Video-on-Demand Playlist Management for Bandwidth and Setup Time Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current video-on-demand systems face challenges in efficiently managing playlists and delivering content over communications networks, leading to issues such as bandwidth inefficiencies, prolonged session setup times, and the need for resource-intensive setup processes at both client and server levels.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of techniques that allow for the creation and management of playlists within a single video-on-demand session, where a video server sends a playlist describing interrelationships between program segments and related segments, and modifies it in real-time over a video content network, using enhanced television binary interchange format (eBIF) resources and stream events, enabling seamless content delivery without the need for actual tuning at the set-top device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If traditional video-on-demand systems use separate setup processes for each content delivery, then content can be delivered with proper resource allocation, but session setup times are prolonged and system resources are consumed inefficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple content delivery operations into a single unified session. The video server establishes one session that can deliver multiple different content items (program segments and related segments) without requiring separate setup processes for each item. This merging of operations eliminates redundant session establishment overhead and reduces total setup time while maintaining proper resource allocation for each content item.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing the video-on-demand session in advance and preparing the playlist structure beforehand. The session is set up with the capability to deliver multiple content items, and the playlist is pre-configured with references to program segments and related segments. This preliminary session establishment eliminates the need for repeated setup processes when delivering different content items within the same session.
2Loss of energy
If the system establishes separate video-on-demand sessions for each content item, then resource allocation can be optimized per item, but bandwidth is used inefficiently and setup processes become resource-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple content delivery operations into a single video-on-demand session, allowing the system to deliver different content items (program segments and related segments) through one unified session. This approach improves bandwidth efficiency by eliminating redundant session establishment overhead and reduces the complexity of setup processes while maintaining proper resource allocation for each content item through the playlist structure.
3Ease of operation
If the video server sends complete playlists for each content request, then content delivery can be seamless, but bandwidth is consumed unnecessarily for redundant playlist data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary playlist information from the complete playlist and sends it to the client. Instead of transmitting the entire playlist structure for each content request, the system identifies and sends only the specific playlist entries relevant to the requested content item. This extraction of essential information maintains seamless content delivery while significantly reducing bandwidth consumption by eliminating redundant playlist data transmission.
4Ease of operation
If the system allows fast channel changes without actual tuning, then user experience is enhanced, but the playlist management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the playlist structure as a virtual representation of available content, allowing the system to switch between different program segments and related segments by referencing playlist entries rather than performing actual tuning operations. The playlist acts as a copy or map of the content structure, enabling fast channel changes through simple playlist navigation. This approach enhances user experience with rapid channel switching while the playlist management complexity is handled by the video server, not the client device.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of providing programming content from a video server to a client coupled to the video server by a video content network includes the steps of sending, to the client, a playlist describing an interrelationship between at least one program segment and at least one related segment; sending, from the video server to the client over the video content network, video content comprising the at least one program segment and the at least one related segment; and modifying the playlist via communication to the client. The steps of sending the playlist, sending the content, and modifying the playlist are all accomplished within a single video-on-demand session per user.