Video Communication Device Mitigating Stream Degradation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Video communication sessions are often hindered by unreliable over-the-air networks, particularly in marginal coverage areas, leading to degraded audio and video streams that negatively impact user experience and are not always recognized by participants, causing asymmetric communication degradation where the transmitting device is unaware of the issue.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a controller that monitors and mitigates degraded audio and video streams by alerting the transmitting device and adjusting transmission rates, buffering content for playback, and dynamically distributing buffered data to ensure seamless communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If participants use electronic devices in marginal coverage areas with OTA networks, then accessibility and ease of operation are improved, but transmission reliability and audio/video quality deteriorate due to network degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where receiving devices monitor the quality of transmitted audio and video streams, then communicate quality metrics back to the transmitting device. This enables the transmitting device to adjust its transmission parameters dynamically based on actual network conditions, resolving the contradiction by maintaining reliability while preserving accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts transmission parameters such as bitrate, resolution, and encoding format based on real-time network conditions. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain reliable transmission quality in marginal coverage areas while still allowing participants to join from diverse locations, thus resolving the contradiction between accessibility and transmission reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the transmitting device operates in marginal coverage areas, then participant accessibility is improved, but transmit uplink quality deteriorates while receive downlink quality remains acceptable
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having receiving devices monitor and assess transmission quality before significant degradation occurs. Quality metrics are collected and analyzed in advance, allowing the transmitting device to proactively adjust parameters to prevent uplink quality deterioration while maintaining participant accessibility from various locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes transmission parameters such as bitrate, resolution, and encoding format based on assessed network conditions. This parameter adaptation allows the transmitting device to maintain acceptable uplink quality when operating in marginal coverage areas, while still enabling broad participant accessibility across different locations and network conditions.
3Device complexity
If the transmitting device is unaware of transmission degradation, then device complexity is reduced, but information loss occurs as other participants experience degraded user experience
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary mechanism where receiving devices act as quality monitors and communicate feedback to the transmitting device. This intermediary feedback loop enables the transmitting device to remain relatively simple while still maintaining awareness of transmission quality through information provided by receiving devices, thus preventing user experience degradation without significantly increasing transmitting device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service mechanisms where receiving devices autonomously monitor transmission quality and generate feedback reports. This allows the transmitting device to obtain quality information without implementing complex monitoring systems itself, maintaining low device complexity while preventing information loss about user experience quality through automated feedback from receiving devices.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device, computer program product, and method are provided that autonomously mitigates degraded transmissions from a second electronic device to a video communication session. The electronic device receives at least one of an audio stream and an image stream provided by transmitting device(s) of second electronic devices(s) during a video communication session. The electronic device communicates the at least one of the audio stream and the image stream to other second electronic device(s). A controller of the electronic device determines whether the at least one of the audio stream and the image stream from a particular second electronic device is in a degraded state. In response to determining that at least one of the audio stream and the image stream received from the particular second electronic device is in a degraded state, the controller alerts the particular second electronic device of the degraded state of the transmission.