Trick Play Metadata Extraction in Video Transport Streams
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital video transmission systems, such as satellite and over-the-air broadcasts, do not support trick play functions like fast forwarding, reversing, or skipping due to limited broadcast bandwidth, making it impossible for broadcasters to efficiently support multiple users' requests simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
The method involves embedding trick play metadata within data packets transmitted from the broadcaster, allowing video receivers to decode and enable trick play functions by utilizing specific sections of the packets, such as the transport priority bit, to support features like fast forwarding, rewinding, and skipping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If trick play functions are supported in video receivers, then user functionality and ease of operation are improved, but broadcast bandwidth requirements increase beyond available capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts trick play metadata from the main video data stream and transmits it separately as supplemental information. This allows receivers to obtain trick play capabilities without requiring the broadcaster to transmit multiple full video streams, thereby resolving the bandwidth contradiction by separating essential video content from auxiliary control information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-generating and transmitting trick play metadata alongside the main video stream. This metadata contains pre-calculated information about frame positions, time stamps, and decoding parameters that enable receivers to perform fast-forward, rewind, and other trick play functions without requiring real-time processing or additional bandwidth during actual trick play operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple users request different trick play functions simultaneously, then user versatility is improved, but system complexity and bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a single metadata transmission mechanism that serves multiple trick play functions simultaneously. The transmitted metadata structure is universally applicable to fast-forward, rewind, pause, and skip functions, allowing one system to support multiple user requests without requiring separate processing paths or additional complexity for each function type.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies self-service by enabling receivers to autonomously process the transmitted metadata and generate all necessary trick play functions locally. The metadata contains sufficient information for receivers to independently perform decoding, frame selection, and playback control without requiring real-time communication with the broadcaster, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining versatility.
3Reliability
If full video streams are transmitted for each trick play function, then trick play reliability is improved, but bandwidth consumption exceeds available capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses copying by transmitting a single main video stream alongside condensed trick play metadata that acts as a reference copy. The metadata contains essential timing and positioning information that allows receivers to reconstruct trick play functionality without needing actual copies of multiple video streams, thereby maintaining reliability while dramatically reducing bandwidth consumption through efficient data representation.
Data Source
AI summary
A video receiver system is conditioned for extracting trick play metadata, corresponding to video information, from a received transport stream. The video receiver system identifies the presence of such metadata in response to information present in the header of a transport packet. The video receiver after extracting metadata stores data corresponding to such metadata in a table (175). When implementing a trick play function during video playback, video receiver system (20) uses the data in the table to implement a desired trick play function. Inserting metadata in transport stream using transport priority bit or payload or transport packets.