Personal media broadcasting system with output buffer

摘要

A personal media broadcasting system enables video distribution over a computer network and allows a user to view and control media sources over a computer network from a remote location. A personal broadcaster receives an input from one or more types of media sources, digitizes and compresses the content, and streams the compressed media over a computer network to a media player running on any of a wide range of client devices for viewing the media. The system may allow the user to issue control commands (e.g., “channel up”) from the media player to the broadcaster, causing the source device to execute the commands. The broadcaster and the media player may employ several techniques for buffering, transmitting, and viewing the content to improve the user's experience.

主权项

1. A device that transmits a media stream to a media player via a network, the device comprising:
a buffer configured to store the media stream prior to transmission via the network; a processor configured to construct the media stream in a format suitable for storage in the buffer prior to transmission over the network, wherein the media stream is constructed from an audio/video signal using an adjustable encoding parameter having a value determined at least in part based upon an amount of free space remaining in the buffer; and a network interface for transmitting the media stream stored in the buffer to a client over a network.