An end to end adaptable architecture for streaming media over IP networks

Wireless networks differ in bandwidth, size and access costs each requiring a set of protocol functions to enable devices to communicate efficiently. Portable multimedia devices such as PDA's and laptops will also vary greatly however all these devices will require optimal multimedia delivery. A traditional method is for sources to limit their transmission rates to accommodate lower bandwidth links, even though high-bandwidth connectivity is available to many participants. This method similar to others does not provide optimum throughput to heterogeneous clients due to its quest for a common denominator bandwidth. In addition, due to the divergence of users and applications, traditional protocol stacks are frequently enriched with additional functionality such as transport protocol functionality, synchronization and presentation coding which can lead to a performance bottleneck due to the insufficient processing power and memory of portable devices.