System and method for adaptive streaming management

A system for adaptive streaming management, comprising:

• at least one media gateway appliance adapted to receive streaming content from a broadband network;
• at least one memory configured to store a resolution playlist of content available for streaming via the media gateway appliance, wherein said resolution playlist indicates a particular resolution or resolutions at which each particular streamed content is available;
• a plurality of client devices receiving streaming content from the media gateway appliance;
• and
• at least one processor configured to:
• determine the maximum streaming rate at which the at least one gateway appliance can receive streaming broadband content from the broadband network;
• determine the streaming rate at which streaming content is being delivered to each of the client devices from the media gateway appliance;
• compute the rate of additional streaming that the broadband network can support based, at least in part, upon the determination of the maximum streaming rate at which the at least one gateway appliance can receive broadband content and an aggregate streaming rate of the streaming content provided to the plurality of client devices;
• and
• terminate a stream of particular streamed content delivered to at least one of the plurality of client devices by the at least one media gateway appliance and establish a new stream of the particular streamed content at an available lower resolution based on at least the computed rate of additional streaming that the broadband network can support, the at least one resolution playlist, and a request to deliver streaming content to an additional client device.

A method for adaptive streaming management, in a system comprising:

• at least one media gateway appliance configured to receive streaming content from a broadband network;
• at least one memory configured to store a resolution playlist of content available for streaming via the media gateway appliance, wherein said resolution playlist indicates a particular resolution or resolutions at which each particular streamed content is available;
• and
• a plurality of client devices receiving streaming content from the media gateway appliance;
• the method comprising the steps of:
• determining the maximum streaming rate at which the at least one gateway appliance can receive streaming broadband content from the broadband network;
• determining the streaming rate at which streaming content is being delivered to each of the client devices from the media gateway appliance;
• computing the rate of additional streaming that the broadband network can support based upon at least the determined maximum streaming rate at which the at least one gateway appliance can receive broadband content and an aggregate streaming rate of the streaming content provided to the plurality of client devices;
• receiving a request from an additional client device to stream desired content at a particular streaming rate, which is unavailable via a lower resolution stream;
• determining that the particular streaming rate exceeds the computed rate of additional streaming that the broadband network can support,
• identifying a particular streamed content from the streaming content received by the plurality of client devices that is available via lower resolution streams by querying the resolution playlist, stored in the at least one memory;
• and
• terminating the stream of the identified particular streamed content and establish a new stream of the identified particular streamed content at the available lower resolution.

A method for adaptive streaming management, in a system comprising:

• at least one media gateway appliance adapted to receive streaming content from a broadband network;
• at least one memory configured to store a resolution playlist of content available for streaming via the media gateway appliance, wherein said resolution playlist indicates a particular resolution or resolutions at which each particular streamed content is available;
• a plurality of client devices receiving streaming content from the media gateway appliance;
• the method comprising the steps of:
• determining the maximum streaming rate at which the at least one gateway appliance can receive streaming broadband content from the broadband network;
• determining the streaming rate at which streaming content is being delivered to each of the client devices from the media gateway appliance;
• computing the rate of additional streaming that the broadband network can support based, at least in part, upon the determination of the maximum streaming rate at which the at least one gateway appliance can receive broadband content and an aggregate streaming rate of the streaming content provided to the plurality of client devices;
• and
• terminating a stream of particular streamed content delivered to at least one of the plurality of client devices by the at least one media gateway appliance and establish a new stream of the particular streamed content at an available lower resolution based on at least the computed rate of additional streaming that the broadband network can support, the at least one resolution playlist, and a request to deliver streaming content to an additional client device.