Using user context information to select media files for a user in a distributed multi-user digital media system

摘要

In a distributed or multi-user system, it is possible for a user to try to access a media file that is not optimal for the user's purposes. In other words, the best quality version of some source material might not be the most optimal version for all users. For example, some users might use less network bandwidth if they used lower resolution video data. User context information is used to limit which versions of a source may be provided to a user that requests the source. The system interprets the user context information to provide the best quality version of the source for the user's purposes. Example user context information may include a specified working resolution and/or a specified target resolution for the user. The context information may be specified for the user or may be specified for a group of users, location of the user or other characteristic related to the user, from which the user in turn inherits the context information. User context information may include an identifier of an application being used by an individual. The user context information also may indicate whether the user may receive media files with data at resolutions higher than or lower than the specified resolutions.