Transmission Parameter Control for Video Segment Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media content delivery systems face challenges in maintaining consistent perceived quality due to inadequate scheduling of segment delivery, which can result in bit rate adaptations that lead to lower quality delivery despite high bit rate demands, especially under varying network throughput conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method of controlling transmission parameters for media content segments, including quality and congestion window size, using a piecewise linear delivery schedule that adjusts based on previous segment delivery parameters, such as packet loss rate and delivery time deviations, to ensure target delivery times are met, thereby maintaining consistent perceived quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If constant quality encoding is used to encode each segment at a fixed perceived quality, then the perceived quality consistency is improved, but the scheduling difficulty increases due to variable bit rate demands
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates and stores representative delivery schedules during an encoding phase, before actual content delivery. These schedules encode the relationship between segment positions, bit rate demands, and delivery timing. During runtime, the system simply looks up the appropriate schedule based on segment index, avoiding complex real-time scheduling decisions while maintaining constant quality encoding benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The patent generates multiple pre-computed delivery schedules that account for various network conditions and bit rate demands beforehand. These schedules act as a cushion or buffer that guides the delivery process, allowing the system to handle variable bit rate demands without requiring complex adaptive scheduling decisions during actual content delivery
2Productivity
If the bit rate is adapted based on network throughput conditions, then the network efficiency is improved, but the perceived quality decreases when high bit rate segments must be delivered at lower bit rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-calculates delivery schedules that anticipate future bit rate demands based on the constant quality encoding characteristics. By knowing in advance which segments will require higher bit rates, the system can proactively adjust delivery timing and buffer management to ensure these segments receive adequate bandwidth, rather than reactively reducing quality when network conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses dynamic delivery schedules that are selected based on current network conditions and segment characteristics. The system can switch between different pre-computed schedules or adjust parameters within schedules to balance network efficiency and perceived quality, making the delivery process adaptive without requiring complex real-time bit rate decisions
3Loss of time
If segments are delivered according to a strict delivery schedule, then the delivery timing precision is improved, but the ability to adapt to network conditions decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the delivery schedule into multiple segments or time periods, each with its own delivery parameters. This segmentation allows different parts of the content delivery to have different timing requirements and adaptability characteristics, enabling the system to maintain strict timing for critical segments while being more flexible for others
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic delivery schedules that can be adjusted based on network conditions while maintaining overall timing constraints. The system selects or modifies schedules in real-time to balance timing precision and adaptability, allowing flexible response to network changes without completely sacrificing delivery timing accuracy
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of delivering a video sequence in a network, the sequence comprising a plurality of temporal segments encoded at a plurality of qualities, the method comprising: storing a dataset indicating the relative size of segments of the video stream; computing in dependence on that dataset a time schedule for delivery of the segments, the time schedule indicating a target delivery time for each segment sufficient to deliver all the segments in the sequence in time for decoding and being independent of the encoded quality of each segment; for each segment: setting one or more transmission parameters for the segment in dependence on the target delivery time for the segment and the relative size of the segment; and delivering the segment over the network using the one or more transmission parameters.