Abstract
This paper describes a Dynamic Information-Density-Aware (DIDA) Playback System, which automatically modulates video speed on a per-segment basis according to measured content density. Video content exhibits asymmetric information density, where some segments contain dense instructional material while others contain filler, repetitive transitions, or silence. Static playback speed forces viewers to choose between missing details during information spikes in dense segments or enduring disengagement during sparse ones. DIDA uses a Smart Speed engine combining visual frame classification, audio speech-rate measurement, and silence detection with crowdsourced viewer engagement data to compute an optimal playback rate for each timestamp.
An Algorithmic Density Scorer assigns entropy-based rate values ranging from 0.75x to 3.0x, while a Behavioral Metadata Aggregator leverages aggregated Speed Change Events from prior viewers to flag high-complexity and low-complexity segments. The resulting per-segment speed curve is encoded in a Playback Velocity Map, a JSON metadata sidecar file delivered alongside the video manifest. Smoothing applied over a 500-millisecond window using linear interpolation produces pitch-preserved audio and seamless transitions. This approach increases the viewer’s Information Intake Rate (IIR) while reducing interaction fatigue across varying content densities.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
She, Alan, "Dynamic Information-Density-Aware (DIDA) Video Playback Scaling", Technical Disclosure Commons, ()
https://www.tdcommons.org/dpubs_series/10378