Netflix Inc.

Greg Peters

Brady Gunderson

John Funge

Eli Chen

Todd Scot Yellin

Thomas Purnell-Fisher

Michael Thomas Hastings

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for managing playback of digital content on two or more different playback devices. A playback device designated as a controller is associated with a playback device designated as a playback target. Association is implemented via a local network discovery protocol. The controller issues commands to the target, which then streams digital content directly from a content server. The controller is able to separately stream related digital content for independent, but synchronized playback. Server mediated operations, such as device activation and application installation, are advantageously enabled by explicit association between the controller and the target.

System and method for managing playback of streaming digital content

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for synchronizing playback of digital content on two or more different content players. Each content player synchronizes a local time signal to a time reference signal maintained by a time server. Actions related to content playback are synchronized with respect to each local time signal for a given content player, which thereby synchronizes playback for a group of associated content players. Each content player may be advantageously configured with different playback options, allowing each user to have a better shared viewing experience than possible with prior art solutions that provide only one set of playback options.

System and method for synchronized playback of streaming digital content

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a technique for identifying and pre-buffering audio/video stream pairs. The method includes the steps of predictively identifying for pre-buffering at least one audio/video stream pair that may be selected for playback by a user subsequent to a currently playing audio/video stream pair, computing a first rate for pre-buffering an audio portion of the at least one audio/video stream pair and a second rate for pre-buffering a video portion of the at least one audio/video stream pair, downloading the audio portion at the first rate and downloading the video portion at the second rate, and storing the downloaded audio portion and the downloaded video portion in a content buffer.

Pre-buffering audio streams

One embodiment provides a technique for dynamically adjusting streaming media bit rates in response to user requests for accelerated playback. A user request to increase a playback speed at which the units of digital content are played back on a content player is received. Upon receiving the user request to increase the playback speed, while previously downloaded units of the digital content having a first bit rate are being output for display, and prior to downloading a next unit of digital content from a content server, embodiments determine that the increased playback speed cannot be maintained without buffer underrun if subsequent units of digital content are downloaded from the content server at the first bit rate. A second bit rate, lower than the first bit rate, is determined and the next unit of digital content is downloaded from the content server for playback at the second bit rate.

Accelerated playback of streaming media

One embodiment of the present invention sets forth a playback device designated as a controller is associated with a playback device designated as a playback target. Association is implemented via a local network discovery protocol. The controller issues commands to the target, which then streams digital content directly from a content server. The controller is able to separately stream related digital content for independent, but synchronized playback. Server mediated operations, such as device activation and application installation, are advantageously enabled by explicit association between the controller and the target.

Techniques are described for presenting streaming media content to users in an engaging manner. A streaming media player may provide an interface that allows users to browse though a collection of available titles sorted into different categories (e.g., science fiction titles, television shows, westerns, etc.). The interface may be configured to automatically begin playback of one of the media titles at a designated insertion point, providing a user with a preview of the title. The insertion point itself may be selected as an interesting point in a given title, and therefore, likely to engage a user in that title.

Insertion points for streaming video autoplay

One embodiment of the present invention provides a technique for dynamically adjusting streaming media bit rates in response to user requests for accelerated playback. When user may selects to accelerate playback of streaming media content, a content player may begin decoding data from a content buffer at the accelerated rate. At the same time, the content player may estimate a bit rate that can be supported by both the accelerated playback rate and prevailing network bandwidth and latency. That is, a bit rate at which the accelerated playback may be continued without resulting in an eventual buffer under-run.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Greg Peters