Patent ID: 8041831

Claim:
A method of broadcasting a plurality of successive contents (C n , C n+1 ) via a computer network from a broadcasting source (S) to a plurality of receiver terminals (T), each of the plurality of contents comprising a plurality of data streams formed of data packets, the method comprising: marking, with a first marking indicator, each data packet of each data stream of a first content (C n ), while the first content (C n ) is being broadcast; marking, with the first marking indicator, each data packet of at least one data stream of enabling data of the first content (C n ), while the first content (C n ) is being broadcast, the enabling data of the first content (C n ) comprising: (i) a plurality of broadcast channel addresses for receiving the data streams of the first content (C n ), and (ii) configuration characteristics for the plurality of receiver terminals to decode the first content (C n ); marking, with a second marking indicator, each data packet of at least one data stream of enabling data of a second content (C n+1 ), while the first content (C n ) is being broadcast prior to a transition between the first content (C n ) and the second content (C n+1 ), the enabling data of the second content (C n+1 ) comprising: (i) a plurality of broadcast channel addresses for receiving the data streams of the second content (C n+1 ), and (ii) configuration characteristics for the plurality of receiver terminals to decode the second content (C n+1 ); after the transition between the first content (C n ) and the second content (C n+1 ), marking, with the second marking indicator, each data packet of each data stream of the second content (C n+1 ), while the second content (C n+1 ) is being broadcast; and marking, with the second marking indicator, each data packet of the at least one data stream of enabling data of the second content (C n+1 ), while the second content (C n+1 ) is being broadcast, wherein the first marking indicator is uniquely associated with the first content (C n ) at least during a period in which the first content (C n ) is being broadcast and during a period in which the second content (C n+1 ) is being broadcast; and wherein the first content (C n ) and the second content (C n+1 ) are broadcast successively by the source (S) with a single transition between the first content (C n ) and the second content (C n+1 ).