Patent ID: 9608921
Date: 2017-03-28
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04N

Claim:
1. A method comprising: determining, by a device including a processor, a desired overall bandwidth utilization based upon a predetermined monetary rate for data transfer on a network connection during a time period at which a media content is to be downloaded, wherein the network connection has associated a plurality of time periods with respective predetermined monetary rates for data transfer, and the desired overall bandwidth utilization is a data transfer rate desired to be maintained at the device during the time period; selecting, by the device, a first version of the media content to download to the device that is estimated to have the desired overall bandwidth utilization during the time period for downloading the first version of the media content; monitoring, by the device, a rate for receiving the first version of the media content at the device within the time period; and dynamically transitioning, by the device, responsive to the desired overall bandwidth utilization exceeding the monitored rate for receiving the first version of the media content, downloading of the first version of the media content to downloading of a second version of the same media content at a selected frame of the second version of the media content, the second version having a lower quality of the media content than quality of the first version, wherein the transitioning comprises: