Patent ID: 8260952

Claim:
A computer implemented method, comprising: under control of one or more computer systems comprising a processor that executes instructions retained in a computer-readable medium, the instructions when executed by the processor implement at least the following operations: allowing a first end node in a distributed network to receive content from a source node at a first rate and a second end node in the distributed network to receive the content from the source node at a second higher rate, wherein the content is encoded with multiple layers; determining a number of layers of the multiple layers to be received by the first end node and the second end node; selecting a first tree comprising a first set of nodes for distributing the content from the source node to the first end node; selecting a second tree comprising a second set of nodes for distributing the content from the source node to the second end node; and adjusting the first rate that the content is distributed to the nodes of the first tree and/or the second rate that the content is sent to the nodes of the second tree based, at least in part, on: examining a first utility for the first receiving end node, the first utility being a representation of potential image quality to the first receiving end node; examining a second utility for the second receiving end node, the second utility being a representation of potential image quality to the second receiving end node; determining an overall utility based on the first utility and the second utility, the overall utility maximizing potential image quality to the first receiving end node and the second receiving end node.