Parallel Video Streaming

Abstract

The system and method includes a clone of a clone server that receives cloned copies of high definition video streams. The clone of a clone server generates low definition video streams from the high definition videos streams. The clone of a clone server streams parallel video streams to user computing devices that include both high definition video streams and low definition video streams. The clone of a clone server generates the low definition video streams from the high definition video streams and synchronizes the parallel video streams that are sent to the user computer device. The user computing device displays the received low definition video streams and a user selects one or more of the low definition video streams to be displayed in high definition on the user computer device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by a clone-of-a-clone server, cloned copies of a plurality of high definition video streams; and   streaming, by the clone-of-a-clone server, parallel video streams to a user computing device,   wherein the parallel video streams comprise the high definition video streams and a plurality of low definition video streams based on each of the high definition video streams.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each low definition video stream uses a common intermediate format (CIF) resolution of 320 by 240 pixels, and wherein each high definition video stream uses a 1080p resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each low definition video stream and associated high definition video stream are substantially identical videos that differ primarily by spatial resolution. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 generating, by the clone-of-a-clone server, each low definition video stream from an associated high definition video stream.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 synchronizing frames of the parallel video streams sent to the user computing device.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the user computing device, a plurality of parallel streams from the clone-of-a-clone server;   displaying, by the user computing device, each low definition video stream from the parallel video streams; and   displaying, by the user computing device, a selected high definition video stream from the parallel video streams.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the user computing device, a user selection of one of the displayed low definition video streams, and   wherein the selected high definition video stream is based on the user selection.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 receiving, by the user computing device, a second user selection of a second low definition video stream; and   switching, by the user computing device, from displaying the high definition video stream to displaying a second high definition video stream based on the second user selection, and   wherein the switching is performed substantially seamlessly between the high definition video stream and the second high definition video stream.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein each of the low definition video streams is displayed on the user computing device in a low resolution small window and wherein the selected high definition video stream is displayed in a high resolution large window. 
     
     
         10 . A system, comprising:
 a clone-of-a-clone server configured to
 receive a plurality of high definition video streams, and 
 stream parallel video streams to a user computing device, 
 wherein the parallel video streams comprise the high definition video streams and a plurality of low definition video streams based on each of the high definition video streams. 
   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein each low definition video stream uses a common intermediate format (CIF) resolution of 320 by 240 pixels and wherein each high definition video stream uses a 1080p resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein each low definition video stream is selected from the group consisting of CIF, VGA, 4CIF, and D1, and wherein each high definition video stream is selected from the group consisting of 720p, 1 Megapixel, and 1080p. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a plurality of cameras each configured to stream video comprising a high definition video stream; and   a clone server configured to receive streaming video from a camera and clone the streaming video onto the clone-of-a-clone server.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the clone-of-a-clone server is further configured to generate a low definition video stream from each of the received high definition video streams. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the clone-of-a-clone server is configured to synchronize frames of the parallel video streams streamed to the user computing device. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a user computing device configured to
 receive the parallel video streams, 
 display each low definition video stream from the parallel video streams, and 
 display a selected high definition video stream from the parallel video streams. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the user computing device is further configured to
 receive a first user selection of one of the displayed low definition video streams,   display a high definition video stream associated with the first user selection,   receive a second user selection associated with a second displayed low definition video stream, and   switch from displaying the high definition video stream to displaying a second high definition video stream associated with the second user selection,   wherein the switch is performed substantially seamlessly between the high definition video stream and the second high definition video stream.   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein each of the low definition video streams is displayed on the user computing device in a low resolution small window and wherein a selected high definition video stream is displayed in a high resolution large window. 
     
     
         19 . A system, comprising:
 a clone-of-a-clone server configured to
 receive a plurality of cloned high definition video streams, 
 generate a low definition video stream from each high definition video stream, and 
 selectively stream parallel video streams to a plurality of user computing devices each configured to display a plurality of low definition video streams and at least one selected high definition video stream, and 
   wherein each of the parallel video streams comprises one of the high definition video streams and an associated low definition video stream, and   wherein the clone-of-a-close server is further configured to synchronize the parallel video streams to enable seemless switching between the display of a first selected high definition video stream and the display of a second selected high definition video stream on the user computing device.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein each low definition video stream has a common intermediate format (CIF) resolution of 320 by 240 pixels and wherein each high definition video stream has a 1080p resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels.