This patent disclosure provides various embodiments of a client-server based digital video playback system and technique. In one aspect, a process for playing internet/online videos on a user device is disclosed. This process can begin by sending a video playback request for playing an online video to the server, wherein the video playback request includes a device type and a browser type of the user device. Next, the process receives a set of video playback addresses and a set of video playback configuration files from the server, wherein the set of video playback addresses and the set of video playback configuration files are generated based on the device type and the browser type. The process subsequently selects a video playback address from the set of video playback addresses corresponding to a transcoded version of the online video that matches a device version and a browser version of the user device. The process next obtains the transcoded version of the online video from the selected video playback address, and plays the obtained video on the user device.

Methods, apparatus, systems, storage media, etc., to perform media monitoring for mobile platforms using messaging associated with adaptive bitrate streaming are disclosed. An example media platform disclosed herein is to detect an outgoing message to be sent by the mobile platform to stream media in accordance with an online streaming protocol, and associate resource identifier information included in the outgoing message with a time value. The disclosed example media platform is also to transmit the outgoing message to a first server to cause the media to be streamed to the mobile platform, and transmit the resource identifier information and the time value to a second server different from the first server to cause a media impression associated with the mobile platform to be monitored.

A server resource provides notification to subscribers in a respective network environment that the content is available for retrieval at a particular bit rate (e.g., a promotional bit rate) or particular level of quality (e.g., promotional level of quality) amongst multiple levels of quality for a limited duration of time. For example, an especially high level of quality (or bit rate) of the content may be available only for the limited duration of time. After making the especially high level of quality of content available for retrieval during a promotional period, the content may be subsequently available for retrieval only at lower levels of quality. Accordingly, one or more configurations as discussed herein include changing the ability to access content encoded at different levels of quality over time.

Methods, apparatus, systems and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein to identify media presentation by analyzing network traffic. Example instructions cause a machine to generate a traffic profile to reduce a computational burden of identifying streaming media being presented on a media presentation device, the traffic profile including first network traffic data indicative of the streaming media; obtain the traffic profile and second network traffic data corresponding to the streaming media; and generate, in response to a score for the second network traffic data meeting a threshold of similarity, a network traffic analysis report identifying the streaming media being presented on the media presentation device.

A computer-implemented includes streaming a first segment of multimedia data to a buffer on a first computing device at a first bitrate, wherein the first segment includes a first set of video frames encoded at a first resolution. The computer-implemented method further includes streaming a second segment of the multimedia data to the buffer on the first computing device at a second bitrate, wherein the second segment includes a second set of video frames encoded at a second resolution. The computer-implemented method further includes determining that a first predetermined threshold is reached. The computer-implemented method further includes streaming, in response to determining that the first predetermined threshold is reached, a third segment of multimedia data to the buffer on the first computing device, wherein the third segment includes a first set of pixels that are logically related to the second set of video frames of the second segment.

An information processing device (10, 10A) includes a band requesting unit (162, 162A), an adjusting unit (164, 164A), and a transmitting unit (140). The band requesting unit (162, 162A) requests, according to a bandwidth necessary for transmitting information including a moving image, a use reservation of the bandwidth. The adjusting unit (164, 164A) adjusts, according to a result of the request by the band requesting unit and a reserved bandwidth, an information amount of information to be transmitted. The transmitting unit (140) converts the information with the adjusted information amount into a transmission signal and transmits the transmission signal.

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for improved content scoring and delivery are described. A quality score for delivered content may be determined based on one or more output metrics. A first quality score may be provided to a content distribution network. The content distribution network may instruct the user device, or the user device may determine without receiving such an instruction, of methods/processes by which it may improve the one or more output metrics associated with output of the delivered content by adjusting one or more output parameters. The first quality score may also be used by the content distribution network to determine methods/processes by which network-related parameters and constraints may be managed in order to improve the quality of delivered content.

Systems and methods are described herein for streaming during unavailability of a content server. Upon determining that there are conditions indicating buffering issues during delivery of a media asset, a server determines a first group of devices suitable for receiving the media asset from the server and sharing the media asset on a peer-to-peer network. Then, the server determines a second group of devices suitable for receiving the media asset on a peer-to-peer network from a first group device. The server then determines groupings within which to share and receive the media asset. Next, the server transmits instructions to the devices in the first group to maintain in buffer and share certain portions of the media asset with the second group devices within their grouping. Finally, the server updates information detailing the media asset portions the devices are maintaining in buffer and sharing.

Systems and methods are described herein for transmitting a content item to a user device using multiple delivery protocols. The system receives, at a content source, a request for the content item from the user device. The system splits a digital stream of the content item into a first video signal and a second video signal. The system then transmits, via a unicast server, the first video signal for the content item to the user device, and transmits, via a multicast server, the second video signal for the content item to the user device. The system then causes for presentation on the user device the first video signal followed by the second video signal. In other embodiments, the system is optimized between the unicast delivery of a content item and a peer-to-peer delivery.

A video encoding method of a cloud game is provided. Network bandwidth information of a video playback terminal is determined. Decoding computing power information of the video playback terminal is determined. At least one encoding parameter of a video of the cloud game is dynamically adjusted based on (i) the network bandwidth information and (ii) the decoding computing power information. The network bandwidth information and the decoding computing power information indicate a playback environment of the video of the cloud game. The video of the cloud game is encoded based on the at least one encoding parameter.