Patent ID: 8458750

Claim:
A method to transmit data, comprising: receiving data and an event identifier at an orbiting satellite transmitter, the data corresponding to an event, the event identifier associated with the event but separate from the event; determining that the data is normally transmitted a plurality of times from the satellite transmitter to a set-top box within a predetermined period of time by comparing the event identifier to one or more identifiers stored at the satellite transmitter; in a first case when the event identifier does not match an identifier stored at the satellite transmitter, performing the acts of: determining an amount of available bandwidth for transmitting the data; partitioning the data into a plurality of segments based on the available bandwidth; transmitting the plurality of segments of the data in a data stream over a period of time, such that the data is transmitted from the satellite transmitter to the set-top box only once; instructing the set-top box to store the data prior to the data being used by the set-top box; and storing the event identifier at the satellite transmitter; and in a second case when the event identifier matches an identifier stored at the satellite transmitter, performing the acts of: discarding the plurality of segments of the data at the satellite transmitter; and transmitting a signal from the satellite transmitter to the set-top box, the signal instructing the set-top box to retrieve the stored data from a storage at the set-top box and to display the retrieved data.