System and method for multiscreen network digital video recording using on-demand transcoding

A method comprising:

• receiving, at a network digital video recorder in a digital video recorder system, a request to record content;
• receiving, at the network digital video recorder, the requested content in a plurality of versions, each version having a respective format and a respective resolution;
• storing, via the network digital video recorder, the requested content in the plurality of versions
• from the plurality of stored versions of content, identify a mezzanine content having a first format and a first resolution for retaining in storage;
• for a remaining plurality of stored versions other than the mezzanine content:
• determine at least one criterion related to at least one of a threshold of time or a comparison of costs at which to delete each of the remaining plurality of stored versions;
• if determining based on the threshold of time:
• determine at least one threshold in time whether to delete assets from storage, and
• based on said at least one threshold in time, delete the remaining plurality of versions based on a common time or a respective time for one or more of the plurality of versions;
• if determining based on the comparison of costs:
• determine a cost for storing each of the remaining plurality of versions over time,
• determine a cost to transcode each of the remaining plurality of versions from the mezzanine content;
• comparing the cost to store a respective one of the remaining plurality of versions to the cost to transcode from the mezzanine content,
• retain one or more versions of the remaining plurality of stored versions in storage until the at least one of the threshold of time or comparison of costs criterion has been determined met;
• receiving a request for playback of the requested content to a requesting subscriber's device, the request including information related to decoding capabilities of a subscriber's device;
• determining whether the request may be fulfilled using any stored versions of the plurality of stored versions of the requested content having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device;
• if the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device is stored, deliver the stored version to the requesting subscriber's device;
• if the version having a format and resolution corresponding to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device is not stored, regenerate from a stored version of the plurality of stored versions, having a respective format and resolution, the format and resolution that corresponds to the decoding capabilities of the subscriber's device, the regeneration occurring on demand via an on demand transcoder in the network digital video recorder.