Multiplexed place shifting device

An automated process to be performed by a device comprising a processor, an interface to a network and a non-transitory data storage, the automated process comprising:

• simultaneously receiving a first video stream at a first fixed bitrate from a first one of the plurality of different sources and a second video stream having a second fixed bitrate from a second one of the plurality of different sources;
• transcoding the simultaneously-received first and second video streams into a single video stream that comprises imagery from the first video stream in a first portion of the combined video stream and imagery from the second video stream in a second portion of the single video stream, wherein the single video stream has a variable output bitrate that varies over time based upon an amount of bandwidth available via the network connection, and wherein the variable output bitrate is automatically adapted from the first and second fixed bitrates of the first and second video streams in real time by the media device in response to changing conditions of the network connection;
• formatting a single media stream for transmission via the network that comprises the single video stream having the variable output bitrate;
• and
• transmitting the single media stream to a remote electronic device via the network connection, wherein the remote electronic device decodes the single video stream having the variable output bitrate to simultaneously render the first and second imagery of the first and second video streams, respectively, to a viewer of the remote electronic device.

A video processing device comprising an interface to a digital network and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to perform an automated process that comprises:

• simultaneously receiving a first media stream having a first audio stream and a first video stream at a first fixed bitrate from a first one of the plurality of different sources and a second media stream having a second audio stream and a second video stream having a second fixed bitrate from a second one of the plurality of different sources;
• transcoding the simultaneously-received first and second video streams into a single video stream that comprises imagery from the first video stream in a first portion of the combined video stream and imagery from the second video stream in a second portion of the single video stream, wherein the single video stream has a variable output bitrate that varies over time based upon an amount of bandwidth available via the network connection, wherein the variable output bitrate is automatically adapted from the first and second fixed bitrates of the first and second video streams in real time by the device in response to changing conditions of the network connection;
• formatting a single media stream for transmission via the network that comprises each of the first and second audio streams and the single video stream having the variable output bitrate;
• and
• transmitting the single media stream video stream to a remote electronic device via the interface, wherein the remote electronic device decodes the single video stream having the variable output bitrate to simultaneously render the first and second imagery of the first and second video streams, respectively, to a viewer of the remote electronic device while a selected one of the first and second audio streams is rendered.