Patent ID: 8356110

Claim:
A method, comprising: permitting a first user to use a first bandwidth of a shared pool of bandwidth for receiving a first media stream, wherein the shared pool of bandwidth comprises a maximum amount of available bandwidth; receiving a request from a second user to use a second bandwidth of the shared pool of bandwidth for receiving a second media stream; determining whether it is permissible to decrease the quality of the first media stream or the second media stream to reduce the first bandwidth or the second bandwidth such that the second bandwidth combined with the first bandwidth does not exceed the maximum amount of available bandwidth, wherein determining whether it is permissible to decrease the quality of the first media stream or the second media stream comprises: a) signaling the first user to determine if the first user approves decreasing the quality of the first media stream, or b) signaling the second user to determine if the second user approves decreasing the quality of the second media stream, decreasing the quality of the first media stream or the second media stream based on the permissibility determination; determining whether decreasing the quality of the first media stream or the second media stream will decrease the sum of the first bandwidth and the second bandwidth to an amount less than the maximum amount of available bandwidth of the shared pool of bandwidth to produce a first determination; and granting the request from the second user, based on the first determination, via an alternate distribution channel that does not use the shared pool of bandwidth.