Apparatus, system, and method for multi-bitrate content streaming

An end user station to stream a video over a network from a server for playback of the video, the content player device comprising:

• a processor;
• a digital processing apparatus memory device comprising non-transitory machine-readable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to:
• establish one or more network connections between the end user station and the server, wherein the server is configured to access at least one of a plurality of groups of streamlets;
• wherein the video is encoded at a plurality of different bitrates to create a plurality of streams including at least a low quality stream, a medium quality stream, and a high quality stream, each of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream comprising a group of streamlets encoded at the same respective one of the different bitrates, each group comprising at least first and second streamlets, each of the streamlets corresponding to a portion of the video;
• wherein at least one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream is encoded at a bit rate of no less than 600 kbps;
• and wherein the first streamlets of each of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream and the high quality stream each has an equal playback duration and each of the first streamlets encodes the same portion of the video at a different one of the different bitrates;
• select a specific one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream based upon a determination by the end user station to select a higher or lower bitrate version of the streams;
• place at least one virtual timeline request for at least one virtual times based on the selected one of the he low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream;
• and
• receive the at least one virtual timeline.

A process executable by one or more servers to stream a video for playback by one or more end user stations, the process comprising:

• storing, by the one or more servers, one or more virtual timelines corresponding to a plurality of streams including a low quality stream, a medium quality stream, and a high quality stream, wherein the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream each comprise a group of streamlets encoded at a respective one of a plurality of different bitrates, each group comprising at least first and second streamlets, each of the streamlets corresponding to a portion of the video;
• wherein at least one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream is encoded at a bitrate of no less than 600 kbps;
• and wherein the first streamlet of each of the groups of streamlets has the same first duration and encodes the same first portion of the video in the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream, the first streamlet of the low quality stream having a different one of the different bitrates than the first streamlet of the high quality stream and the first streamlet of the medium quality stream;
• receiving at least one virtual timeline request over one or more internet connections from the one or more end user stations to retrieve a virtual timeline correspond to the first streamlet storing the first portion of the video,
• wherein the at least one streamlet request from the one or more end user stations includes a request for a currently selected first streamlet from one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream based upon a determination by the end user station to select a higher or lower bitrate version of the video;
• retrieving from the storage device the requested virtual timeline for the currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream;
• and
• sending the retrieved virtual timeline to the requesting one of the end user stations over the one or more network connections.

A process executable by a content player device to stream a video over a network from a server for playback of the video by the content player device, the process comprising:

• establishing one or more network connections between the content player device and the server,
• wherein the server accesses a plurality of streams including a low quality stream, a medium quality stream, and a high quality stream, wherein the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream each comprise a group of streamlets encoded at a respective one of a plurality of different bitrates, each group comprising at least first and second streamlets, each of the streamlets corresponding to a portion of the video;
• wherein at least one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream is encoded at a bitrate of no less than 600 kbps;
• and
• wherein the first streamlet of each of the groups of streamlets has the same first duration and encodes the same first portion of the video in the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream, the first streamlet of the low quality stream having a different bitrate than the first streamlet of the high quality stream and the first streamlet of the medium quality stream;
• selecting, by the content player device, a currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream based upon a determination by the end user station to select a higher or lower bitrate version of the video;
• placing a virtual time request over one or more internet connections from the one or more end user stations to retrieve at least one virtual timeline corresponding to the currently selected one of the low quality stream, the medium quality stream, and the high quality stream;
• and
• receiving the requested virtual timeline from the server via the one or more network connections.