Digital content delivery and viewing system and method
A media distribution system is provided whereby devices on a network are provided with native-mode, optimized content viewers adapted to receive and present digital content provided elsewhere on the network. An agent is downloaded to a device, where it gathers information regarding the device environment and uses that information to identify the appropriate application for that device. The appropriate application for a particular device is then downloaded to the device to enable the device to present the content to a user.
1. A method for delivering a binary media viewer application to a client device, said method comprising:
receiving a request for multimedia content from the client device;
delivering an agent program to a memory of said client device, wherein a processor of said client device executes said agent program in a runtime environment on said client device and said agent program automatically determines an operating system of the device;
receiving information from said agent program regarding said operating system of said device;
comparing said information regarding said operating system of said client device with a configuration file containing compatibility information for a plurality of binary media viewer applications;
selecting from said plurality of binary media viewer applications the binary media viewer application that corresponds to the best match between said information regarding said operating system of said client device and said compatibility information, wherein the selected binary media viewer application is compatible with said operating system; and
delivering said selected binary media viewer application to said client device, wherein said binary media viewer application executes within said operating system of said client device and displays said multimedia content on said client device.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said agent program is a JAVA™ application and said runtime environment is a JAVA™ runtime environment.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said agent program automatically determines a type and a version of a web browser on said device, and wherein said method further comprises:
receiving information from said agent program regarding said type and said version of said web browser on said device, and
wherein said selected binary media viewer application is compatible with said web browser of said type and said version.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein said agent program automatically determines whether a user associated with said client device is authorized to view said content, and wherein said binary media view application is delivered to said client device only if said user is authorized to view said content.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein said agent program deletes said binary media viewer application from said client device after said binary media viewer application terminates.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein, after said binary media view application terminates, said agent program frees any allocated client device resources used by said binary media viewer application.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein said agent program searches said client device for and removes prior instances of defunct-media viewer applications.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising delivering content usable with said platform specific application to said device following the delivery of said selected binary media viewer application to the device.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein said content comprises audio/video content and informational services content.
10. The method of claim 8 further comprising receiving and logging statistical and event data from the device, said statistical and event data comprising information on content accessed by the device.
11. A system for providing and displaying media content from a network on a client device, said client device having an operating system and executing a runtime environment said system comprising:
a media server in communication with said client device, said media server for delivering media content and media content viewer applications over a data network;
a storage device communicatively coupled with said media server for storing said media content;
an agent provisioning component communicatively coupled with said media server, wherein said agent provisioning component responds to a request for said media content from said client device by delivering an agent program to said client device for subsequent execution within said runtime environment of said device,
wherein said agent program automatically determines said operating system of said client device and sends information regarding said operating system to said media server system,
wherein communicates media server responds to said information regarding said operating system by comparing said information regarding said operating system of said client device with a configuration file containing compatibility information for a plurality of binary media viewer applications, selecting from said plurality of binary media viewer applications the binary media viewer application that corresponds to the best match between said information regarding said operating system of said client device and said compatibility information, and delivering said selected media content viewer application to said client device, wherein said selected media content viewer application is compatible with, and executes on, said operating system,
wherein said media server streams the requested media content to said media content viewer application executing on said client device,
wherein said media content viewer application displays said requested media content, and
wherein said agent program deletes said media content viewer application from said client device after said media content viewer application terminates.
12. The system of claim 11 wherein said agent program is a JAVA™ program and said runtime environment is a JAVA™ runtime environment.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein said media server receives and logs statistical and event data said client device, said statistical and event data comprising information regarding media content accessed by the client device.
14. The system of claim 11 wherein said media server further comprises an authentication engine that determines whether the client device is authorized to view the requested media content and permits said media server to stream said requested media content only if said client device has proper entitlement to said requested media content.
15. A method for accessing multimedia content using a client device, said method comprising:
receiving a request for said multimedia content from said client device;
delivering an agent program to a memory of said client device, wherein a processor of said client device executes said agent program in a runtime environment of said client device and said agent program automatically determines an operating system of said client device;
receiving an indication of said operating system from said agent program;
comparing said information regarding said operating system of said client device with a configuration file containing compatibility information for a plurality of media viewer applications;
selecting from said plurality of media view applications the media viewer application that corresponds to the best match between said information regarding said operating system of said client device and said compatibility information and that is compatible with said operating system of said client device from a plurality of media viewer applications;
delivering said selected media viewer application to said client device, wherein said media viewer application executes on said operating system of said client device; and
delivering said requested multimedia content to said client device, wherein said media viewer application executing on said operating system displays said multimedia content; and
deleting said media viewer application from said client device after said media viewer application has terminated.
16. The method of claim 15 wherein said agent program automatically determines a type and a version of a web browser on said client device, and wherein said method further comprises:
receiving information from said agent program regarding said type and said version of said web browser on said client device, and
wherein said selected media viewer application is compatible with said web browser of said type and said version.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein said comparing comprises comparing said information regarding said operating system and said information regarding said type and said version of said web browser with a configuration file containing compatibility information for said plurality of media viewer applications, and said selecting comprises selecting from said plurality of media viewer applications the media viewer application that corresponds to the best match between said information regarding said operating system and said type and said version of said web browser on the one hand, and said compatibility information on the other.
18. The method of claim 15 wherein said agent program automatically determines whether a user associated with said client device is authorized to view said content, and wherein said media viewer application is delivered to said client device only if said user is authorized to view said content.
19. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving an logging statistical and event data from the device, said statistical and event data comprising information on content accessed by the device.