Tiered Storage for Video Streaming Latency and Resource Trade-offs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video streaming services face challenges in efficiently storing large video content files while maintaining low latency, as existing hardware resources and compression formats can increase latency when retrieving files for streaming.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a tiered storage system where frequently accessed files are stored in a 'hot' storage tier for low latency and less frequently accessed files are moved to 'cold' storage tiers, reducing computing resources and energy consumption, while maintaining low latency by initially streaming at lower bitrates and transitioning to higher bitrates as needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If video content files are stored in cloud-based networks across different geographic regions to increase availability and user satisfaction, then user access and streaming availability are improved, but the amount of storage resources required continues to increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the storage system into multiple storage tiers (hot storage, cold storage, and archive storage) with different performance characteristics and cost structures. Video content files are divided and distributed across these tiers based on access frequency and urgency, allowing the system to maintain high availability for frequently accessed content while reducing overall storage resource consumption by moving less frequently accessed content to lower-cost storage.
2Quantity of substance
If efficient hardware resources and video compression formats are used to reduce storage resources, then storage efficiency is improved, but additional latency is introduced when retrieving video content files for streaming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-positioning frequently accessed video content files in hot storage tiers before they are needed for streaming. The system proactively monitors access patterns and pre-moves content from cold or archive storage to hot storage, so that when streaming requests occur, the files are already in high-performance storage and ready for immediate retrieval, eliminating latency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the storage allocation flexible and adaptive rather than static. The system dynamically adjusts which files reside in which storage tiers based on real-time access patterns, request rates, and performance requirements. This dynamic repositioning ensures that storage resources are optimally allocated to meet current demand while minimizing both storage costs and retrieval latency.
3Speed
If all video content files are stored in high-performance storage to maintain low latency, then streaming speed is improved, but computing resource usage and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by assigning different storage performance characteristics to different locations in the storage hierarchy. Hot storage provides high-speed access with high energy consumption, while cold and archive storage provide lower-speed access with lower energy consumption. The system places each video content file in the storage tier that provides the appropriate quality of service for its specific access requirements, ensuring high streaming speed for frequently accessed content while conserving energy for less frequently accessed content.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes techniques for distributed storage of files that represent video content across different storage tiers to reduce the amount of computing resources used to store the files, while maintaining a low latency when responding to user requests to stream the video content. Video streaming services support the streaming of video content at different resolutions to support various user devices and/or user preferences. To provide streaming of a particular video content item at different resolutions, the video streaming services may store multiple files that represent the video content item for the different resolutions and stream at different bitrates to user devices. The techniques described herein include storing files configured to stream a video content item at different bitrates (and for different display resolutions) in a tiered storage structure to reduce the amount of computing resources taken to store the files.