Virtual Media File Metadata Stitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies for serving multimedia content require specialized client player applications and create new files by interleaving media, which is inefficient and consumes server resources.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses resource metadata to create a virtual media file on-the-fly by referencing original media data, allowing for real-time serving of combined media without the need for a specialized player or creating a new file, by storing metadata separately from media data and adjusting audio and video lengths for synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If files are interleaved and written to a new combined file for serving multimedia content, then the media content can be served to clients, but server response time increases and memory consumption increases due to file creation and storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the combined media file into multiple separate original media files, each maintained independently on the server. Instead of creating one combined file, the system divides the content into discrete segments (original files) that can be independently stored and referenced through metadata, eliminating the need to create and store a new combined file while still enabling composite media delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces metadata as an intermediary layer between the server's file storage system and the client playback system. This metadata acts as a virtual descriptor that references multiple original media files and instructs the client player on how to combine them, allowing the server to serve combined media content without physically combining the files themselves, thus reducing server processing time and memory usage.
2Productivity
If a new combined media file is created by interleaving original files, then combined media content can be served, but device complexity increases due to specialized client player requirements and specialized protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the client player universal by designing it to handle multiple media file types and formats through a single application. The player reads metadata descriptors that reference various original media files and combines them according to the metadata instructions, eliminating the need for specialized players for different combined media formats. This multi-functional approach allows one player to serve multiple purposes across different media combinations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of the server creating and managing combined media files with specialized formats, the patent inverts the approach by having the server store only metadata descriptors that reference original files, and letting the client player perform the combination operation. This reversal of responsibilities simplifies the server side and makes the client player more versatile rather than more complex, as the player uses standard protocols to fetch and combine files.
3Quantity of substance
If metadata is stored separately from media data in a virtual file structure, then server memory consumption decreases, but system complexity increases due to metadata management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the metadata information from the physical media file structure and stores it as a separate virtual descriptor that references original media files. By taking out the metadata from the combined file structure and storing it independently, the system reduces the memory footprint on the server since the metadata is much smaller than actual media data. The extracted metadata serves as a lightweight reference system that points to the original files without duplicating their content.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and methods are disclosed for serving combined media using resource metadata referencing original media data. Combined resource metadata is created from combining the metadata of two or more files for a virtual media file representing the requested combined media. The combined data can be adjusted to synch audio and video portions as needed for combining the files. The virtual media file references the original media files and serves the content on-the-fly, rather than creating a new file with the combined media, at a savings of server response time and memory consumption, while maintaining high performance.