Patent ID: 8612619

Claim:
A method for providing multimedia content from a broadcast serving node (BSN), comprising: receiving, at the BSN, channel condition information associated with respective channel conditions of a threshold number of wireless terminals and indicative that a first data rate of an original media stream conveying the multimedia content is unsuitable for the channel conditions of the wireless terminals; identifying a second data rate suitable for the channel conditions of the wireless terminals; transcoding the original media stream at the BSN to form a companion media stream conveying the multimedia content and having the second data rate, wherein the first data rate of the original media stream is greater than the second data rate of the companion media stream; advertising the original and companion media streams in a manner adapted for enabling a wireless terminal to select one of the original and companion media streams based on the respective first and second data rates of the original and companion media streams and a channel condition of the wireless terminal, wherein advertising of the original and companion media streams is initiated from the BSN; and receiving, at the BSN, channel condition information of the wireless terminal, wherein a frequency with which the channel condition information of the wireless terminal is received is based on a result of a comparison of a measured channel condition of the wireless terminal to a data rate of a media stream of a media group joined by the wireless terminal to determine whether the media group joined by the wireless terminal is a correct media group for the wireless terminal, the correct media group for the wireless terminal being a media group having an associated media stream using a data rate best suited for the channel condition of the wireless terminal.