A smart casting device includes a broadcast hardware interface coupled to one or more external program material sources, a network controller coupled to one or more digital devices through a network, a service logic controller configured to control the broadcast hardware interface and the network controller to advertise identified ones of the one or more external program material sources to the one or more digital devices, convey, to one or more service providers accessible through the identified external program material sources, subscriptions from the one or more digital devices for program services, and in response to the subscriptions, receive the program services from the one or more service providers and provide the received program services to the one or more subscribing digital devices.

Systems and methods are disclosed for delivering programming content to vehicles (e.g., seagoing vessels) in a cost-effective manner. In some embodiments, programming content may be delivered to vehicles over previously deployed networks (e.g., satellite networks), using excess network capacity which may not otherwise be used to deliver data. By opportunistically employing excess network capacity (e.g., as the capacity becomes available), data constituting programming content may be delivered to vehicles over a period of time, such as via multicast transmission. A vehicle may store received data on one or more onboard servers. After an item of programming content has been received, the item may be made accessible to the vehicle's crew and/or passengers, such as by streaming the item to one or more suitably configured playback devices. Content may be served to playback devices “on demand” and/or according to a programming schedule.

Systems and methods are disclosed for delivering programming content to vehicles (e.g., seagoing vessels) in a cost-effective manner. In some embodiments, programming content may be delivered to vehicles over previously deployed networks (e.g., satellite networks), using excess network capacity which may not otherwise be used to deliver data. By opportunistically employing excess network capacity (e.g., as the capacity becomes available), data constituting programming content may be delivered to vehicles over a period of time, such as via multicast transmission. A vehicle may store received data on one or more onboard servers. After an item of programming content has been received, the item may be made accessible to the vehicle's crew and/or passengers, such as by streaming the item to one or more suitably configured playback devices. Content may be served to playback devices “on demand” and/or according to a programming schedule.

A system for intelligent video streaming a video controller having at least one processor and non-transitory computer readable media having a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to receive a playback request from a user device for a live stream, determine, from the playback request, whether source streaming content for the live stream is being transcoded, and allocate an available transcoder to transcode the source streaming content. The system further includes a transcoding having at least one processor and non-transitory computer readable media having a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to join the multicast stream, retrieve the source streaming content, and transcode the source streaming content, and provide transcoded streaming content for delivery to the user device.

A system for intelligent video streaming a video controller having at least one processor and non-transitory computer readable media having a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to receive a playback request from a user device for a live stream, determine, from the playback request, whether source streaming content for the live stream is being transcoded, and allocate an available transcoder to transcode the source streaming content. The system further includes a transcoding having at least one processor and non-transitory computer readable media having a set of instructions executable by the at least one processor to join the multicast stream, retrieve the source streaming content, and transcode the source streaming content, and provide transcoded streaming content for delivery to the user device.

In a communication network, a client has a plurality of network interfaces connecting it to a server able to deliver data streams on multicast groups. The client obtains a first request for subscription to a multicast group allowing to obtain a data stream. The client replaces the first subscription request with a plurality of second requests for subscription to a plurality of multicast subgroups able to supply data sub-streams which, once combined, allow to reconstruct the data stream. Each second subscription request is transmitted over a network interface with which the request was associated, so as to favour use of each available network interface. The client receives, over each network interface, a data sub-stream corresponding to the second subscription request transmitted over said network interface and reconstructs the data stream from the data sub-streams.

A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example transmitting, by a system comprising a processor, via a first emergency media channel a first video stream comprising first evacuation routing information for a first evacuation group responsive to receiving a notification of an emergency event, instructing, by the system, a first media processor device to select the first emergency media channel while disabling selection of other media channels according to the first evacuation routing information, where the content of the emergency media channel is presented at a display device by way of the first media processor device, and enabling, by the system, the first media processor device to select the other media channels responsive to receiving user input acknowledging the emergency media channel. Other embodiments are disclosed.

A method that incorporates teachings of the subject disclosure may include, for example transmitting, by a system comprising a processor, via a first emergency media channel a first video stream comprising first evacuation routing information for a first evacuation group responsive to receiving a notification of an emergency event, instructing, by the system, a first media processor device to select the first emergency media channel while disabling selection of other media channels according to the first evacuation routing information, where the content of the emergency media channel is presented at a display device by way of the first media processor device, and enabling, by the system, the first media processor device to select the other media channels responsive to receiving user input acknowledging the emergency media channel. Other embodiments are disclosed.

The present disclosure aims to make it possible to transfer multicast packets at as high a rate as possible according to a state of a network, to perform high-quality and low-latency content distribution, and to perform stable multicast distribution on a network that is less likely to ensure a fixed available band such as a best-effort or wireless network.

The present disclosure is a content distribution system for converting part of communication for distribution into multicast communication, in which

a transmission-side edge server (UC/MC) applies Forward Error Correction to a multicast packet and transmits the multicast packet, a reception-side edge server (MC/UC) notifies the transmission-side edge server of information of packet loss of the received multicast packet, and

the transmission-side edge server (UC/MC) changes a transfer rate of a multicast packet to be transmitted based on the notified information of packet loss.

The present disclosure aims to make it possible to transfer multicast packets at as high a rate as possible according to a state of a network, to perform high-quality and low-latency content distribution, and to perform stable multicast distribution on a network that is less likely to ensure a fixed available band such as a best-effort or wireless network.

The present disclosure is a content distribution system for converting part of communication for distribution into multicast communication, in which

a transmission-side edge server (UC/MC) applies Forward Error Correction to a multicast packet and transmits the multicast packet, a reception-side edge server (MC/UC) notifies the transmission-side edge server of information of packet loss of the received multicast packet, and

the transmission-side edge server (UC/MC) changes a transfer rate of a multicast packet to be transmitted based on the notified information of packet loss.