A method and system of broadcasting includes determining an identified content for a broadcast to a broadcast group that may include a plurality of devices in a service area. The method also includes determining a priority for the identified content for the plurality of devices, determining radio conditions for each of the plurality of devices in the service area; and determining an available network capacity of a network for broadcasting in the service area; determining a spectral efficiency for the broadcast to achieve a performance target, said. The method also includes performance target based on the priority for the identified content, the radio conditions and the available network capacity. The method also includes broadcasting the identified content to the plurality of devices in the service area based on the spectral efficiency for the broadcast.

The present disclosure relates to a data transmission method and apparatus, and belongs to the field of Internet technology. The method includes: determining whether a to-be-sent video data packet exists each time a preset data sending cycle is reached; if the to-be-sent video data packet does not exist, selecting at least one video data packet, a number of times the at least one video data packet has been sent satisfying a preset sending-times condition and total data volume of the at least one video data packet satisfying a preset expected data-volume condition, from sent video data packets based on a number of times each of the sent video data packets has been sent, and determining a filling data packet according to selected video data packet; and sending the filling data packet to a receiving terminal.

The present invention provides a method, a device and a computer-readable medium for a pseudo seamless switch between different video sources and belongs to a field of the Internet technology. According to the method, a device and a computer-readable medium for a pseudo seamless switch between different video sources of the present invention, when a video source needs to be switched, the Web browser first establishes a target video source playback instance; determines a synchronization duration based on a playing state of an original video source and a network state; after the synchronization duration, the Web browser switches to the target video source playback instance to achieve seamless switching between various video sources, so as to effectively avoid blocking during playback and greatly improve user experience. And the method, device and computer-readable medium for a pseudo seamless switch between different video sources of the present invention have the advantages of simple implementation, low application cost and wide application range.

A method and system for controlling implementation of dynamic content modification. The disclosure provides for using at least one steganographically-encoded timestamp in a media stream transmitted to a media client as a basis to determine a transmission delay for media-stream transmission to the media client, and for providing the determined transmission delay as a basis to facilitate control over whether to have the media client implement dynamic content modification. In addition, the disclosure provides for receiving respectively from each of various media clients a report indicating transmission delay determined for the media client based on such steganographically-encoded timestamp data, and using the transmission delays for the media clients to establish a dynamic-content-modification footprint that could be used to control whether, where, and to what extent dynamic content modification will be applied.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for generating a video stream preview. One of the methods includes receiving, from a user device, a request for a video stream preview. A payload of data is transmitted from a session system to the user device over a network. A first measure of network transmission quality is determined based on a result of transmitting the payload to the user device over the network from the session system. A second measure of network transmission quality is determined for data transmitted over the network from a session host to the session system. A video stream preview is generated from an example video stream obtained from the user device by degrading the quality of the example video stream according to the first measure of network transmission quality and the second measure of network transmission quality. The video stream preview is displayed on the user device.

There is provided a method of and apparatus for streaming data. Data segments containing audio and/or video data content are received over a network. The data segments are stored in a buffer. It is determined that the network has capacity to provide the content in the data segments at a higher quality than is currently stored in the buffer prior to playout of the data segments. A higher quality version of content of one or more data segments in the buffer that have the latest relative playout time are requested in preference to requesting a higher quality version of content of data segments that have earlier relative playout times.

Systems and methods are described for operating a group watching session. Group communication is initiated for a group watching session displaying a media content item. A bandwidth available to at least one computing device participating in the group watching session is determined. A group communication mode for a segment of the media content item is determined. A communication parameter of the group communication and/or a buffering parameter for the media content item is set in response to determining the group communication mode for the segment of the media content item and the bandwidth available to each computing device participating in the group watching session.

A method of playing video is provided. The method includes: obtaining a video loading instruction and sending a loading request to a cache server, wherein the loading request is configured to request loading data, and the loading data includes at least one segment of the video corresponding to the video loading instruction; receiving the loading data from the cache server; and playing the at least one segment according to the loading data.

The described technology is generally directed towards developing an adaptive bitrate stack (ladder) on a per-title basis. Variable bitrate encodings are used to obtain complexity information for a title and per-frames scores for the encodings; another encoding provides scene data. The complexity information is analyzed and processed based on the scene data to determine scene-based (e.g., objective and/or subjective quality) scores, which are used to determine scores for the encodings. The results are used to derive a candidate stack, comprising various resolutions and bitrates that provide desirable results. The candidate stack is evaluated by encoding the title using the candidate stack. These encodings are evaluated to select one resolution from any duplicate resolutions for a bitrate (e.g., based on relative quality), resulting in a pruned, final ladder that is associated with the title as the adaptive bitrate stack to be used for streaming that title's content.

A method includes providing a variant playlist file that identifies a plurality of variant streams each corresponding to a different encoding of a same media presentation; tracking a first set of media segments encoded at a first bitrate that correspond to a first playlist file for a first variant stream associated with the variant playlist file; responsive to a second encoded bitrate associated with a second set of media segments that correspond to a second variant stream being higher than the first encoded bitrate: determining a number of media segments to include in a plurality of media segments from the second set of media segments that correspond to the first set of media segments; and providing, to the client device, a second playlist file that identifies a plurality of media segments from the second set of media segments that correspond to respective ones of the first set of media segments.