Apparatus, system, and method for multi-bitrate content streaming

A method for streaming from a set of one or more servers videos for playback on a content player on an end user station, the method comprising:

• streaming from the set of servers a selected one of the videos for playback on the content player, wherein the set of servers stores a plurality of different copies of the same selected video each encoded at a different bit rate and each divided into a plurality of streamlets that collectively store data to playback the entire video but that individually store data to playback only a portion that starts at a unique time index and whose duration is less than the entire playback duration of the selected video, wherein the time indexes of the streamlets are the same for the different copies such that the streamlets with the same time indexes from the different copies independently yield the same portions of the selected video, and wherein each of the streamlets of each of the pluralities is a separate content file that is independently playable by the end user stations, and wherein said streaming comprises:
• receiving, for a set of one or more initial and sequential ones of the time indexes, at least one streamlet request over a set of one or more network connections from a requesting one of the end user stations to retrieve the separate content files storing the portions of the single video starting at the set of time indexes from one of the different copies;
• retrieving from the storage device the requested content files with the set of time indexes from the one copy;
• sending the retrieved content files from the one copy to the requesting one of the end user stations over the set of network connections;
• receiving, for each subsequent time index, at least one streamlet request over the set of network connections from the requesting one of the end user stations to retrieve the separate content files storing the portion of the single video starting at that time index from one of the different copies currently selected, wherein the requesting one of the end user stations selects the currently selected one of the different copies dependent upon successive determinations to shift the playback quality to a higher or lower quality one of the different copies, wherein the shifts in playback quality occur at the time indexes;
• retrieving from the storage device the requested content files with the time index from the currently selected one of the different copies;
• and
• sending the retrieved content files from the currently selected one of the different copies to the requesting one of the end user stations over the set of network connections.

An apparatus for multi-bitrate video and/or audio content streaming, the apparatus comprising:

• one or more computing devices including,
• a receiving module configured to receive videos;
• a streamlet module configured to segment the received videos to generate for each a plurality of sequential raw streamlets that collectively store data to playback the entire video and that individually store data to playback only a portion that starts at a unique time index and whose duration is less than the entire duration of the corresponding video;
• an encoding module configured to encode each raw streamlet to generate, for each of said raw streamlets, a set including an encoded streamlet for each bitrate supported by the multi-bitrate content streaming, wherein each of the encoded streamlets in each of the sets is stored as a separate content file, wherein the encoded streamlets within each of the sets have the same time index as their corresponding raw streamlet such that the encoded streamlets of the same set independently yield on playback the same portion of the video, wherein the separate content files within each of the sets are independently requestable by end user stations, and wherein shifts between the different bit rates are made at the time indexes during streaming of each of the videos;
• and
• a web server to be coupled over the Internet to the end user stations to receive requests from the end user stations for different ones of the separate content files from different ones of the sets and to transmit the requested ones of the separate content files to the requesting one of the end user stations, wherein each of the end user stations initiate each of the shifts between the different bit rates during streaming of each of the videos through a request for the separate content file storing a different bit rate one of the encoded streamlets for a subsequent one of the time indexes.

A method for multi-bitrate video and/or audio content streaming, the method comprising:

• capturing a single video;
• segmenting the single video and generating a plurality of sequential raw streamlets that collectively store data to playback the entire video and that individually store data to playback only a portion that starts at a unique time index and whose duration is less than the entire duration of the corresponding video;
• encoding each raw streamlet to generate, for each of said raw streamlets, a set including an encoded streamlet for each bitrate supported by the multi-bitrate content streaming, wherein each of the encoded streamlets in each of the sets is stored as a separate content file, wherein the encoded streamlets within each of the sets have the same time index as their corresponding raw streamlet such that the encoded streamlets of the same set independently yield on playback the same portion of the single video, wherein the separate content files within each of the sets are independently requestable by end user stations, and wherein shifts between the different bit rates are made at the time indexes during streaming of the single video;
• receiving requests from the end user stations over the Internet for different ones of the separate content files from different ones of the sets;
• and
• transmitting the requested ones of the separate content files to the requesting one of the end user stations, wherein each of the end user stations initiate each of the shifts between the different bit rates during streaming of the single video through a request for the separate content file storing a different bit rate one of the encoded streamlets for a subsequent one of the time indexes.