Patent ID: 8381110
Filing Date: 2013-02-19
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method in a host computer for developing transformation processing operations to optimize media content playback across multiple playback devices connected with the host computer in a network, the method comprising: determining capabilities of the playback devices for processing a media stream; receiving requests from the multiple devices for concurrent playback of media content at a first quality level, wherein the quality level is measured in terms of each of the following: determining a set of independent transformations of the media content that fulfill the requests at the first quality level; if transformations are required, determining whether processing resources available on the host computer are sufficient to perform the independent transformations; if the processing resources available on the host computer are sufficient to perform the independent transformations, the method further comprises performing the independent transformations; monitoring available bandwidth of the network; determining whether a requested set of media streams resulting from the independent transformations is transmissible within the available bandwidth of the network; and if the requested set of media streams is not transmissible within the available bandwidth of the network, determining the set of dependent transformations such that a modified set of media streams resulting from the set of dependent transformations is transmissible within the available bandwidth of the network; if the processing resources are insufficient to perform the independent transformations, determining a set of dependent transformations that fulfill the requests at a second quality level within limits of the processing resources of the host computer; determining whether the capability of each of the playback devices is sufficient to process a requested media stream resulting from the independent transformations; and if not, determining whether the capability of each of the playback devices is sufficient to process a requested media stream resulting from the dependent transformations.