System and method for upgrading processing capabilities of a media center

摘要

Video data encoded according to new compression standards may be processed by an existing client terminal using an adaptive module that transcodes the video data into a format compatible with the processing capabilities of the client terminal. Further, the adaptive module may compress video files stored in the client terminal according to a new or advanced compression standard, in order to expand the storage capacity of the hard drive of the client terminal. Further still, the adaptive module may support high-resolution graphic video streams (e.g., for interactive games) by including a graphics engine and encoder to render the video streams compatible for processing by the client terminal. Thus, broadband content providers are spared the expense of upgrading the decoder and/or hard drive of their subscribers' terminals, if not the entire client altogether, in view of evolving compression standards.