Media distribution in a wireless network
View Patent ↗In a network environment such as a wireless packet network, a source node transmits a data stream, e.g., a stream of media packets to a plurality of sink nodes, including the source node transmitting a first data stream of unicast packets addressed to at least a first one of the sink nodes, while other ones of said sink nodes receive while in promiscuous mode traffic on the network including the data stream. Individual ones of the other sink nodes, upon ascertaining that there are packets of the stream that were not received, transmit a re-transmission request to the source node so that the source node can take corrective action, and so all the sink nodes can receive the data stream, even though sent as unicast addressed to fewer than all the sink nodes.
1. A method of transmitting of a media data stream from a source node of a packet network to a plurality of sink nodes of the network, being a network wherein the source node and sink nodes communicate with one another wirelessly via a common access point, the method comprising:
the source node transmitting a first stream of unicast packets addressed to at least one of the sink nodes, and not addressed to the other non-addressee sink nodes, such that the addressee sink nodes are operative to reliably receive the first stream via the unicast transmission, while the other non-addressee sink nodes operate in promiscuous mode in which each can receive all traffic on the network including the first stream, wherein each of the other non-addressee sink nodes is configured to receive the first stream and determine whether one or more particular packets of the first stream have not been successfully received;
receiving a re-transmission request packet from a particular non-addressee sink node with an indication that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received one or more particular packets of the first stream; and
taking action to ensure that the particular non-addressee sink node receives the one or more particular packets,
such that all sink nodes are operative to receive the complete first stream.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transmitting is by way of a wireless network, and wherein at least some of the sink nodes include a wireless loudspeaker subsystem for playback of audio.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first stream is sent by unicast packets addressed to more than one sink node.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first stream is sent by unicast packets addressed to one sink node, the other sink nodes being the non-addressee sink nodes.
5. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the taking of action includes the source node transmitting the one or more particular packets of the first stream as one or more unicast packets addressed to the particular sink node from which the re-transmission request packet was received.
6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising monitoring the error rates of receipt by the non-addressee sink nodes and wherein the action includes, in the case that an error rate is ascertained to be more than a pre-defined threshold, switching the one or more addressee sink nodes to be those one or more sink nodes that have relatively high respective error rates of reception.
7. A method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the error rate for a non-addressee sink node is indicated by the rate of receipt of re-transmission requests from the particular non-addressee sink node.
8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the taking of action includes the source node reducing the rate at which the first node transmits the first stream as unicast packets addressed to the at least one of the sink nodes.
9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising prior to the transmitting of the first stream, assigning sequence indicators to the packets of the first stream so that a receiving node is operative to ascertain whether a packet has not been received, and further is operative to indicate in a re-transmission request the sequence indicator of a packet that have not been received.
10. A method in a packet network that includes a source node and a plurality of sink nodes, being a network wherein the source node and sink nodes communicate with one another wirelessly via a common access point, the method comprising:
a particular sink node of the network operating in promiscuous mode including receiving traffic on the network, the traffic including a first data stream of unicast packets sent by the source node and addressed to at least another one of the sink nodes not including the particular sink node;
the particular sink node selecting the first data stream from the traffic received;
the particular sink node ascertaining whether the particular non-addressee sink node has successfully received all packets of the first stream; and
in the case that the particular sink node has ascertained that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received one or more particular packets, transmitting a re-transmission request packet to the source node with an indication that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received the one or more particular packets of the first stream, wherein the source node is operative to take action to ensure that the particular non-addressee sink node receives the one or more particular not-received packets.
11. A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the transmitting is by way of a wireless network, and wherein the particular sink node includes a wireless loudspeaker subsystem for playback of audio.
12. A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first stream is sent by unicast packets addressed to more than one sink node.
13. A method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the first stream is sent by unicast packets addressed to one sink node.
14. A method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising receiving one or more unicast packets addressed to the particular sink node, the unicast packets addressed to the particular sink node being transmitted by the source node as a result of the source node taking action in response to receiving the re-transmission request packet.
15. A method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising receiving a packet from the source node indicating that the unicast packets of the first stream are to be packets addressed to a different sink node.
16. A non-transitory computer-readable carrier medium carrying a set of instructions that when executed by one or more processors in a source node of a packet network, being a network wherein the source node and sink nodes communicate with one another wirelessly via a common access point, cause the one or more processors to carry out a method of transmitting of a media data stream from the source node to a plurality of sink nodes of the network, the method comprising:
the source node transmitting a first stream of unicast packets addressed to at least one of the sink nodes, and not addressed to the other non-addressee sink nodes, such that the addressee sink nodes are operative to reliably receive the first stream while the other non-addressee sink nodes operate in promiscuous mode in which each can receive all traffic on the network including the first stream, wherein each of the other non-addressee sink nodes is configured to receive the first stream and determine whether one or more particular packets of the first stream have not been successfully received;
receiving a re-transmission request packet from a particular non-addressee sink node with an indication that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received one or more particular packets of the first stream; and
taking action to ensure that the particular non-addressee sink node receives the one or more particular packets,
such that all sink nodes are operative to receive the complete first stream.
17. A non-transitory computer-readable carrier medium carrying a set of instructions that when executed by one or more processors in a particular sink node of a packet network comprising a source node and a plurality of sink nodes, being a network wherein the source node and sink nodes communicate with one another wirelessly via a common access point, cause the one or more processors to carry out a method comprising:
a particular sink node in the source node operating in promiscuous mode including receiving traffic on the network, the traffic including a first data stream of unicast packets addressed to at least another one of the sink nodes not including the particular sink node;
the particular sink node selecting the first data stream from the traffic received;
the particular sink node ascertaining whether the particular non-addressee sink node has successfully received all packets of the first stream; and
in the case that the particular sink node has ascertained that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received one or more particular packets, transmitting a re-transmission request packet to the source node with an indication that the particular non-addressee sink node has not successfully received the one or more particular packets of the first stream, wherein the source node is operative to take action to ensure that the particular non-addressee sink node receives the one or more particular not-received packets.