A method for distributing video content from a server to a plurality of media devices is provided allowing adaptive bit rate encoding to better utilize bandwidth. The method includes: determining, by the server, the bandwidth to allocate to each of the plurality of media devices using a hypertext transfer protocol-based live streaming client model or a need parameter vector, refining this determination by utilizing client feedback regarding client buffer level and playback state, client hardware capabilities, and client internally measured download rate, and providing the allocated bandwidth to each of the plurality of media devices; wherein the video content is transmitted in a plurality of segments from the server, and wherein each segment is transmitted at a bitrate that may vary from segment to segment.