Patent ID: 7421726

Claim:
A method, for use in a video-on-demand system that comprises−1) a digital computer which is coupled to a semiconductor memory, 2) a disc, coupled to said computer, that stores a video, and 3) a network interface circuit which intercouples said computer to respective viewing devices for multiple clients; said method including the steps of: sending a separate disc-based video stream to said network interface circuit for every client who requests said video, where said video in each disc-based video stream is sent in blocks from said disc into a respective buffer in said semiconductor memory and is sent therefrom to said network interface circuit; transferring said video in its entirety from said disc to a single region of said semiconductor memory; switching every disc-based video stream for said video to a separate mixed video stream, where said video in each mixed video stream is not sent into said respective buffer but continues to be sent therefrom to said network interface circuit; and, switching every mixed video stream for said video to a separate memory-based video stream, where said video in each memory-based video stream is sent in blocks from said single region in said semiconductor memory to said network interface circuit without the use of said respective buffers and without the use of said disc.