Reducing effects caused by transmission channel errors during a streaming session

1 . A method for streaming media from a streaming server to a streaming client via a transmission channel, wherein the method comprises:

reducing effects caused by transmission channel error variation by applying error resilience adaptation to the streaming media.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said error resilience adaptation comprises the use of a set of pre-defined error resilience levels to control streaming media transmission.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein said error resilience levels are defined in accordance with targeted highest data loss rate or packet loss rate.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein transmission channel error variation is noticed as a change in data loss rate or packet loss rate experienced at the client side.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method comprises:

sending, upon noticing a change in transmission channel condition, from the streaming client to the streaming server a request for error resilience adaptation;

receiving the request at the streaming server;

adapting, by the streaming server, the error resilience level of the streaming media in accordance with the request.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein said request is one of the following: a request for a specific error resilience level, an error resilience level increase request, an error resilience level decrease request.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the streaming server receives from the client reports, such as RTCP reports (RTP Control Protocol (Real-Time Streaming Protocol)), indicative of transmission channel errors, and wherein the server decides on error resilience adaptation based on one or more of said reports.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein error resilience adaptation is performed during an ongoing streaming session established between the streaming client and the streaming server.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a media stream at the streaming server is associated with an error resilience value indicating an error resilience level.

10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein said error resilience value is stored in a file format in which said media stream is stored.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein error resilience adaptation is performed by switching the streaming server from sending a first beforehand generated stream having a first error resilience level to sending a second beforehand generated stream having a second error resilience level, the second error resilience level differing from the first one.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein error resilience adaptation is performed by a transcoding method which comprises transcoding a media stream having a first level of error resilience to form a media stream having a level of error resilience differing from said first level.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein error resilience information is transferred between the streaming server and the streaming client.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein, in a streaming session setup, information on available different error resilience level alternatives is communicated to the client.

15 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmission channel is at least partially implemented via a mobile communications network.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the streaming server has an IP connection (Internet Protocol) to an IP-based network which is configured to be coupled with the mobile communications network.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein said media to be streamed comprise at least one of the following: a video content, an audio content, a still image, graphics, text and speech.

18 . A client device comprising:

receiving means for receiving streaming media sent from a streaming server to the client device via a transmission channel;

detection means for detecting transmission channel errors; and

sending means for sending an error resilience adaptation request to the streaming server.

19 . The client device of claim 18 , wherein the client device is a mobile station of a cellular network.

20 . A streaming server comprising:

sending means for sending streaming media to a streaming client via a transmission channel; and

adaptation means for reducing effects caused by transmission channel error variation by applying error resilience adaptation to the streaming media.

21 . A system comprising a streaming server, a transmission channel and a streaming client, wherein the system comprises:

transmission means for transmitting streaming media from the streaming server to the streaming client via the transmission channel; and

adaptation means for reducing effects caused by transmission channel error variation by applying error resilience adaptation to the streaming media.

22 . A computer program product executable in a client device, the computer program product comprising:

program code for controlling reception of streaming media sent from a streaming server to the client device via a transmission channel;

program code for detecting transmission channel errors; and

program code for controlling sending of an error resilience adaptation request to the streaming server.

23 . A computer program product executable in a streaming server, the computer program product comprising:

program code for controlling sending of streaming media to a streaming client via a transmission channel; and

program code for controlling error resilience adaptation applied to the streaming media.