Viewership-Balanced Video Multiplexing Encoding

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

The proliferation of content in television and video distribution platforms leads to challenges such as limited throughput and under-utilization of transport channels due to varying data requirements and viewer demand, necessitating a system that optimizes content distribution based on viewership data.

Innovation Solution

A multi-channel content distribution system employing viewership-balanced video multiplexing, where a load-balancing encoding controller processes viewership data to determine encoding parameters for content items, optimizing bit rates and channel utilization by dynamically adjusting encoding based on real-time viewer metrics and channel capacity.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If variable bit rate encoding is used to match content complexity, then content quality is improved, but transport channel throughput is limited and utilization becomes unbalanced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent qualityVSAvoidtransport channel throughput

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts encoding parameters based on real-time viewership data and channel capacity. The load-balancing encoding controller continuously monitors viewership metrics and modifies bit rate allocations dynamically, allowing the system to adapt encoding strategies to current transport channel conditions and viewer demand patterns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes encoding parameters (bit rate, resolution, compression level) based on viewership data and channel capacity. By adjusting these parameters dynamically according to actual viewer demand and available bandwidth, the system optimizes both content quality and transport efficiency, resolving the contradiction between quality and throughput.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If more content items are transmitted to meet viewer demand, then service coverage is improved, but transport channel capacity is exceeded

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice coverageVSAvoidtransport channel capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies different encoding qualities to different content items based on their viewership demand. High-demand content receives higher bit rates and better quality encoding, while low-demand content uses lower bit rates. This localized quality adjustment allows more content items to be transmitted within the same channel capacity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system allocates encoding resources partially to less popular content and excessively (with higher priority) to popular content. By not uniformly applying high-quality encoding to all content items, the system can transmit more content items overall while maintaining quality where it matters most.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Device complexity

If uniform encoding is applied to all content items, then system complexity is reduced, but channel utilization becomes inefficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveencoding system complexityVSAvoidchannel utilization efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically changes encoding parameters based on viewership data without requiring complex manual configuration. The load-balancing encoding controller handles parameter adjustment automatically, maintaining system simplicity while achieving efficient channel utilization through data-driven encoding decisions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Manufacturing precision

If high bit rate encoding is used for all content, then content quality is maintained, but bandwidth consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontent qualityVSAvoidbandwidth consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies high bit rate encoding only to content items with high viewership demand, while using lower bit rates for less popular content. This localized quality approach maintains content quality where needed while reducing overall bandwidth consumption across the transport channel.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11076179B2Viewership-balanced video multiplexing

Publication Date: 2021.07.27 DISH TECHNOLOGIES LLC

AI summary

Systems, methods, and processor-readable media are provided for content distribution for a multi-channel content distribution system. A content item may be received by a video handling system. The content item may include video data, the content item corresponding to media for delivery to a television receivers via channel components. A metric of the content item may be detected as a function of time. Viewership data received from data sources may be processed, the viewership data indicative of one or more characteristics of viewers. The viewership data may be mapped to the content item. The content item may be qualified based on the viewership data to yield a qualification result for the content item. An encoding parameter to encode the content item may be determined based on the metric and the qualification result. Encoding of the content item may be specified in accordance with the encoding parameter.