Patent ID: 7831729

Claim:
A method for providing multiple versions of a program, the method comprises: receiving multiple variable bit rate versions of a program; wherein different variable bit rate versions of the program differ from each other by their bit rate; converting each variable bit rate version of the program to a constant bit rate version of the program, wherein the converting comprises: adding null packets so that once an edge device removes the null packets a valid single program transport stream is generated and altering at least one program clock reference value when an addition of one or more null packets does not compensate for timing gaps between a variable bit rate version of the program to a corresponding constant bit rate version of the program; transmitting multiple constant bit rate versions of the program to a server that is coupled to an edge device; and transiting, by the edge device, from one portion of a selected version of the program to another portion of another selected version of the program; wherein the transiting utilizes a proximity between transition points of different constant bit rate versions of the program in a multiplex of multiple constant bit versions of the program received by the edge device.