Digital data streaming using server driven adaptive bitrate

A computer system, comprising:

• one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions;
• and
• one or more processors coupled to the storage media, the one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to:
• transcode a first portion of a media file into a first transcoded media segment;
• provide the first transcoded media segment to a client computing device;
• in response to determining that a second portion of the media file is to be transcoded to a media segment, transcode the second portion of the media file to the second transcoded media segment of the second quality;
• provide the second transcoded media segment to the client computing device;
• determine, at the transcoding server computer, a buffering threshold, wherein the buffering threshold corresponds at least in part to a buffer capacity of the client computing device;
• receive, from the client computing device, first playback data identifying a first playback timestamp;
• determine that a first difference between a transcoded amount of the media file sent to the client computing device and the first playback timestamp exceeds the buffering threshold;
• receive, from the client computing device, second playback data identifying a second playback timestamp;
• and
• in response to determining that a second difference between the transcoded amount of the media file sent to the client computing device and the second playback timestamp does not exceed the buffering threshold, transcode a third portion of the media file into a third transcoded media segment.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to:

• transcode a first portion of a media file into a first transcoded media segment;
• provide the first transcoded media segment to a client computing device;
• in response to determining that a second portion of the media file is to be transcoded to a media segment, transcode the second portion of the media file to the second transcoded media segment of the second quality;
• provide the second transcoded media segment to the client computing device;
• determine, at the transcoding server computer, a buffering threshold, wherein the buffering threshold corresponds at least in part to a buffer capacity of the client computing device;
• receive, from the client computing device, first playback data identifying a first playback timestamp;
• determine that a first difference between a transcoded amount of the media file sent to the client computing device and the first playback timestamp exceeds the buffering threshold;
• receive, from the client computing device, second playback data identifying a second playback timestamp;
• and
• in response to determining that a second difference between the transcoded amount of the media file sent to the client computing device and the second playback timestamp does not exceed the buffering threshold, transcode a third portion of the media file into a third transcoded media segment.