Client-to-Server Streaming of Multimedia Content Using HTTP

An encoder encoded on one or more computer storage media in a computing device, comprising:

• a multimedia content file containing multimedia;
• a streaming module configured to:
• initiate a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) streaming session with a server to stream an uncertain amount of multimedia content data to the server;
• detect the presence of a firewall or proxy server for the HTTP streaming session with the server;
• set a specific multimedia content length value based on whether or not a firewall or proxy server has been detected for the HTTP streaming session with the server, wherein in the event that no firewall or proxy server is detected, the multimedia content length value is specified to be a maximum amount of multimedia content data that may be streamed to the server;
• receive a server acknowledgement containing a push identifier;
• transmit a header to begin streaming the multimedia content data to the server, the header including the push identifier and denoting the specific multimedia content length value;
• and
• stream the multimedia content data to the server.

An encoder embodied on one or more computer storage media in a client computing device, comprising:

• a multimedia content file containing multimedia;
• a streaming module configured to:
• initiate a streaming session with a server using HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to identify a specific amount of multimedia content to be streamed to the server, wherein the amount of multimedia content to be streamed cannot be determined prior to initiating the streaming session;
• determine if a firewall or proxy server receives the streaming data prior to the server receiving the streaming data, wherein in the event that no firewall or proxy server receives the streaming data prior to the server, the specific amount of multimedia content to be streamed to the server is specified to be a maximum allowable amount of multimedia content that can be identified in a streaming session and be accepted by the server;
• and
• transmit a header to begin streaming the multimedia content data to the server, the header including the push identifier and denoting the specific amount of multimedia content to be streamed to the server;
• stream the multimedia content data to the server.