into multiple phases: pre-content-break content pod provision, content break playback, and post-content-break requests. By dividing the content delivery process into these segments, the system avoids concentrating all content delivery activities during the content break when demand is highest, thereby reducing server resource consumption during peak periods.
2Reliability
If multiple client devices request content simultaneously during content breaks, then content delivery relevance is improved, but network bandwidth consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Content pods are transmitted to client devices before the content break occurs, utilizing network bandwidth during periods of lower demand. This preliminary transmission reduces the need for high-volume simultaneous data transfers during the content break, thereby reducing peak bandwidth consumption while still ensuring relevant content is delivered to each device.
3Reliability
If content requests are processed in real-time during content breaks, then content relevance is improved, but request processing delays occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system selects and provides content pods to client devices before the content break occurs, eliminating the need for real-time content selection and processing during the content break. This advance preparation ensures that relevant content is already available at the client devices when needed, removing processing delays that would otherwise occur during the content break period.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for distributing network traffic during streaming are hereby provided. A server can provide a first content pod to a client device for insertion in a content break separating a first portion and a second portion of the streaming content. The server can receive, from the client device during playback of the first content pod, a request for content to insert into the content break for playback subsequent to playback of the first content pod. The request for content can be generated at a first elapsed time from initiation of playback of the first content pod via a request generation policy. The server can select a second content pod. The server can provide the second content pod to the client device during the playback of the first content pod for playback subsequent to completion of the playback of the first content pod.