Synchronized Media Playback With Per-Device Stream Quality Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Synchronizing media content playback across multiple devices can be challenging due to varying buffer rates, leading to devices pausing playback to buffer additional content and losing synchrony.
Innovation Solution
A server adjusts the quality level of media content streams based on the buffer rates of individual devices, providing lower quality streams to devices buffering slower to maintain synchronized playback across multiple devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If each device buffers media content at its own rate independently, then each device can maintain its own buffering speed, but devices will lose synchrony during playback
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by allowing each device to receive media content at a quality level appropriate to its buffering capabilities. Devices with slower buffering rates receive lower quality streams that buffer faster, while devices with faster buffering rates receive higher quality streams. This localized adaptation to each device's characteristics maintains both individual buffering efficiency and group synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the quality level of media content streams based on real-time buffering rates of individual devices. The server monitors buffering performance and adapts the stream quality dynamically, transitioning between different quality levels to optimize both buffering speed and synchronization across the device group.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a device buffers media content more slowly than other devices, then the device can maintain lower bandwidth consumption, but the device must pause playback to buffer additional content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of media content quality level to match the buffering capabilities of each device. By adjusting quality parameters (such as resolution, bitrate, or compression level), the system enables slower-buffering devices to maintain continuous playback without pausing, while still consuming appropriate bandwidth levels for their capabilities.
3Manufacturing precision
If the server provides high quality media content streams to all devices, then all devices can achieve high playback quality, but devices with slower buffering rates will experience synchronization issues
Solution Approach 1:
The server implements local quality by providing different quality levels of media content streams to different devices based on their individual buffering rates. Devices with faster buffering rates receive high quality streams, while devices with slower buffering rates receive lower quality streams that they can buffer and play back in synchrony with the group.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the media content delivery into multiple quality-level streams, allowing the server to provide appropriately differentiated content to each device based on its buffering capabilities, thereby maintaining both quality and synchronization.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, systems, and media for adjusting quality level during synchronized media content presentation are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: transmitting, from a server to a first user device, first media content data corresponding to a first stream of a media content item and from the server to a second user device, second media content data corresponding to a second stream of the media content item, wherein the first media content data is to be stored in a buffer of the first user device, and wherein the second media content data is to be stored in a buffer of the second user device; transmitting, from the server to the first user device and to the second user device, instructions that cause the first user device and the second user device to begin presenting the media content item simultaneously; determining, by the server, that the first media content data is being stored in the buffer of the first user device at a slower rate than the second media content data is being stored in the buffer of the second user device; in response to determining that the first media content data is being stored in the buffer of the first user device at a slower rate than the second media content data is being stored in the buffer of the second user device, selecting a third stream of the media content item corresponding to the first stream of the media content item, wherein the third stream of the media content item has a lower quality level than the first stream of the media content item; and transmitting third media content data corresponding to the third stream of the media content item to the first user device.