Patent ID: 7660328

Claim:
In a distribution center configured to transmit a plurality of media streams, a method for generating and transmitting bit rate conversion information, the method comprising: receiving at least one media stream, the at least one media stream to be transmitted over a communication channel; applying at least one bit rate conversion scheme on the at least one media stream; analyzing the results of the appliance of the at least one bit rate conversion scheme to provide bit rate conversion information; wherein the steps of applying and analyzing are repeated to produce bit rate conversion information indicative of results of an appliance of a sequence of bit rate conversion schemes on the at least one media stream; wherein the method further comprises transmitting the bit rate conversion information and the at least one media stream until there is a need to convert the bit rate of a media stream out of the at least one media stream by applying a first bit rate conversion scheme out of the sequence of bit rate conversion schemes; and applying the first bit rate conversion scheme by a receiver, and discarding bit rate conversion information relating to a first bit rate conversion information to provide modified bit rate conversion information.