System and monitoring of video quality adaptation

A method of video quality adaptation, the method comprising:

• acquiring video data having a first playback speed and a first resolution, based on a first bitrate;
• determining an available bandwidth on a communications network, the available bandwidth corresponding to a second bitrate that is less than the first bitrate, wherein the second bitrate is the current maximum bitrate the available bandwidth allows;
• calculating a second playback speed that would enable the video data to stream over the communications network at a third bitrate that is less than the second bitrate and play at the first resolution;
• encoding the video data to play at the second playback speed and the first resolution;
• streaming at the third bitrate, over the communications network, the video data encoded to play at the second playback speed and the first resolution;
• and
• utilizing the remaining available bandwidth to stream additional video data at the first playback speed and the first resolution such that the additional video data creates a buffer of video data, such that at a later time the video data played will be the buffered video data that is encoded at the first playback speed and the first resolution.

A video streaming system with video quality adaptation, the system comprising:

• a computer readable medium upon which video data to be streamed is stored, the video data having a first playback speed and a first resolution, based on a first bitrate;
• a remote video player programmed to present streaming video data received across a communications network;
• a bandwidth monitor programmed to determine an available bandwidth across the communications network;
• a processor programmed to
• acquire the video data from the computer readable medium,
• receive, from the bandwidth monitor, a second bitrate characterizing the available bandwidth, wherein the second bitrate is the current maximum bitrate the available bandwidth allows,
• calculate a second playback speed that would enable the video data to stream over the communications network at a third bitrate that is less than the second bitrate and play at the first resolution,
• decode the video data,
• encode the video data to play at the second playback speed and the first resolution,
• stream at the third bitrate, over the communications network to the remote video player, the video data encoded to play at the second playback speed and the first resolution;
• and
• utilize the remaining available bandwidth to stream additional video data to the remote video player at the first playback speed and the first resolution such that the additional video data creates a buffer of video data, such that at a later time the video data played will be the buffered video data that is encoded at the first playback speed and the first resolution.