Patent ID: 8711949

Claim:
A method, comprising: encoding a video asset at different constant bit rates to produce a plurality of encoded copies of the video asset; assessing the plurality of encoded copies of the video asset by: identifying a number of null packets in each of the plurality of encoded copies of the video asset by determining that said null packets comprise one or more frames lacking substantive content; and comparing the number of null packets in each of the plurality of encoded copies of the video asset with the number of null packets in each other of the plurality of encoded copies of the video asset to identify an encoded copy of the plurality of encoded copies that has a number of null packets less than or equal to a number of null packets contained in each other of the plurality of encoded copies of the video asset and corresponds to an optimal constant bit rate for the video asset in relation to a video quality of the video asset; and communicating the encoded copy of the plurality of encoded copies that corresponds to the optimal constant bit rate for the video asset to at least one device.