Patent ID: 8522291

Claim:
A video playback device, provided in a P2P-based network, comprising: a channel pre-cached buffer, for storing a plurality of video blocks corresponding to a number of pre-cached channels; a display interface, for receiving a request for channel browsing from a viewer and executing playback of the video blocks pertaining to a selected channel indicated on the request; and an agent mechanism, for receiving the request for channel browsing from the display interface, obtaining a seed/peer list pertaining to the selected channel indicated on the request, and downloading the video blocks from seed and/or peer nodes based on the seed/peer list; characterized in that the agent mechanism applies an automatic refreshing mechanism for updating the corresponding video blocks to each pre-cached channel by supplying the most updated video blocks in the channel pre-cached buffer, wherein when the agent mechanism receives the request for channel browsing, the automatic refreshing mechanism stops refreshing, a predetermined number W of video blocks of the selected channel are received in the channel pre-cached buffer, and the automatic refreshing mechanism is started again to refresh the other pre-cached channels that have not been selected after the predetermined number W of video blocks of the selected channel are received in the channel pre-cached buffer.