Apparatus and method for distributing mulitmedia events from a client

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for recording a video production from one or more panoramic and/or high resolution video feeds and recreating the video production at a remote location, or client using meta data, production data, and video feed from a remote source, and serve the video feed to multiple clients on a local area network.

I/We claim: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for acquiring and distributing streaming immersive environment content to a client over a content distribution network based environment, comprising:
 a content distribution network having a server configured to distribute a stream of immersive environment content from a digital broadcast;   a primary client communicating with the network via a communications link and configured to receive the stream of immersive environment content from the digital broadcast;   secondary clients communicating with the network via a communications link each configured to download at least a portion of the immersive environment content such that a first secondary client is receiving a first rendering of the immersive environment content from the stream of the immersive environment content that is unique from a second rendering of the immersive environment content being received by a second secondary client; and   a local area network interfaced between the primary client and the secondary clients;   wherein the secondary clients are each rendered capable to display a unique set or subset of the full representation of the stream of immersive environment content from the primary client.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the primary client is a virtual reality (VR) content recipient and distribution client. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the secondary clients are local area content displaying clients. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the local area network is configured to distribute an HTTP stream. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the local area network is configured to use a real time streaming protocol comprising one of: RTP, RTSP, and RTMP. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the real time streaming protocol is coupled with multicasting over the local area network and configured to enable a plurality of secondary clients to subscribe to the stream from the primary client. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the local area network implements multicasting to synchronize distribution of the stream between the primary client and the secondary clients. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the stream comprises video in a high definition panoramic format, wherein a single stream of content is downloaded from one of: A) an Internet; and B) a content distribution network, and a plurality of unique consumers on the local area network are enabled access to at least some of the single stream of content to each be uniquely immersed in a tailored Virtual Reality (VR) environment, wherein each consumer is enabled to look at and hear a different piece of the single stream of content based on each consumer's personal view in a virtual reality (VR) space of the single stream. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus for acquiring and distributing streaming immersive environment content to clients over a network, comprising:
 a content distribution network having a server configured to distribute a digital broadcast of an immersive environment as a stream of immersive environment content;   a hub client communicating with the network via a communications link and configured to receive the stream of immersive environment content as a full representation of the digital broadcast;   spoke clients communicating with the network via a communications link each configured to receive at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content, wherein a first spoke client is receiving at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content that is unique from at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content being received by a second spoke client; and   a local area network interfaced between the hub client and the node clients;   wherein the node clients are each rendered capable of displaying a unique portion of the stream of immersive environment content from the primary client.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the hub client is a virtual reality (VR) content recipient and distribution client. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the secondary clients are local area content displaying clients. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein at least one of the local area content displaying clients comprises a virtual reality (VR) headset. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the stream of immersive environment content comprises at least one of: A) panoramic video content, B) audio content, and C) meta data. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the local area network is configured to distribute an HTTP stream from the hub client to the spoke clients. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the local area network is configured to use a real time streaming protocol comprising one of: RTP, RTSP, and RTMP, and the real time streaming protocol is coupled with multicasting over the local area network configured to enable a plurality of secondary clients to subscribe to the stream from the primary client. 
     
     
         16 . A method for dispersing immersive environment content to clients, comprising:
 providing a content distribution network having a server, a central client, a plurality of peripheral clients, and a local area network;   distributing a digital broadcast of an immersive environment as a stream of immersive environment content to the central client;   from the peripheral clients, downloading at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content such that a first peripheral client is receiving a first at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content that is unique from a second at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content being received by a second peripheral client from the stream;   rendering for display at the first peripheral client the first at least a portion of the stream from the central client; and   rendering for display at the second peripheral client the second at least a portion of the stream from the central client that is unique from the first at least a portion of the stream being rendered for display at the first peripheral client.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein, prior to distributing the stream of immersive environment content, recording meta data related to one or more panoramic video feeds and distributing and serving the video feeds as at least a portion of the stream of immersive environment content through the content distribution network to one of the peripheral clients where viewers can tailor the received stream at a respective peripheral client into unique, individualized video productions at multiple peripheral clients on a local network. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the stream of immersive environment content comprises at least one of: A) panoramic video content, B) audio content, and C) meta data. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein a single connection is established between the central client and the content distribution network, wherein only the central client is using bandwidth to acquire the immersive environment content from one of: A) an Internet; and B) a content distribution network. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the immersive environment content comprises panoramic video content, and rendering for display at the first peripheral client and the second peripheral client comprises uniquely different portions of the video stream so as to enable individual viewers at the first peripheral client and the second peripheral client to tailor a unique video stream at the respective first peripheral client and the second peripheral client into unique, individualized video productions at multiple clients on a local area network.