Patent ID: 8543720

Claim:
A method comprising: determining, by a device including a processor, a playback status of a first version of a media content being concurrently downloaded and played on a media player, wherein the playback status indicates whether an overall bandwidth utilization of a connection employed for the downloading meets a threshold associated with a desired overall bandwidth utilization indicated in a data transfer policy, wherein the desired overall bandwidth utilization is based upon a monetary rate for data transfer on the connection at a time period associated with the downloading of the first version of the media content, and wherein the connection has associated a plurality of time periods with respective monetary rates for data transfer; in response to the overall bandwidth utilization not meeting the threshold associated with the desired overall bandwidth utilization, selecting a second version of the media content to download that is anticipated to cause the overall bandwidth utilization to meet the threshold associated with the desired overall bandwidth utilization; and identifying a frame of the second version of the media content at which to transition playing from the first version of the media content to the second version of the media content .