Adaptive rate shifting for delivery of video services to service groups

A system for determining an encoding rate for an MPEG based digital video information stream comprising:

• a service quality manager server comprising a processor configured to determine an encoding rate of a digital video information stream for a customer comprising a viewer of a cable system, said processor configured to:
• a) receive a video quality service parameter from a service profile of said customer wherein said video quality service parameter indicates a level of video quality to be streamed to said customer,
• b) determine whether said customer is presently being provided with another digital video information stream in response to a previous video on-demand request, and if so, determining an associated encoding level of said another digital video information stream,
• c) determining a level of resource allocation related to bandwidth on a shared transmission medium serving said customer,
• d) determining one from a plurality of encoding rates for said viewer in response to a present request for video on-demand service,
• e) providing authorization for a VOD Server comprising a VOD Session manager to provide said digital video information stream, wherein said digital video information stream is encoded at said encoding rate, and
• f) updating said level of resource allocation commensurate with said encoding rate used to encode said MPEG based digital video information stream.