Method and apparatus to efficiently smooth adaptive content playback in HTTP live streaming

A real-time transcoding method to provide content by a server to a user, comprising:

• initiating a transcoding session from the server to the user;
• providing playlist files with a current user-supported profile to the server;
• setting a current session bitrate profile based on the current user-supported profile;
• identifying one or more transcoder units as primary and standby transcoder units;
• frame-aligning chunks of the primary and standby transcoder units;
• choosing one of variants of the chunks and discarding other ones of the chunks based on a recent measurement of bandwidth congestion;
• setting a bitrate profile of the one or more standby transcoder units at a lower bitrate than the primary transcoder unit's current session bitrate profile;
• wherein when the current session bitrate profile is at a lowest bitrate profile, the method comprises:
• not using the one or more standby transcoder units;
• and
• shutting down the standby transcoder units from current operation and continuing operation with only the primary transcoder unit.