Abstract: Methods and systems facilitate efficient and effective special effects in video streaming. In one embodiment, an apparatus enables special effects by decoding video frames in accordance with a decoding process. The decoding process includes: accessing a plurality of streams of video (wherein each stream originates from a respective camera of a camera array) and decoding frames from the plurality of streams of video. A first stream from a first camera comprises: a first primary special effect predictive (SP) frame that is coded based upon a predictive (P) frame in the first stream; and a first secondary special effect predictive (SP) frame that is coded based upon a primary special effect predictive (SP) frame included in a second stream from a second camera. The method further comprises rendering a special effect using the primary and secondary special effect predictive (SP) frames.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for staggercasting are described including encoding and compressing a first data sequence, packetizing the compressed encoded data sequence to form a data packet, performing forward error correction (FEC) encoding on the data packet in order to generate a second data sequence related to the first data sequence, appending FEC control information as padding to the end of payload data of the data packet, packetizing the second data sequence to form a packet, multicasting the data packet to a first multicast group, multicasting the packet formed using the second data sequence delayed by an offset time to a second multicast group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for staggercasting are described including encoding and compressing a first data sequence, packetizing the compressed encoded data sequence to form a data packet, performing forward error correction (FEC) encoding on the data packet in order to generate a second data sequence related to the first data sequence, appending FEC control information as padding to the end of payload data of the data packet, packetizing the second data sequence to form a packet, multicasting the data packet to a first multicast group, multicasting the packet formed using the second data sequence delayed by an offset time to a second multicast group.

Abstract: A QoS management scheme for SDN. Network resource availability of routers and switches are maintained in a central resource database of a SDN controller. The SDN controller performs resource reservation, admission control and route calculation. When a flow is admitted or completed, the resource database is updated accordingly. Dynamic queue mapping for QoS routing in SDN is also provided. For a traffic flow with a certain traffic description and delay requirement, the queue mapping protocol dynamically assigns the flow to different priority queues at different switches along its routing path. Compared with the static mapping of a flow to a specified priority queue, the disclosed mapping is more flexible and uses network resources more efficiently.

Abstract: A method for delivering packets in a wireless communications system includes determining a cause of loss for a previously transmitted packet based on a packet acknowledgement corresponding to the previously transmitted packet, the packet acknowledgement including at least one of a wireless loss indicator and a congestion warning indicator for the wireless communications system. The method also includes adjusting a transmission parameter in a packet transmission protocol according to the cause of loss, and retransmitting the previously transmitted packet.

Abstract: Methods and systems facilitate efficient and effective special effects in video streaming. In one embodiment, an apparatus enables special effects by decoding video frames in accordance with a decoding process. The decoding process includes: accessing a plurality of streams of video (wherein each stream originates from a respective camera of a camera array) and decoding frames from the plurality of streams of video. A first stream from a first camera comprises: a first primary special effect predictive (SP) frame that is coded based upon a predictive (P) frame in the first stream; and a first secondary special effect predictive (SP) frame that is coded based upon a primary special effect predictive (SP) frame included in a second stream from a second camera. The method further comprises rendering a special effect using the primary and secondary special effect predictive (SP) frames.

Abstract: A method for scheduling user equipment (UE) devices comprising sorting the plurality of UE devices based on a weight of priority associated with each of the UE devices with respect to a plurality of subbands, and assigning one or more of the UE devices to each of the subbands using the weight of priority associated with the UE devices, wherein the weight of priority is based on one or more network utility functions associated with the UE devices. A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions to receive a media content segment using a dynamic adaptive video streaming over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) (DASH) protocol, monitor a playback buffer size of a UE device, monitor a battery energy level of the UE device, and adjust a representation quality level in a segment request based on the target requested video rate, the playback buffer size and the battery energy level.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including scanning a channel, generating a report for the scanned channel, transmitting the channel report to an associated access point and receiving a channel assignment responsive to said channel report. Also described are a method and apparatus including scanning a channel, generating a first channel report, receiving a second channel report from an associated client, transmitting the first channel report and the second channel report to a server, receiving a channel assignment message from the server responsive to the first and second channel reports and transmitting the channel assignment message to the associated client. Further described are a method and apparatus including receiving a channel report from an associated access point, building an interference graph responsive to the channel report, determining channel assignments based on the interference graph and transmitting a channel assignment message to the associated access point.

Abstract: Method, device and apparatus for delivering video telephony by using a media controller and a software defined networking (SDN) controller to enable multicasting for multi-party video conferencing. A media controller generates a video sending rate for each of the plurality of client devices based on a received video conference request and received network information. The media controller determines and independently constructs a maximum-rate delay-bounded multicast tree for each of the plurality of client devices that supports the largest possible multicast rate. The media controller determines a common congested link in the multicast trees, re-routes the multicast tree with the common congested link for the client device with the lowest weight of utility divided by its video sending rate and creating two subtrees, and iteratively re-routes the multicast trees until an aggregate video sending rate of the multicast trees sharing the common congested link meets a link capacity of the common congested link.

Abstract: Described herein are a method and apparatus including calculating an aggregate peak total traffic demand for all overlapping access points in an interference range, comparing the aggregate peak total traffic demand to a threshold, rejecting a requested new quality of service traffic stream responsive to results of the comparison, calculating a peak total traffic demand for each overlapping access point in the interference range if the requested new quality of service traffic stream is admissible responsive to results of the comparison, comparing the peak total traffic demand for each overlapping access point in the interference range, if the requested new quality of service traffic stream is admissible, to the threshold and one of accepting the requested new quality of service traffic stream and rejecting the requested new quality of service traffic stream responsive to results of the second comparison.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including receiving, by a transmitter, a report from an associated client, setting and using a downlink transmit power level responsive to the report for data transmissions to the associated client, determining a downlink data loss rate and adjusting the downlink transmit power level responsive to the downlink data loss rate, wherein said report includes received signal strength, client transmit power level and one of link margin and receiver sensitivity. Also described are a method and apparatus including receiving, by a receiver, a request for a report, transmitting the requested report, receiving an instruction to use an uplink transmit power level, setting and using the uplink transmit power level, determining an uplink data loss rate and adjusting the uplink transmit power level responsive to the uplink data loss rate, wherein said report includes said received signal strength, client transmit power level and one of said link margin and said receiver sensitivity.

Abstract: A method and system for transmitting data are described including packetizing the data, performing forward error correction (FEC) encoding on the packetized data in order to generate at least one parity packet, appending FEC information as padding to the end of payload data of the packetized data and transmitting the packetized data and the at least one parity packet. Also described are a method and system for recovering from loss of a packet including receiving a data packet, receiving at least one parity packet, buffering the received data packet, detecting packet loss, forward error correction decoding the at least one parity packet to recover from packet loss using forward error correction information extracted from the data packet and from the at least one parity packet and forwarding the recovered packet via an internal socket. Also described is a method for staggercasting.

Abstract: An embodiment of a system and method that uses inline measurements to probe available bandwidth for a transmission control protocol, and adaptively sets a slow-start threshold according to the available bandwidth. The method includes initializing a congestion window “cwnd,” sending cwnd packets, estimating an available bandwidth for the cwnd packets. The congestion window cwnd is set to a higher number, and the higher number of further packets is sent if the available bandwidth is greater than a first threshold level. The available bandwidth is re-estimated for the higher number of the further packets, and a soft start threshold “ssthresh” is set to the re-estimated available bandwidth. A statistical measure is calculated for the re-estimated available bandwidth, and the congestion window cwnd is set equal to ssthresh if a ratio of the statistical measure to the re-estimated available bandwidth is less than a second threshold level.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for staggercasting are described including encoding and compressing a first data sequence, packetizing the compressed encoded data sequence to form a data packet, performing forward error correction (FEC) encoding on the data packet in order to generate a second data sequence related to the first data sequence, appending FEC control information as padding to the end of payload data of the data packet, packetizing the second data sequence to form a packet, multicasting the data packet to a first multicast group, multicasting the packet formed using the second data sequence delayed by an offset time to a second multicast group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including selecting a first route between a source node and a destination node using a bandwidth-aware routing protocol, determining if the selected first route satisfies a bandwidth requirement of an application of the source node, initiating a switch to a new channel selected from a back-up channel list if the bandwidth requirement of the application is not satisfied by the selected route, selecting a second route over the new channel using the bandwidth-aware routing protocol, determining if the selected second route over the new channel satisfies the bandwidth requirement of the application of the source node and streaming data from the source node to the destination node if the selected first route satisfies the bandwidth requirement of the application or if the selected second route over the new channel satisfies the bandwidth requirement of the application.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for staggercasting are described including encoding and compressing a first data sequence, packetizing the compressed encoded data sequence to form a data packet, performing forward error correction (FEC) encoding on the data packet in order to generate a second data sequence related to the first data sequence, appending FEC control information as padding to the end of payload data of the data packet, packetizing the second data sequence to form a packet, multicasting the data packet to a first multicast group, multicasting the packet formed using the second data sequence delayed by an offset time to a second multicast group.

Abstract: System and methods for connection pooling for video streaming in content delivery networks (CSNs) are provided. An embodiment method for connection pooling in a content delivery network (CDN) by a proxy server includes receiving, from a client, a request for media content, sending, to a control server, a query to locate an origin media server having the media content if the media content is cache-missing, receiving, from the control server, information regarding the origin media server having the media content requested by the client, and forwarding the request for the media content to the origin media server having the media content using a reusable connection from a pool of the reusable connections between the proxy server and the origin media server if the reusable connection is unoccupied.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for staggercasting are described including encoding and compressing a first data sequence, packetizing the compressed encoded data sequence to form a data packet, performing forward error correction (FEC) encoding on the data packet in order to generate a second data sequence related to the first data sequence, appending FEC control information as padding to the end of payload data of the data packet, packetizing the second data sequence to form a packet, multicasting the data packet to a first multicast group, multicasting the packet formed using the second data sequence delayed by an offset time to a second multicast group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including categorizing each channel into one of four categories, selecting a channel from a first category of channels, if there are any channels in the first category of channels, selecting a channel from a second category of channels, if there are any channels in the second category of channels and selecting a channel from a third category of channels, if there are any channels in the third category of channels.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are described including scanning a channel, generating a report for the scanned channel, transmitting the channel report to an associated access point and receiving a channel assignment responsive to said channel report. Also described are a method and apparatus including scanning a channel, generating a first channel report, receiving a second channel report from an associated client, transmitting the first channel report and the second channel report to a server, receiving a channel assignment message from the server responsive to the first and second channel reports and transmitting the channel assignment message to the associated client. Further described are a method and apparatus including receiving a channel report from an associated access point, building an interference graph responsive to the channel report, determining channel assignments based on the interference graph and transmitting a channel assignment message to the associated access point.