Method, apparatus, system, and program for content encoding, content distribution, and content reception

Abstract

There are provided a system, an apparatus, and a method for suppressing increase in an amount of distribution data when performing content distribution via a network, improving reliability of the data received by a receiver in the distribution through an unstable transmission path such as a wireless transmission path, enabling provision of the content with a stable quality, and realizing the provision of the content with an optimal quality for the reception environment of content receiver, while suppressing an increase in an amount of processing for improving reliability of the distribution data on both of reception side and a transmission side. A content distribution apparatusincludes first through Nth image encoded data transmitting unitsto, and multiplexes a plurality of data in a predetermined layer in accordance with a scalable encoding system using a plurality of sessions or a same session, for transmission by providing a preset time difference for each of the data or interleaving the data. The content distribution apparatussets compression rates of second and subsequent data to be the same or higher than that of first data, suited to a state of the transmission path, thereby suppressing an increase in a band. A content receiving apparatusincludes first through Nth image encoded data receiving unitsto, an encoded data reconstruction unit, and a decoder. The content receiving apparatusselects encoded data based on the compression rate, for reconstruction, and decodes the reconstructed encoded data.