Method and apparatus for streaming media content to client devices

摘要

A method and apparatus for providing streamed media to client devices includes providing, for a client device, a variant playlist file that identifies a plurality of variant streams each corresponding to a different encoding of the same presentation but each presenting the same content having the same duration; and receiving, from the client device, a first request to provide a first set of identifiers that directs the first client device to a first set of media segments from a first variant stream of the plurality of variant streams in the variant playlist file, wherein the first set of media segments corresponds to a first encoding. The method further includes, responsive to the first request, providing a second set of identifiers that directs the client device to a second set of media segments, which corresponds to a second encoding, to use in downloading a first portion of the content.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
providing, by a computer server comprising a processor coupled to a memory, to a first client device of a plurality of client devices, a playlist file that identifies a plurality of variant streams corresponding to different respective encodings of a presentation of a same media content having a same duration; receiving, by the computer server, from the first client device, a first request to provide a first set of identifiers that identifies a first set of media segments from a first variant stream of the plurality of variant streams in the playlist file, wherein the first set of media segments corresponds to a first encoding of the presentation; responsive to the first request, providing, by the computer server, a second set of identifiers that identifies a second set of media segments from a second variant stream that is not identified in the playlist file, wherein the second set of media segments corresponds to a second encoding of the presentation, wherein the first client device is configured to use the second set of media segments in downloading a first portion of the media content of the presentation; and responsive to the second set of media segments not identified in the playlist file:
identifying, by the computer server, current state of the first client device based on at least one of a plurality of criteria describing various aspects of the first client device;dynamically creating, by the computer server, a playlist comprising the second set of media segments based on the current state of the first client device;populating, by the computer server, the created playlist with corresponding uniform resource locators and metadata associated with each of the second set of media segments; andproviding, by the computer server, the dynamically created playlist to the first client device.