Patent ID: 9313529
Filing Date: 2016-04-12
CPC Classification: H04N

Claim Text:
1. A method of transmitting a media sequence from a server to a receiver over a transmission link in a network, comprising: (a) encoding a media sequence at first and second quality levels to generate a respective first encoded sequence and second encoded sequence, wherein the first quality level is lower than the second quality level; (b) delivering the first encoded sequence to the receiver; and (c) determining a temporal position in the first encoded sequence at which to switch from transmission of the first encoded sequence to the second encoded sequence while ensuring timely delivery of the media sequence; wherein said temporal position is dependent on a position when the difference in cumulative bit counts between the second encoded sequence and the first encoded sequence is greater than the predicted throughput over the transmission link multiplied by the difference in a first preload and a second preload, wherein the first preload is the playout duration of data buffered at the receiver needed to deliver the second encoded sequence at the predicted throughput from the current temporal position, and the second preload is the playout duration of data presently buffered at the receiver.