Patent ID: 7821943

Claim:
A method of providing audio-visual data over a network, comprising the steps of: receiving first audio-visual data containing first information encoded at a first data rate, and second audio-visual data containing first information encoded at a second data rate that is higher than said first data rate, wherein each of said audio-visual data comprises a plurality of packets, and each said packet includes a display time; providing said first audio-visual data to a network-connected terminal; identifying a condition that the amount of data being sent to said terminal is less than the available bandwidth; calculating the difference between the data rates of said first and second audio-visual data; sending additional data packets to said terminal to determine whether the available bandwidth is large enough to provide said first audio-visual data to said terminal; and if it is determined that the available bandwidth is large enough, stopping provision of said first audio-visual data to said terminal and providing said second audio-visual data to said terminal, wherein: a display time offset is calculated, and said display time offset is applied to the display time in each packet in said second audio-visual data to create modified packets, such that the display time in each modified packet in said second audio-visual data matches the display time in the expected packets in said first audio-visual data.