Patent ID: 8650192

Claim:
A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing data in a digital, random access format that when executed by a data processing system causes the system to perform a method comprising: storing a plurality of alternative media playlist files of a same contiguous media presentation, wherein each media playlist file includes a plurality of URIs (Uniform Resource Indicators) specifying segments of the same contiguous media presentation, wherein the segments are encoded according to a value of an encoding parameter for the media playlist file, the value of the encoding parameter differs for each of the plurality of media playlist files, and the value of the encoding parameter indicates a bit rate at which the segments are encoded; and generating a variant playlist file that specifies the plurality of alternative media playlist files representing the same contiguous media presentation, each of the media playlist files specifying segments of the same contiguous media presentation encoded according to a different value of the encoding parameter, the variant playlist, comprising: a plurality of tags, wherein each tag indicates a value of the encoding parameter of a respective one of the plurality of media playlist files, and a plurality of URIs, wherein each URI corresponds to one of the plurality of tags and the URI specifies a respective one of the plurality of alternative media playlist files that specifies segments encoded according to a value of the encoding parameter, wherein selection of a URI from the variant playlist file requests transmittal of a respective one of the plurality of media playlist files specified by the selected URI, and wherein the respective media playlist file includes a plurality of URIs specifying segments of the same contiguous media presentation encoded according to the value of the encoding parameter indicated by the tag in the variant playlist file corresponding to the selected URI.