On-demand selection of transcoding formats for multimedia broadcast streams

A computing system for transcoding streaming multimedia items, the computing system comprising:

• a streaming component comprising a first network interface coupled to a network and configured to receive a plurality of streaming multimedia items in a first format from a plurality of broadcasters, wherein one or more streaming multimedia items is received from each broadcaster;
• a transcoding component comprising a first processor and a first memory coupled to the first processor, the first processor configured to execute instructions to transcode the streaming multimedia items into a second format, the second format differing from the first format in at least one multimedia setting, the transcoding component further configured to stop the transcoding of the streaming multimedia items responsive to satisfying a stop condition on the computing system;
• a packetizing component configured to packetize the transcoded streaming multimedia items into multimedia packets of a predetermined length;
• and
• a request processing component comprising a second network interface, a second processor, and a second memory, the second memory coupled to the second processor, the second processor configured to:
• execute instructions to receive requests from a plurality of remote user devices for the streaming multimedia items via the second network interface,
• wait another predetermined length of time before sending the multimedia packets to the remote user devices,
• send a multimedia stream or a series of multimedia streams other than the transcoded stream to the remote user devices during the other predetermined length of time, and
• transfer the multimedia packets to the plurality of requesting remote user devices over a network via the second network interface, the transcoded streaming multimedia items in the multimedia packets capable of being reproduced on the plurality of remote user devices, the stop condition for a streaming multimedia item satisfied when the computing device detects that no remote users have been receiving the transcoded streaming multimedia item for a predetermined length of time.

A non-transitory computer readable medium configured to store instructions, the instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

• receive a plurality of streaming multimedia items in a first format from a plurality of broadcasters, wherein one or more streaming multimedia items is received from each broadcaster;
• for each of the received streaming multimedia items:
• receive requests from a plurality of remote user devices for each of the streaming multimedia items;
• responsive to detecting that one or more of the requesting remote user devices is not capable of reproducing each of the streaming multimedia items in the first format, transcode each of the streaming multimedia items into a second format, the second format differing from the first format in at least one multimedia setting;
• packetize each of the transcoded streaming multimedia items into multimedia packets of a predetermined length;
• wait another predetermined length of time before sending the multimedia packets to the remote user devices;
• send a multimedia stream or a series of multimedia streams other than the transcoded stream to the remote user devices during the other predetermined length of time;
• transfer the multimedia packets to the plurality of requesting remote user devices over a network, each of the transcoded streaming multimedia items in the multimedia packets capable of being reproduced on the plurality of remote user devices;
• and
• stop the transcoding of each of the streaming multimedia items responsive to satisfying a stop condition on the computing device, the stop condition comprising detecting that no remote users have been receiving each of the transcoded streaming multimedia items for at least a predetermined length of time.