Classified Media Quality of Experience

• US 20070237098A1
• Filed: 02/12/2004
• Published: 10/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: 2011 Intellectual Property Asset Trust (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Wang, Ye-Kui
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,884 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/256
• 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 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/643 Communication protocols network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP], H04L65/65
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/647 Control signaling between network components and server or clients; Network processes for video distribution between server and clients, e.g. controlling the quality of the video stream, by dropping packets, protecting content from unauthorised alteration within the network, monitoring of network load, bridging between two different networks, e.g. between IP and wireless real-time session protocols H04L65/1101

Abstract

A method for reporting a streaming quality is shown, wherein at least one continuous media stream is streamed to a client (601), and wherein said streaming is controlled by a protocol (109) that is operated between said client (601) and a server (600), the method including selecting at least one quality metric and a quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes, and reporting to said server (600) the quality of said streaming based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class. The protocol (109) is preferably a Real-time Streaming Protocol in combination with a Session Description Protocol in the context of the 3GPP Packet-Switched Streaming Service. Also shown is a computer program, a computer program product, a system, a client, a server and a protocol.

Claims

1. A method for reporting a streaming quality, wherein at least one continuous media stream is streamed to a client, and wherein said streaming is controlled by a protocol that is operated between said client and a server, comprising:

selecting at least one quality metric and a quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes, and

reporting to said server the quality of said streaming based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said selecting said quality metrics class comprises negotiating said quality metrics class between said client and said server.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said protocol defines a quality metrics class field within at least one protocol data unit, wherein said quality metrics class field is capable of identifying each quality metrics class of said pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said quality metrics class field is located in a header section of said at least one protocol data unit.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said at least one selected quality metric is a quality of experience metric that is at least partially based on a decision whether at least one frame of said at least one continuous media stream is a good frame.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein each quality metrics class in said pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes defines a different set of rules on how to decide whether a frame of said at least one continuous media stream is a good frame.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said set of rules defined by at least one of said quality metrics classes comprises:

deciding an earlier of

a completely received I-frame of said at least one continuous media stream or

an N-th completely received frame of said at least one continuous media stream after a last frame error or loss to be a good frame, wherein then is an integer that is either signaled or defaults to ∞

in case of a video frame or 1 in case of an audio frame, and

deciding a frame of said at least one continuous media stream following a good frame to be a good frame, if said frame is completely received, and said frame and all subsequent frames until the next good frame to be corrupted, otherwise.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein said set of rules defined by at least one of said quality metric classes comprises:

deciding a coded frame of said at least one continuous media stream to be a good frame according to an error tracking algorithm.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said set of rules defined by at least one of said quality metrics classes comprises:

deciding an intra-coded frame of said at least one continuous media stream to be a good frame, if it is completely received at said client, and to be a corrupted frame otherwise, or

deciding a predictively coded frame of said at least one continuous media stream to be a good frame, if it is completely received at said client and if all its prediction reference samples of said predictively coded frame belong to good frames, and to be a corrupted frame otherwise.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein said set of rules defined by at least one of said quality metrics classes comprises:

deciding a coded frame of said at least one continuous media stream to be a good frame according to a decoding quality evaluation algorithm.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said set of rules defined by at least one of said quality metrics classes comprises:

deciding an intra-coded frame of said at least one continuous media stream to be a good frame, if it is completely received at said client, and to be a corrupted frame otherwise, or

deciding a predictively coded frame of said at least one continuous media stream to be a good frame, if it is completely received at said client and all prediction reference samples of said predictively coded frame belong to good frames, or

if at least a part of said frame is completely received, all prediction reference samples of said completely received parts of said frame belong to good frames, and all concealed parts of said frame are considered as good, wherein concealed parts of said frame are obtained by applying an error concealment algorithm to lost or erroneous parts of a decoded version of said frame, and wherein said concealed parts are considered as good if an average boundary difference between said concealed parts and surrounding completely received and decoded parts of said frame is below a threshold.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said protocol is a real-time streaming protocol in combination with a session description protocol in the context of a packet-switched streaming service of a third generation mobile communications system.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said session description protocol comprises at least one session description protocol attribute that defines at least one quality metrics class field, wherein said quality metrics class field is capable of identifying each quality metrics class of said pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said real-time streaming protocol is used to negotiate a quality metrics class between said client and said server at least partially based on said session description protocol attribute.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said real-time streaming protocol uses a DESCRIBE method for said negotiation.

16. A computer program with instructions operable to cause a processor to perform the method of claim 1.

17. A computer program product comprising a computer program with instructions operable to cause a processor to perform the method of claim 1.

18. A streaming system, comprising:

at least one client, and

at least one server,

wherein at least one continuous media stream is streamed to said at least one client, and wherein said streaming is controlled by a protocol that is operated between said at least one client and said at least one server, wherein at least one quality metric and a quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes are selected, and wherein the quality of said streaming based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class is reported to said at least one server.

19. A client in a streaming system, comprising:

means for operating a protocol that controls a streaming of at least one continuous media stream to said client,

means for selecting at least one quality metric and a quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes, and

means for reporting the quality of said streaming based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class to a server.

20. A server in a streaming system, comprising:

means for operating a protocol that controls a streaming of at least one continuous media stream to a client,

means for selecting at least one quality metric and a quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes, and

means for receiving a reported quality of said streaming from said client, wherein said quality is reported based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class.

21. A protocol for a streaming system, comprising:

rules for the control of a streaming of at least one continuous media stream to a client,

a definition of at least one quality metric and of a set of at least two quality metrics classes,

rules for the selection of at least one quality metric and of a quality metrics class from said set of at least two quality metrics classes, and

rules for the report of a quality of said streaming based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class to a server.

22. Apparatus, comprising:

a streaming quality monitor for monitoring quality of a streaming application according to at least one quality metric and a quality metrics class; and

a real-time streaming protocol entity for operating a protocol for controlling at least one continuous media stream of said streaming application, for selecting said at least one quality metric and said quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes, and for reporting the quality of said streaming based on said at least one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class.

23. Apparatus, comprising:

a quality data processing instance for evaluation and analysis for improving quality of a streaming application by enhancing a data rate of the application depending upon frequency of re-buffering events; and

a real-time streaming protocol entity for operating a protocol that controls a streaming of at least one continuous media stream, for selection at lest one quality metric and a quality metrics class from a pre-defined set of at least two quality metrics classes, and for receiving a reported quality of said streaming, wherein said quality is reported based on said at lest one selected quality metric and said selected quality metrics class.