Method for dynamically managing conent delivery

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for bitrate adaptation of a video asset to be streamed to a client device for playback. The method includes selecting a representation from a manifest which expresses a set of representations available for each chunk of the video asset and generating a dynamic manifest for the video asset in which the representation selected for the at least one chunk is recommended for streaming to the client device. The selection of the representation recommended for the chunk may be based on at least one of historic viewing behavior of previous viewers of the chunk, content analysis information for the chunk, a level of available network bandwidth, a level of available network storage, and data rate utilization information of network resources including current, average, peak, and minimum data rate of network resources.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of streaming video to a client device over a network for playback by the client device, the video delivered in a sequence of chunks available in a plurality of different variants, each having a respectively different quality, the method comprising:
 selecting a respective variant from a manifest to stream at least one of the chunks, the manifest allowing selection of each of the plurality of different variants, where selection is restricted by a filter that limits a change in bitrate for successively recommended chunks irrespective of whether bandwidth is available to said client device to accommodate said change in bitrate; and   streaming the successively recommended chunks to the client device.   
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein during said selecting step, a representation providing a higher pre-determined level of video quality is selected for a chunk having at least one of: (i) a level of available network bandwidth; (ii) a level of available network storage; and (iii) a data rate utilization of the network. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22  where the data rate utilization of the network comprises at least one of current, average, peak, or minimum data rate of a pre-determined threshold. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23  where during said selecting step, at least one of the level of available network bandwidth, the level of available network storage, and the data rate utilization information of network resources for each chunk is mapped to one of the pre-determined levels of video quality. 
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein said selecting step is repeated for each of the chunks of the video asset. 
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein a rate of change of a level of video quality recommended for any two adjacent chunks of the video asset is limited to a predetermined number of levels of video quality.