Systems and methods for dynamically switching between unicast and multicast delivery of media content in a wireless network

摘要

Systems and methods for dynamically switching between unicast and multicast delivery of media content are disclosed. An exemplary method includes a user device 1) accessing, over a wireless network, a unicast stream carrying data representative of a media content program, 2) detecting, during the accessing of the unicast stream, an instruction to switch to a multicast stream carrying data representative of the media content program, and 3) switching, in response to the instruction, from the accessing of the unicast stream to accessing the multicast stream by way of the wireless network. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
accessing, by a user device over a wireless network, a unicast stream carrying data representative of a media content program; detecting, by the user device during the accessing of the unicast stream, an instruction to switch to a multicast stream carrying data representative of the media content program; switching, by the user device in response to the instruction, from the accessing of the unicast stream to accessing the multicast stream by way of the wireless network; and presenting, by the user device, the media content program for experiencing by a user of the user device, wherein the presenting of the media content program is seamless across the switching from the accessing of the unicast stream to the accessing of the multicast stream, wherein the instruction indicates a number of frames to buffer to ensure that the presenting of the media content program is seamless; and buffering, by the user device, in response to the instruction, the number of frames of the media content program indicated in the instruction.