Patent ID: 8442989
Filing Date: 2013-05-14
Classification: G11B,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of assigning parts of multimedia files to distributed storage devices, the number of said devices being an integer n, the method comprising: dividing each multimedia file f in data windows, which represent multimedia data for contiguous playback of the respective multimedia file f of a given duration; for each multimedia file f, determining a number k(f) with k<n so that any original data window of said multimedia file f can be recovered from any k(f) distinct symbols, the symbols being created using erasure coding in accordance with k(f); for each data window of each said multimedia files, creating n distinct symbols using said erasure coding, and storing the n distinct symbols in said storage devices, one in each storage device; and partially or totally filling storage memory left on each storage device after the dividing of each multimedia file f in the data windows, the determining of the number k(f) and the creation and storing of the n distinct symbols, with at least the first window of the respective one or more multimedia files, wherein said at least first window is not coded using erasure coding, and said at least first window represents a prefix needed to start playback of the representative one or more multimedia files.