Patent ID: 7966414

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for tunneling content across a network, the content being configured into a digital format compatible with a player that operates on a particular machine connectable to the network, comprising: receiving subscription information to a broadcast session of the content from users; before starting the broadcast session, transmitting an announcement containing control information concerning the broadcast session across the network to the subscribing users, the control information including content identifying data permitting controlled reception of the content by the subscribing users and including a start-time, wherein the announcement comprises a subscription message that identifies a multicast encapsulation protocol; encapsulating the content into a format that supports multicast distribution and controlled reception at particular machines on the network, wherein encapsulating the content includes adding at least one layer of the multicast encapsulation protocol to the content; and multicasting across the network the content in the encapsulated format to a multiplicity of machines in accordance with the start-time included in the announcement, wherein the content identifying data of the control information permits selective reception of the content at particular ones of the multiplicity of machines of the subscribing users, and further wherein the at least one layer of the multicast encapsulation protocol is removed from the multicast content according to the multicast encapsulation protocol included in the subscription message at the ones of the multiplicity of machines to obtain the content in the digital format compatible with the player operating on at least one of the multiplicity of machines.