Patent ID: 7587736

Claim:
A method for scheduling transmission of content in a broadcasting system, comprising: reading a schedule of content to be transmitted, wherein each item of content is grouped into a plurality of segments, and for each segment of each item of content, (i) if the item of content to be transmitted is real-time content, sending the real-time content to a playout buffer during a period of time scheduled for playback, and calculating a remaining available bandwidth after transmission of the real time content; (ii) if the item of content to be transmitted is carousel content, calculating a block size, a number of blocks, and a repetition rate to fit within the available bandwidth based upon the carousel content size and bandwidth allocation, sending blocks of the carousel content to the playout buffer, and calculating the remaining available bandwidth after transmission of the carousel content; and (iii) if the item of content to be transmitted is a file, transmitting a percentage of the file according to the available bandwidth and priority associated with transmission of the file, wherein the schedule is re-read after each calculation of the remaining available bandwidth.