Method and apparatus for improved multicast streaming in wireless networks

• US 20070233889A1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Guo, Katherine, Sabnani, Krishan, Netravali, Arun
• Granted Patent: US 8,612,619 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/752 adapting media to network capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

The invention includes a method and apparatus for providing multimedia content to a plurality of wireless terminals. The method includes transcoding an original media stream to form at least one companion media stream, each media stream having a different data rate, and advertising each media stream to each of the plurality of wireless terminals, each wireless terminal having an associated channel condition. The original media stream and at least one companion media stream are each adapted for being selected by each of the wireless terminals. For each wireless terminal selecting one of the media streams, the selected one of the media streams is selected using the data rates of the media streams and the channel condition of the wireless terminal. The transcoding of the media stream to form the at least one companion media stream may be performed using channel condition information.

Claims

1. A method for providing multimedia content, comprising:

transcoding an original media stream to form at least one companion media stream, each media stream conveying the multimedia content, each media stream comprising a different data rate, each media stream adapted for being selected by a wireless terminal according to respective data rates and at least one channel condition parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein transcoding the original media stream comprises:

determining the data rate of the original media stream;

determining the respective data rates of the at least one companion media stream; and

forming the at least one companion media stream according to the respective data rates.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transcoding the original media stream comprises:

receiving channel condition information from one or more wireless terminals; and

forming the at least one companion media stream using the at least one channel condition parameter.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transcoding the original media stream comprises:

determining respective data rates of the at least one companion media stream using the at least one channel condition parameter; and

forming the at least one companion media stream according to the determined data rates.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the channel condition information is received via at least one of:

a fixed number of periodic time intervals if the wireless terminal belongs to a correct media group;

or

a plurality of exponentially increasing time intervals if the wireless terminal belongs to an incorrect media group.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

advertising each media stream to each wireless terminal using a media group, each media group comprising a content identifier adapted for identifying the multimedia content and a flow identifier adapted for identifying the media stream.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a request, from one of the wireless terminals, adapted for selecting one of the media groups, the selected one of the media groups associated with the one of the media streams having the largest data rate supportable by the channel condition of the wireless terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

multicasting, for each media group, the associated media stream toward designated ones of the plurality of wireless terminals belonging to the media group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, for each wireless terminal, the selected one of the media streams comprises the media stream having a data rate substantially matching the channel condition of the wireless terminal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one channel condition parameter comprises at least one of a bit rate, a data rate, a packet loss rate, or an available bandwidth.

11. An apparatus for providing multimedia content, comprising:

means for transcoding an original media stream to form at least one companion media stream, each media stream conveying the multimedia content, each media stream comprising a different data rate, each media stream adapted for being selected by a wireless terminal according to respective data rates and at least one channel condition parameter.

12. A method for receiving multimedia content at a wireless terminal having an associated channel condition, comprising:

receiving an indication of a plurality of media streams available for selection by the wireless terminal, the media streams comprising an original media stream and at least one companion media stream formed by transcoding the original media stream, each media stream conveying the multimedia content, each media stream comprising a different data rate; and

selecting one of the media streams using the channel condition and the respective data rates of the media streams.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the indication of the media streams available for selection comprises a respective plurality of advertisements associated with the media streams.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of advertisements comprise a respective plurality of identical program identifiers and a respective plurality of different flow identifiers, each of the flow identifiers adapted for identifying one of a plurality of multicast flows conveying an associated one of the media streams.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting the one of the plurality of media streams comprises:

processing each of the plurality of advertisements for identifying the respective data rates of the advertised media streams;

measuring the channel condition of the wireless terminal; and

selecting the one of the media streams having the largest data rate supportable by the channel condition of the wireless terminal.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

extracting the multimedia content from the selected one of the media streams; and

presenting the extracted multimedia content to at least one user associated with the wireless terminal.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

measuring the channel condition of the wireless terminal, the channel condition associated with a data channel over which the wireless terminal receives the selected one of the media streams; and

transmitting the channel condition toward a network element;

wherein the channel condition is adapted for use in transcoding the original media stream to form the at least one companion media stream

18. The method of claim 17, wherein transcoding the original media stream comprises:

determining the data rate of the original media stream;

determining the respective data rates of the at least one companion media stream using the channel condition; and

forming the at least one companion media stream according to the respective data rates.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein measuring and transmitting the channel condition toward the network element is performed at least one of:

periodically in a fixed number of periodic time intervals if the wireless terminal belongs to a correct media group;

or

periodically in a plurality of exponentially increasing time intervals if the wireless terminal belongs to an incorrect media group.

20. A system for providing multimedia content, comprising:

a transcoder for transcoding an original media stream to form at least one companion media stream, each media stream conveying the multimedia content, each media stream comprising a different data rate; and

a plurality of wireless terminals in communication with the transcoder for receiving an indication of each of the available media streams, each wireless terminal comprising a channel condition, each wireless terminal adapted for selecting one of the available media streams according to the data rates of the media streams and the channel condition.