Provided is an apparatus and method for adjusting a bandwidth allocation for a traffic flow associated with a user as a function of a sensed characteristic of the user. A communication device has a sensor data receiver for receiving sensor data pertaining to a sensed characteristic of a user, and circuitry implementing an IRSCU (information representative of the sensed characteristic of the user) messenger configured for sending, to a network entity used for adjusting a bandwidth allocation for a traffic flow associated with the user, a message containing IRSCU. A network management entity, which receives the IRSCU, has circuitry implementing a bandwidth adjustor, which is configured for adjusting, based on the IRSCU, a bandwidth allocation for a traffic flow associated with the user. Accordingly, the bandwidth allocation for the traffic flow associated with the user is adjusted as a function of the sensed characteristic of the user.

The present invention provides a digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T) system and modulation method thereof. The system comprises a transmission module and a receiving module. The transmission module modulates a video signal to a DVB-T signal. The receiving module receives the DVB-T signal via a transmission line and demodulates the DVB-T signal to the video signal, and at the same time, monitoring the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or bit error rate (BER), and quantizes them to a reference data. The receiving module transmits the reference data to the transmission module through the same transmission line. The system can determine a control parameter according to the reference data to set the modulation parameter of the DVB-T signal.

A method for transmitting encoded media data on the basis of a layer model includes dividing the media data onto a basic layer and at least one additional enhanced layer, transmitting the basic layer and the at least one enhanced layer via at least two network accesses, selecting a first network access to transmit the basic layer that has a network quality and/or stability that is sufficient for transmitting the basic layer; and selecting at least one second network access from among the network accesses depending upon the bandwidth of the first network access and the quality and stability of the network accesses for transmitting the at least one enhanced layer. An apparatus can be configured to execute the method. In some embodiments, the apparatus can include a communication system, a server computer device and/or a mobile terminal.

A method includes evaluating a bandwidth capacity of an uplink between a first customer premises equipment device and a network node of a multimedia distribution network. The method includes receiving a message at the first customer premises equipment device from the network node, the message indicating a request for multimedia content by a second customer premises equipment device, and instructing the first customer premise equipment device to provide the multimedia content to the second customer premise equipment device. The method includes transmitting a portion of the multimedia content from the first customer premises equipment device to the second customer premises equipment device. The method further includes, when the bandwidth capacity of the uplink is greater than a threshold, transmitting the multimedia content from the first customer premises equipment device to a first set of helper virtual peers selected based on the bandwidth capacity.

Systems, devices, and methods for streaming or otherwise delivering media content over a network are provided. One exemplary method of streaming media content over a network using a RS-DVR system involves receiving, at the RS-DVR system, a request for a portion of the media content from a media player on a client device via the network, receiving, at the RS-DVR system, the portion of the media content from an origin server on the network, buffering the portion of the media content at the RS-DVR system, and transmitting the portion of the media content to the media player on the client device. The portion of media content may be transmitted using a modified transport layer protocol, and in some embodiments, marked as non-cacheable.

A method includes receiving a media stream at a media device and converting, at the media device, the media stream into data packets. The method includes initiating, with the media device, end-to-end connections between the media device and a receiving device via a plurality of cellular network and determining, at the media device, a quality of service factor for each cellular network of the plurality of cellular networks. The method includes selecting, at the media device, a single cellular network of the plurality of cellular networks based on the quality of service factor for each cellular network of the plurality of cellular networks. The method also includes transmitting the data packets from the media device via the single cellular network to the receiving device.

An end-to-end multimedia streaming system can include a streaming server and a destination. The streaming server includes a content source, which sends multiple description coding-encoded content over a plurality of paths to the destination. The destination includes an aggregator for aggregating the descriptions from the multiple paths, decoding and recombining them to recover the content. A feedback sender at the destination generates traffic performance variables based on the channel conditions of the multiple paths, and sends these variables to a feedback receiver at the streaming server. The feedback receiver utilizes the feedback information to make adjustments to the transmissions of the content, and to synchronize the transmissions over the multiple paths.

A method by which a streaming interactive video user session is handed off from one streaming interactive video server to another without noticeable disruption to the video stream or the user interactivity.

A system and method for managing video streaming on a computer network based at least in part on a state of a video streaming traffic flow. The method includes: reviewing a traffic flow to determine whether the traffic flow is a video streaming traffic flow; if the traffic flow is a video streaming traffic flow, determine at least one video characteristic associated with the video streaming traffic flow; determining a state of the video streaming traffic flow; determining a priority of the video streaming traffic flow based on the characteristics and the state of the video streaming traffic flow; and allocating bandwidth to the video streaming traffic flow based on the priority; otherwise, if the traffic flow is not a video streaming traffic flow, allowing the traffic flow to continue with the traffic flow's current priority.

Systems and methods for low-delay video streaming featuring multiple video compression ratios. One embodiment of the system includes: a real-time video encoder (RT-VE) that receives an incoming high-definition uncompressed video (HD-UV), processes the incoming HD-UV according to first and second compression ratios, and sends the processed video over a resource reservation communication link to a real-time video decoder (RT-VD). The compression delay added by the RT-VE is below the duration of a single video frame, and the RT-VD converts the processed video into an outgoing HD-UV. Wherein on-the-fly switches between the first and second compression ratios, while continuing to receive the incoming HD-UV uninterruptedly, are both visually lossless switches and maintain a total delay between corresponding frames of the incoming HD-UV and the outgoing HD-UV that is below duration of two video frames.