Systems and methods for selecting a data delivery network are disclosed. The methods comprise requesting multimedia content delivery, the request comprising an indication of available bandwidth, receiving an indication of an expected performance threshold of a multimedia content item associated with the request for multimedia content, determining a fetch time for the multimedia content item to be delivered from a first data delivery network, and, in response to the fetch time being above the expected performance threshold, selecting a second data delivery network to deliver the multimedia content item.

Systems and methods for selecting a data delivery network are disclosed. The methods comprise requesting multimedia content delivery, the request comprising an indication of available bandwidth, receiving an indication of an expected performance threshold of a multimedia content item associated with the request for multimedia content, determining a fetch time for the multimedia content item to be delivered from a first data delivery network, and, in response to the fetch time being above the expected performance threshold, selecting a second data delivery network to deliver the multimedia content item.

A method of controlling, from a user device, a manner in which program content is received from a content server. The method includes: transmitting, from the user device, at least one transmission-quality-of-service (TXQ) parameter to the content server, wherein the at least one TXQ parameter updates a default TXQ parameter at the content server; and in response to transmitting the at least one TXQ parameter, receiving new program content in accordance with the at least one TXQ parameter.

A method of controlling, from a user device, a manner in which program content is received from a content server. The method includes: transmitting, from the user device, at least one transmission-quality-of-service (TXQ) parameter to the content server, wherein the at least one TXQ parameter updates a default TXQ parameter at the content server; and in response to transmitting the at least one TXQ parameter, receiving new program content in accordance with the at least one TXQ parameter.

A statistical multiplexer is provided with a series of encoders that encode media streams at different bitrates to reduce jitter. The encoded media streams are transmitted to a multiplexer over a network and experience jitter that is reduced by a de-jitter arrangement. The multiplexer rearranges a transmit time of select packets in select ones of the media streams received over the network when a total group bandwidth available on the transmission channel over which the multiplexed media stream is to be transmitted is less than a sum of the bandwidths of the media streams because of the jitter and de-jitter process experienced by the media streams. The rearranging causes the bandwidth of the multiplexed media stream to be no greater than the total group bandwidth of the transmission channel without exceeding a maximum bit rate at which each individual encoded media stream is configured.

A statistical multiplexer is provided with a series of encoders that encode media streams at different bitrates to reduce jitter. The encoded media streams are transmitted to a multiplexer over a network and experience jitter that is reduced by a de-jitter arrangement. The multiplexer rearranges a transmit time of select packets in select ones of the media streams received over the network when a total group bandwidth available on the transmission channel over which the multiplexed media stream is to be transmitted is less than a sum of the bandwidths of the media streams because of the jitter and de-jitter process experienced by the media streams. The rearranging causes the bandwidth of the multiplexed media stream to be no greater than the total group bandwidth of the transmission channel without exceeding a maximum bit rate at which each individual encoded media stream is configured.

The method comprises:—receiving, at a rendering system (101), from a plurality user devices (102-1,102-2,102-3), a plurality of cast requests over a home network (110) for casting data from a cast device (106) communicatively coupled to a first network (108) and a third network (120), onto a plurality display devices (130-1, 130-2, 130-3) communicatively coupled to the home network (110);—transmitting the cast request over a second network (114) to a casting system (104), wherein the casting system (104) is coupled with the cast device (106) through the third network (120);—receiving, in response to transmitting, from the casting system (104) and over a dedicated network (115), the requested data, wherein the data is provided to the casting system (104) by the cast device (106) and the data is obtained by the cast device (106) over the first network (108) and wherein the data over the dedicated network (115) are transmitting at a dynamically changing transfer rate and wherein the dynamically changing transfer is based on a real time available bandwidth of the dedicated network (115).

The method comprises:—receiving, at a rendering system (101), from a plurality user devices (102-1,102-2,102-3), a plurality of cast requests over a home network (110) for casting data from a cast device (106) communicatively coupled to a first network (108) and a third network (120), onto a plurality display devices (130-1, 130-2, 130-3) communicatively coupled to the home network (110);—transmitting the cast request over a second network (114) to a casting system (104), wherein the casting system (104) is coupled with the cast device (106) through the third network (120);—receiving, in response to transmitting, from the casting system (104) and over a dedicated network (115), the requested data, wherein the data is provided to the casting system (104) by the cast device (106) and the data is obtained by the cast device (106) over the first network (108) and wherein the data over the dedicated network (115) are transmitting at a dynamically changing transfer rate and wherein the dynamically changing transfer is based on a real time available bandwidth of the dedicated network (115).

A software rational resampler is located in an audio buffer path to correct clock differences between a sender and a receiver. Counters track the frames into an audio buffer from the sender and the frames removed from an audio buffer by the receiver. A change in the difference between the sender frame counter and the receiver frame counter is detected and used as a triggering event to initiate changing the parameters of the software rational resampler. The software rational resampler parameters may be saved so that if audio is received from the same source, the software rational resampler is configured on system startup.

The present invention relates to a method for playing on a player of a client device (11) a content streamed in a network (1), said content consisting of a sequence of segments available in a plurality of quality levels, the player being configured so as to choose the quality level of the segments as a function of at least one parameter representative of a segment reception rate, according to an Adaptive BitRate, ABR, logic of the player; the client device (11) comprising a first buffer (M1) for storing segments in a format adapted for transferring within the network (1), the method being characterized in that it comprises performing by a processing unit (110) of the client device (11):

(a) receiving from the player a request for a current segment at a first quality level;

(b) estimating, fora second quality level, an optimal response delay such that providing the requested current segment at the expiration of said optimal response delay will cause the player to request according to its ABR logic a next segment at said second quality level, as a function of a model trained from a database of training examples each associating a vector of measured parameters representative of a segment reception rate with the corresponding quality level subsequently chosen by the player according to its ABR logic;

(c) providing the requested current segment from the first buffer memory (M1) at the expiration of said estimated optimal response delay.