Patent ID: 9621400
Date: 2017-04-11
CPC Classifications: H04L,H04N

Claim:
1. A method for transmitting content, the method comprising: receiving an indication of a plurality of input streams that each comprises a same content, wherein each of the plurality of input streams is associated with a different input bit rate of a plurality of input bit rates; determining a plurality of expected output bit rates at which to transmit the content to one or more client devices; comparing the plurality of input bit rates to the plurality of expected output bit rates; identifying, based at least in part on the comparing, at least two of the plurality of input streams to receive to minimize transcoding used to provide the plurality of expected output bit rates; simultaneously receiving the identified at least two of the plurality of input streams; generating, by a server, a plurality of output streams that each comprise the same content, wherein each generated output stream of the plurality of output streams is associated with a corresponding expected output bit rate of the plurality of expected output bit rates and comprises a transcoded input stream or a non-transcoded input stream, wherein the plurality of output streams is generated such that a number of the plurality of output streams comprising the non-transcoded input stream is maximized and the plurality of output streams are generated before requests for the plurality of output streams are received; and transmitting the generated plurality of output streams to the one or more client devices.