Patent ID: 8601512

Claim:
A method of accessing content for viewing using a media device, the method comprising: storing, in electronic storage, meta-channel information defining multiple meta-channels that identify content entries and that indicate an order with which to experience the content entries; accessing, from the meta-channel information stored in the electronic storage, a content entry that is defined by a meta-channel for a particular time and that identifies a network-based video to be played at the particular time, the network-based video being made available, over a network, by multiple sources in response to user requests; identifying the multiple sources from which the network-based video is made available in response to user requests; selecting, from among the multiple sources, an initial source from which to access the network-based video; initiating a first process to access the network-based video from the initial source; monitoring progress of accessing the network-based video from the initial source, the monitoring including: computing an estimated amount of time remaining for the network-based video to be completely accessed from the initial source, determining a first amount of time remaining until the particular time at which the network-based video is scheduled to be played, determining an initial portion of the network-based video that is estimated to be available by the particular time, the initial portion of the network-based video being less than all of the network-based video, determining a second amount of time that corresponds to an amount of time needed to play the initial portion of the network-based video that is estimated to be available by the particular time, aggregating the first amount of time and the second amount of time, and determining whether the estimated time remaining for the network-based video to be completely accessed from the initial source exceeds the aggregated first amount of time and second amount of time; and in response to determining that the estimated time remaining for the network-based video to be completely accessed from the initial source exceeds the aggregated first amount of time and second amount of time: selecting, from among the multiple sources, an alternative source from which to access at least a portion of the network-based video, identifying a remaining portion of the network-based video that has not been accessed from the initial source, the remaining portion of the network-based video being less than all of the network-based video, initiating a second process to access only the remaining portion of the network-based video from the alternative source, combining an initial portion of the network-based video accessed from the initial source with the remaining portion of the network-based video accessed from the alternative source, and controlling the media device to play the network-based video at the particular time using the combined initial portion and remaining portion of the network-based video.