Abstract: True collaborative interactive video streaming is advantageously achieved in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention. A method and apparatus in accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the present invention enables a plurality of clients to concurrently view and interactively modify the playout of a video program—which may advantageously comprise either a stored (i.e., prerecorded) video program (e.g., a movie) or a real-time (i.e., live) video program—wherein the video program is being streamed from a video server to all of the clients synchronously (i.e., the same video is being played out concurrently to all clients). In accordance with this illustrative embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of clients is advantageously capable of transmitting control commands to the video server, and the video server responds to such control commands by appropriately modifying the video streaming process, but does so synchronously to all clients.

Abstract: True collaborative interactive video streaming is advantageously achieved in accordance with certain illustrative embodiments of the present invention. A method and apparatus in accordance with one illustrative embodiment of the present invention enables a plurality of clients to concurrently view and interactively modify the playout of a video program—which may advantageously comprise either a stored (i.e., prerecorded) video program (e.g., a movie) or a real-time (i.e., live) video program—wherein the video program is being streamed from a video server to all of the clients synchronously (i.e., the same video is being played out concurrently to all clients). In accordance with this illustrative embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of clients is advantageously capable of transmitting control commands to the video server, and the video server responds to such control commands by appropriately modifying the video streaming process, but does so synchronously to all clients.

Abstract: Multiple versions of a video such as a movie are generated, stored and delivered to a user by generating and storing a single “master” version of the video in combination with one or more lists of editing information (“edit lists”) which are used to modify the “master” version to create “alternate” versions thereof. This editing information may be based on timestamp information associated with the master version of the video or other such indexing information, and specifies a set of modifications (e.g., edits) that are to be made to the master version of the video at the specified timestamps (or indices) in order to create the desired “alternate” version of the video. Then, these edits are advantageously made to the master version of the video in real time when the video is being delivered to the user, based on the version of the video which is to be delivered.