Apparatus and method for managing media distribution
AssigneeAT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
InventorsTroy Meuninck, Ke Yu
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to maintain a delivery session with a set top box for streaming of media content thereto where the media content is multiple content from a plurality of media sources, maintain retrieval sessions for each of the plurality of media sources where the controller switches between the retrieval sessions to obtain the media content while maintaining the delivery session, and temporarily store the media content in a buffer for the streaming to the set top box using the delivery session. Other embodiments are disclosed.
Claims25
A computer-readable storage medium of a network management server, the storage medium comprising computer instructions for:
- monitoring for a request for media content to be delivered to a set top box, the media content comprising multiple content from a plurality of media sources;
- establishing a delivery session with the set top box for delivery of the media content;
- establishing a first retrieval session with a first media source of the plurality of media sources;
- obtaining a first portion of the media content from the first media source using the first retrieval session;
- providing the first portion of the media content to a circular buffer;
- streaming the first portion of the media content to the set top box from the circular buffer using the delivery session;
- establishing a second retrieval session with a second media source of the plurality of media sources;
- obtaining a second portion of the media content from the second media source using the second retrieval session;
- and
- providing the second portion of the media content to the circular buffer.
A server comprising a controller to:
- establish a delivery session with a set top box for streaming of media content thereto, wherein the media content comprises multiple content from a plurality of media sources;
- obtain the media content from the plurality of media sources by switching retrieval sessions with each of the plurality of media sources while maintaining the delivery session;
- and
- provide the media content to a circular buffer for the streaming to the set top box using the delivery session.
A network element comprising a controller to:
- maintain a delivery session with a set top box for streaming of media content thereto, wherein the media content comprises multiple content from a plurality of media sources;
- maintain retrieval sessions for each of the plurality of media sources, wherein the controller switches between the retrieval sessions to obtain the media content while maintaining the delivery session;
- and
- temporarily store the media content in a buffer for the streaming to the set top box using the delivery session.
A media source comprising a controller to provide a first retrieval session with a server, the controller transmitting a first media content of multiple media content during the first retrieval session, wherein a delivery session is established between a set top box and the server for streaming of the multiple media content, wherein a second media content of the multiple media content is obtained by the server from another media source during a second retrieval session, wherein the first media content is obtained by switching between the first and second retrieval sessions while the server maintains the delivery session, and wherein the first media content is provided to a buffer for streaming to the set top box using the delivery session.
A method, comprising:
- establishing a delivery session with a set top box for delivery of media content, the media content comprising multiple content from a plurality of media sources;
- establishing a first retrieval session with a first media source of the plurality of media sources;
- obtaining a first portion of the media content from the first media source using the first retrieval session;
- providing the first portion of the media content to a buffer;
- streaming the first portion of the media content to the set top box from the buffer using the delivery session;
- establishing a second retrieval session with a second media source of the plurality of media sources;
- obtaining a second portion of the media content from the second media source using the second retrieval session;
- providing the second portion of the media content to the buffer;
- and
- streaming the second portion of the media content to the set top box from the buffer using the delivery session.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.