A method and system for providing video content on a data network connected device having a display and a device display controller including a player. The method comprises the steps of a data network connected device, accesses a reference file including a plurality of player control parameter values and linking data for one or more content sources. Play control commands are provided to the player based on the play control parameter values. Content data is acquired by the player from one or more content sources via the data network using the linking data, and the content acquired from each source played on the display in accordance with the player control commands. The reference file may be a pre-existing reference file or a reference file created in response to a request to play the video content data. A reference file compiler is provided for generating the reference file.

A client (1) is provisioned with a content selection unit (13) for referencing description information (26), selecting content to be played in a certain period, and at the same time, and selecting content to be played at the next period from an id of a subset that is the same as the subset selected at the period, a request execution unit (14) for requesting the transmission of the selected content, and a content playback unit (15) for continuously playing the content transmitted in response to the request.

A client (1) is provisioned with a content selection unit (13) for referencing description information (26), selecting content to be played in a certain period, and at the same time, and selecting content to be played at the next period from an id of a subset that is the same as the subset selected at the period, a request execution unit (14) for requesting the transmission of the selected content, and a content playback unit (15) for continuously playing the content transmitted in response to the request.

Disclosed herein is a receiving device for receiving AV contents, the receiving device including: an obtaining section configured to obtain a description document described in a program language for displaying contents from a server present on a network connected with the receiving device; a determining section configured to determine whether the obtained the description document is obtained from a first server managed on a broadcaster side broadcasting the AV contents; and a controlling section configured to control execution of the obtained the description document according to a result of determination by the determining section.

Disclosed herein is a receiving device for receiving AV contents, the receiving device including: an obtaining section configured to obtain a description document described in a program language for displaying contents from a server present on a network connected with the receiving device; a determining section configured to determine whether the obtained the description document is obtained from a first server managed on a broadcaster side broadcasting the AV contents; and a controlling section configured to control execution of the obtained the description document according to a result of determination by the determining section.

Disclosed is a comprising generating a top level manifest file for a media asset or stream that includes program event information, providing the top level manifest file and corresponding element manifest files to a real-time adaptive bitrate (ABR) packager, and receiving a request for a media-segment file from a client, wherein the ABR packager is configured to interpret the program event information, and wherein the ABR packager is configured to restrict trick-play operations if a program event is detected in a requested media-segment file and restriction criteria are met.

Disclosed is a comprising generating a top level manifest file for a media asset or stream that includes program event information, providing the top level manifest file and corresponding element manifest files to a real-time adaptive bitrate (ABR) packager, and receiving a request for a media-segment file from a client, wherein the ABR packager is configured to interpret the program event information, and wherein the ABR packager is configured to restrict trick-play operations if a program event is detected in a requested media-segment file and restriction criteria are met.

Systems and methods are described for a media guidance application (e.g., implemented on a user device) that improves quality of service while streaming code-agnostic content by optimizing buffering based on bit rate.

Systems and methods are described for a media guidance application (e.g., implemented on a user device) that improves quality of service while streaming code-agnostic content by optimizing buffering based on bit rate.

Systems and methods for performing trick play functionality using trick play streams during adaptive bitrate streaming in accordance with embodiments of the invention are disclosed. One embodiment includes requesting a video container index from a video container file containing a video stream from a plurality of alternative streams of video; requesting at least one portion of the video stream using at least one entry from the video container index; decoding the at least one portion of the video stream; receiving at least one user instruction to perform a visual search of the media; requesting a trick play container index from a trick play container file containing a trick play stream; requesting at least one frame of video from the at least one trick play stream; and decoding and displaying the at least one frame of video from the trick play stream.