Bitrate stream selection

An apparatus comprising a processor;

• and a memory to store data used by the processor, wherein the processor is operative to:
• determine a plurality of bitrate options for downloading video content to a client device and rendering by the client device over a plurality of future successive timeslots, the video content being encoded as a plurality of bitrate streams, each one bitrate stream of the plurality of bitrate streams being encoded at a different bitrate and being associated with a media distortion value, each one bitrate option of the plurality of bitrate options including a different selection from the plurality of bitrate streams for rendering by the client device over the plurality of future successive timeslots so that the plurality of bitrate options include different combinations of the plurality of bitrate streams for rendering by the client device over the plurality of future successive timeslots, each one bitrate option of the plurality of bitrate options selecting one bitrate stream from the plurality of bitrate streams for rendering by the client device in each of the plurality of future successive timeslots such that two or more adjacent timeslots of the plurality of future successive timeslots includes a same one bitrate stream or different bitrate streams from the plurality of bitrate streams for rendering by the client device, at least one bitrate option of the plurality of bitrate options including a selection of different bitrate streams from the plurality of bitrate streams for rendering by the client device;
• and
• select one bitrate option, from the plurality of bitrate options yielding a selected bitrate option, to provide:
• a lowest media distortion result across the plurality of future successive timeslots;
• or a lowest media distortion result across the plurality of future successive timeslots subject to at least one other constraint.