Various techniques for providing instantaneous media services are
disclosed. Some of the techniques provide an instantaneous
media-on-demand system, process and method for the same. Such a system
offers a dynamic library with a significant number of titles from which a
user may select and offers play back a desired title fairly instantly. To
facilitate instant playback, a file pertaining to a title is fragmented
into a header and segments. The header is seeded in all boxes in service
and none, one or more segments are distributed to the network of boxes.
When the title is ordered, the header is instantly played back while the
segments, if not locally available, are streamed in respectively from the
boxes having the segments to enable continuous playback of the ordered
title.