System and method for multiscreen network digital video recording using on-demand transcoding

A device for regenerating on demand content, said device comprising one or more processors configured for:

• receiving, at a network digital video recorder in a digital video recorder system, a request to record content;
• receiving, at the network digital video recorder, the requested content in a plurality of versions, each version having a respective format and a respective resolution;
• storing, via the network digital video recorder, the requested content in the plurality of versions from the plurality of stored versions of content, identify a mezzanine content having a first format and a first resolution for retaining in storage;
• for a remaining plurality of stored versions other than the mezzanine content:
• determine at least one of a threshold of time or a comparison of costs at which to delete each of the remaining plurality of versions;
• if determining based on the threshold of time:
• determine at least one threshold in time whether to delete assets from storage, and
• based on said at least one threshold in time, delete the remaining plurality of versions based on a common time or a respective time for one or more of the plurality of versions;
• if determining based on the comparison of costs:
• determine a cost for storing each of the remaining plurality of versions over time,
• determine a cost to transcode each of the remaining plurality of versions from the mezzanine content;
• comparing the cost to store a respective one of the remaining plurality of versions to the cost to transcode from the mezzanine content,
• retain versions in storage until at least one of the threshold of time or comparison of costs has been determined;
• receiving a request for playback of the requested content to a requesting subscriber's device, the request including information related to decoding capabilities of a subscriber's device;
• determining whether the request may be fulfilled using any stored versions of the requested content having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device;
• if the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device is stored, deliver the stored version to the requesting subscriber's device;
• if the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device is not stored, regenerate from a stored version, having a respective format and resolution, the format and resolution that corresponds to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device, the regeneration occurring.