System and method for multicasting multimedia content

An apparatus that transmits content organized into channels, wherein a channel's content includes a plurality of URL data items and each URL data item is addressed by a URL, the apparatus comprising:

• means for scheduling the assembling of a channel's content;
• means for assembling the channel's content;
• means for compressing a subset of the URL data items, wherein each URL data item is compressed individually independent of other URL data items such that each compressed URL data item can be decompressed without decompressing other URL data items;
• means for fragmenting the channel's content into packets;
• means for multicasting the packets;
• wherein said means for assembling the channel's content comprises (a) means for assembling a base package of the channel's content, wherein the base package contains each URL data item in the channel, and (b) means for assembling a delta package of the channel's content, wherein the delta package contains URL data items which have changed or are new since the previous assembling of the base package;
• and
• wherein said means for assembling a delta package comprises means for difference compressing a subset of the URL data items in a channel's content which is present in both the delta package and the previous base package.

An apparatus that transmits content organized into channels, wherein a channel's content includes a plurality of URL data items and each URL data item is addressed by a URL, the apparatus comprising:

• means for assembling a base package of a channel's content, wherein the base package contains each URL data item in the channel;
• means for multicasting the base package to a plurality of receivers;
• means for assembling a delta package of a channel's content, wherein the delta package contains URL data items which have changed or are new since the previous assembling of the base package;
• and
• means for multicasting the delta package to the plurality of receivers,
• wherein said means for assembling a delta package comprises means for difference compressing a subset of the URL data items that are present in both the delta package and the previous base package.

A method for transmitting content organized into channels, wherein a channel's content includes a plurality of URL data items and each URL data item is addressed by a URL, the method comprising the steps of:

• scheduling the assembling of a channel's content;
• assembling the channel's content according to the schedule;
• compressing a subset of the URL data items, wherein each URL data item is compressed individually independent of other URL data items such that each compressed URL data item can be decompressed without decompressing other URL data items;
• fragmenting the channel's content into packets;
• multicasting the packets via a multicast network to a plurality of receivers;
• wherein the step of assembling the channel's content comprises (a) assembling a base package of the channel's content, wherein the base package contains each URL data item in the channel, and (b) assembling a delta package of the channel's content, wherein the delta package contains URL data items which have changed or are new since the previous assembling of the base package, and
• wherein said step of assembling the delta package comprises the step of difference compressing a subset of the URL data items in a channel's content which is present in both the delta package and the previous base package.

A method for transmitting content organized into channels, wherein a channel's content includes a plurality of URL data items and each URL data item is addressed by a URL, the system comprising:

• assembling a base package of a channel's content, wherein the base package contains each URL data item in the channel;
• multicasting the base package to a plurality of receivers;
• assembling a delta package of a channel's content, wherein the delta package contains URL data items which have changed or are new since the previous assembling of the base package;
• and
• multicasting the delta package to the plurality of receivers,
• wherein said step of assembling a delta package comprises difference compressing a subset of the URL data items which are present in both the delta package and the previous base package.

A receiver for receiving from a multicast network content organized into channels, wherein a channel's content includes a plurality of URL data items and each URL data item is addressed by a URL, and wherein the multicast network transmits the channel's content to the receiver in packets, the receiver comprising:

• means for determining a multicast address used to carry a channel's packets;
• means for enabling reception of packets containing a channel's multicast address;
• means for receiving the packets containing a channel's multicast address;
• means for assembling the received packets into a channel's content;
• means for storing the channel's content as one file or a number of files less than the total number of URL data items in the channel;
• and
• means for allowing a user to access the stored channel's content.

A receiver for receiving from a multicast network content organized into channels, wherein a channel's content includes a plurality of URL data items and each URL data item is addressed by a URL, and wherein the multicast network transmits the channel's content to the receiver in packets, the receiver comprising:

• means for determining a multicast address used to carry a channel's packets;
• means for enabling reception of packets containing a channel's multicast address;
• means for receiving the packets containing a channel's multicast address;
• means for assembling the received packets into a channel's content;
• means for storing the channel's content as one file or a number of files less than the total number of URL data items in the channel;
• means for allowing a user to access the stored channel's content;
• and
• means for individually decompressing each compressed URL data item in the stored channel content at a time when the user accesses the URL data item.

A receiver in a multicast system, comprising:

• a package receiver for receiving packets containing URL data items from a multicast network and assembling the received packets into a channel, wherein the channel comprises a set of URL data items;
• a memory for storing the channel as one file or a number of files less than the total number of URL data items in the channel;
• and
• a content viewer for allowing a user to request access to and access the URL data items in the stored channel.