Delivery of Streaming Media Content

1. A computing-device implemented method, comprising: generating two or more media streams based on a source media item, wherein the two or more media streams each include a number of stream segments; storing the stream segments for each of the two or more media streams on a content server; generating playlist files for each of the two or more media streams, wherein the playlist files identify network locations of the associated stream segments on the content server; storing the playlist files, for each of the two or more media streams, on a playlist server; generating a variant playlist file that identifies network locations and at least a bandwidth attribute associated with each of the playlist files; inserting playlist information based on the variant playlist file into media guide data, wherein the media guide data is to be used by a client device to generate an interactive media guide user interface, the media guide data including a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of media content items, wherein each entry includes media content metadata, media content scheduling data, and media content channel data, wherein the media guide data includes an entry corresponding to the source media item, wherein, following inserting of the playlist information, the entry corresponding to the source media item includes the playlist information, wherein the playlist information identifies the network location of at least one of the playlist files; and transmitting the media guide data to the client device via a network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information based on the variant playlist file comprises playlist location and bandwidth information for at least one of the two or more media streams.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the playlist information that is inserted into the entry in the media guide data corresponding to the source media item comprises playlist location and bandwidth information for only a single media stream, from the at least two media streams, having a lowest bandwidth attribute.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the media guide data comprises information relating to available media items for a particular period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein transmitting the media guide data is performed periodically.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: receiving a request from the client device for a particular playlist file identified in the media guide data; transmitting the particular playlist file to the client device; receiving a request from the client device for stream segments identified in the particular playlist from the content server; and transmitting the requested stream segments to the client device for output to a user.

7. A computing-device implemented method, comprising: receiving media guide data from a media guide server via a network, wherein the media guide data includes information relating to a number of available media items to be used by a client device to generate an interactive media guide user interface, the media guide data including a plurality of entries corresponding to the number of available media items, wherein each entry includes media content metadata, media content scheduling data, and media content channel data, wherein the media guide data includes an entry corresponding to a streaming media item, and wherein the entry corresponding to the streaming media item includes playlist information relating to at least one available playlist file associated with the streaming media item, wherein the playlist information includes at least a network location of the playlist file; generating the interactive media guide user interface based on the received media guide data; receiving a user selection of the streaming media item from the interactive media guide user interface; automatically requesting the playlist file from a playlist server via the network based on the network location in the playlist information; receiving the playlist file from the playlist server, wherein the playlist file includes network locations of stream segments corresponding to the selected media item; and requesting the stream segments from a content server via the network based on the received playlist file.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the entry corresponding to the streaming media item further includes variant playlist information, wherein the variant playlist information includes playlist information relating to more than one available playlist file associated with the streaming media item.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: determining at least one network characteristic associated with the network, wherein requesting the playlist file comprises requesting one of the more than one playlist files from the playlist server via the network based on the at least one network characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one network characteristic comprises available bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: receiving and outputting at least one of the stream segments; subsequent to outputting the at least one of the stream segments, requesting and receiving a variant playlist file from the playlist server, wherein the variant playlist file includes playlist information relating to more than one available playlist file associated with the streaming media item; determining at least one network characteristic associated with the network; requesting a selected one of the more than one playlist file from the playlist server via the network based on the at least one network characteristic; receiving the selected one of the more than one playlist files from the playlist server; and requesting the stream segments from the content server via the network based on the received selected one of the more than one playlist file.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising: requesting the variant playlist file from the playlist server based on a determination that more than a predetermined number of stream segments have been output.

13. A network device comprising: one or more processors configured to: generate two or more media streams based on a source media item, wherein the two or more media streams each include a number of stream segments; store the stream segments for each of the two or more media streams on a content server; generate playlist files for each of the two or more media streams, wherein the playlist files identify locations of the associated stream segments on the content server; store the playlist files for each of the two or more media streams on a playlist server; generate a variant playlist file that identifies the network locations of each of the playlist files on the playlist server and at least a bandwidth attribute associated with each of the playlist files; and insert playlist information based on the variant playlist file into media guide data, wherein the media guide data is to be used by a user device to generate an interactive media guide user interface, the media guide data including a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of media content items, wherein each entry includes media content metadata, media content scheduling data, and media content channel data, wherein the media guide data includes an entry corresponding to the source media item, wherein, following insertion of the playlist information, the entry corresponding to the source media item includes the playlist information, wherein the playlist information identifies the network location of at least one of the playlist files; and an interface configured to: send, via a network, the media guide data to a user device.

14. The network device of claim 13 , wherein the information based on the variant playlist file comprises playlist location and bandwidth information for at least one of the two or more media streams.

15. The network device of claim 13 , wherein the interface is further configured to send the media guide data on a periodic basis.

16. The network device of claim 13 , wherein the interface is further configured to: receive a request from the user device for a particular playlist file identified in the media guide data; transmit the particular playlist file to the user device; receive a request from the user device for stream segments identified in the particular playlist file from the content server; and transmit the stream segments to the user device for presentation to a user.

17. A network device, comprising: an interface configured to: receive media guide data from a media guide server via a network, wherein the media guide data includes information relating to a number of available media items to be used by a client device to generate an interactive media guide user interface, the media guide data including a plurality of entries corresponding to the number of available media items, wherein each entry includes media content metadata, media content scheduling data, and media content channel data, wherein the media guide data includes an entry corresponding to a streaming media item, and wherein the entry corresponding to the streaming media item includes playlist information relating to at least one available playlist file associated with a streaming media item, wherein the playlist information includes at least a network location of the playlist file; at least one processor configured to: generate the interactive media guide user interface based on the received media guide data; receive a user selection of the streaming media item from the interactive media guide user interface; automatically request the playlist file from a playlist server via the interface based on the playlist information; receive the playlist file from the playlist server via the interface, wherein the playlist file identifies locations, on a content server, of stream segments corresponding to the selected playlist file; and request the stream segments from the content server via the interface based on the received playlist file.

18. The network device of claim 17 , wherein the entry corresponding to the streaming media item further includes variant playlist information, wherein the variant playlist information includes playlist information relating to more than one available playlist file associated with the streaming media item.

19. The network device of claim 17 , wherein the processor is further configured to: receive at least one of the stream segments from the content server via the interface; output the at least one of the stream segments via an output device; subsequent to outputting the at least one of the stream segments, request a variant playlist file from the playlist server via the interface, wherein variant playlist information includes playlist information relating to more than one available playlist file associated with the streaming media item; determine at least one network characteristic associated with the network; request a selected one of the more than one playlist file from the playlist server via the interface based on the at least one network characteristic; receive the selected one of the more than one playlist file from the playlist server; and request the stream segments from the content server via the network based on the received selected one of the more than one playlist file.