Video data streamer for simultaneously conveying same one or different ones of data blocks stored in storage node to each of plurality of communication nodes

A media streamer, comprising:

• at least one storage node comprising mass storage for storing a digital representation of at least one video presentation, said mass storage being comprised of a plurality of mass storage units, said at least one video presentation requiring a time T to present in its entirety, and stored as a plurality of N data blocks, each data block storing data corresponding to approximately a T/N period of said video presentation;
• switch means coupled to said at least one storage node;
• a plurality of communication nodes each having at least one input port that is coupled via said switch means to an output of said at least one storage node for receiving and buffering a digital representation in a form of data blocks of a video presentation therefrom, each of said plurality of communication nodes further having a plurality of output ports, individual ones of which transmit an isochronous digital representation as a data stream to a consumer of the digital representation;
• wherein
• said N data blocks of said digital representation are partitioned into X stripes, wherein data blocks 1, X+1, 2*X+1, . . . etc., are associated with a first one of the X stripes, data blocks 2, X+2, 2*X+2, . . . etc., are associated with a second one of the X stripes, etc., and wherein individual ones of said X stripes are each stored on a different one of said plurality of mass storage units;
• and
• control means for operating said switch means in accord with consumer inputs to provide said data blocks to selected ones of said communication nodes, wherein said X stripes are read out in such a manner as to enable a plurality of data streams to simultaneously convey a same one or different ones of said N data blocks to each of a plurality of communication nodes.