Video and multimedia distribution system
View Patent ↗Digital media content-on-demand hosting/delivery system for using an n-tier, multi dimension dynamic data technology to distribute digital content and manage information and comprising separate delivery and end-user systems with separate but compatible software, the hosting/delivery system being sub-divided into distributed hosting clusters serving small groups of users, ensuring local balance and overcoming diversity of connection/streaming speeds of end users.
1. A method of digital content distribution comprising the steps of:
providing selections of digital content from a user;
continuously updating user information associated with the user, wherein user profiles are obtained from said user information, said user profiles being used by a distribution system to provide digital content from a central content warehouse to a distribution content warehouse;
calculating time required for downloading digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content for smooth play based on available network speed;
identifying pre-content based on the calculated time and the continuously updated user information, pre-content being other content played before completion of download of the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content; and
playing the identified pre-content until a pre-selected percentage of the download of the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content achieved.
2. The method in accordance with claim 1
wherein the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content is requested from a streaming module;
wherein rights associated with the digital content and the user information are tested for validity; and
wherein the digital content corresponding to the selection of digital content is streamed if the rights are valid.
3. The method in accordance with claim 1
wherein content profiles are received at the distribution system;
wherein diverse content is received from content providers based on the content profiles;
wherein the diverse content is encoded into a common digital format;
effecting receipt of revenue for the diverse content;
wherein payment of at least part of the revenue is effected to the content providers;
wherein at least a part of the diverse content is provided to the distribution data warehouses based on a cluster of users associated with the distribution data warehouses and the content profiles; and
wherein the cluster of users is adjusted based on changes in the content profiles.