Media Article Adaptation to Client Device

A method of serving content from a content server to a client device, the client device having a decoder for decoding the content, the decoder having a reading rate, the method, performed on a server, comprising:

• receiving a request for content from the client device, wherein the content comprises at least video and the request comprises at least one content identifier and instructions corresponding to the at least one content identifier, the instructions further comprising a content transformation instruction;
• determining a reading rate of the client, comprising:
• transmitting a first portion of the requested content from the server to the client at a default sending rate;
• and
• monitoring a reception rate of the first portion at the client;
• storing a reading rate for a client host domain;
• altering a sending rate for the requested content from the server to the client to substantially correct for the difference between the reading rate of the client and the default sending rate, wherein altering remaining portions of the content comprises selectively adding or removing frames from an original frame count for the content to produce an altered frame count in response to the request, the altered frame count determined by the product of the original frame count and the reading rate divided by the sending rate;
• transmitting at least a portion of the altered content to the client;
• and
• wherein a remaining portion of the content is capable of being served prior to formation of the requested content as a whole.

A computer program product for serving content from a content server to a client device, the client device having a decoder for decoding the content, the decoder having a reading rate, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable medium;
• and
• computer program code, coded on the medium, for:
• receiving a request for content from the client device;
• determining a reading rate of the client;
• altering a sending rate for the requested content from the server to the client to substantially correct for the difference between the reading rate of the client and a default sending rate;
• and
• transmitting at least a portion of the altered content to the client.

A system for serving content from a content server to a client device, the client device having a decoder for decoding the content, the decoder having a reading rate, the system comprising:

• means for receiving a request for content from the client device;
• means for determining a reading rate of the client;
• means for altering a sending rate for the requested content from the server to the client to substantially correct for the difference between the reading rate of the client and a default sending rate;
• and
• means for transmitting at least a portion of the altered content to the client.