US Patent 7926079 Hybrid central/distributed VOD system with tiered content structure

A system and method for selecting a network path for delivering on-demand content in a multi-channel network. A hybrid central/distributed and tiered video on demand (VOD) service network with tiered content structure uses media servers located in both the headend station and the hub stations. The hub media server is configured as a primary source for VOD content and the central media server located in the headend is configured as a secondary source of video content. A path for delivery of content may be determined based on the availability of content and network components.