Streaming Media Control Channel for Dynamic Content Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radio and television broadcasting technologies face challenges in seamlessly replacing audio content with alternative content, particularly video content, at the client device level, leading to delays and inconsistencies in streaming media delivery over the internet.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a control channel for transmitting metadata and command messages from the radio station's encoder to the client device, enabling dynamic and real-time control of media players to replace audio or video content, synchronize metadata, and manage delays through a delay buffer, ensuring seamless content replacement and customization for individual listeners.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If content replacement is performed at the centralized server, then content can be replaced for all clients simultaneously, but the replacement cannot be customized for individual clients and introduces delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the content replacement process into two segments: server-side replacement for audio content and client-side replacement for video content. The encoder replaces audio ads with alternative audio at the server level, while the media player at the client device replaces the corresponding video ads locally. This segmentation allows simultaneous processing at both ends, achieving fast replacement speed while enabling individual client customization through local video replacement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If audio content is replaced with video content at the client device, then customized ads can be delivered to individual listeners, but delays and inconsistencies occur in streaming media delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by having the media player receive and buffer the alternative video content before the audio content finishes playing. The system pre-loads the replacement video ad into the media player's buffer, so when the audio ad replacement trigger occurs, the video is already ready for immediate playback. This eliminates delays and ensures consistent timing between audio and video content replacement across all client devices.
3Measurement precision
If a control channel is implemented for real-time command transmission, then precise timing and seamless content replacement are achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control channel functionality into the existing metadata stream that is already being transmitted from the encoder to the media player. Instead of creating a separate dedicated control channel, the system embeds replacement commands within the existing audio metadata packets, combining control signals with the audio data stream. This approach achieves precise timing for content replacement while avoiding the additional complexity of a separate control infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Internet broadcast media streaming is described wherein triggers from internal or external systems for controlling audience media players cause an encoder system to generate command messages. Command messages are encoded into a composite output time-synchronous with the broadcast media. The composite output is written to a file or delivered to a streaming media distribution system configured to write the received composite media stream to a file for access by client media players. The command messages cause the media players to obtain or present dynamic content in association with the broadcast streaming media, and to cause any desired configuration changes to the appearance of the media player or the method or manner in which the dynamic content is presented.