Wireless media streaming system

1. A method comprising:

while a streaming device is streaming a media program from a multimedia device to a client device, the streaming device:

sending a first portion of the media program to the client device, the first portion having been adapted by the streaming device for a first playing mode of the client device with one or more first adaptation operations specific to the first playing mode;

in response to receiving an indication of a user command from the client device specifying a second different playing mode of the client device, the second different playing mode being different from a mode of normal playing speed, performing:

adapting a pre-adapted portion of the media program received from the multimedia device into a second different portion of the media program, the pre-adapted portion of the media program supporting the mode of normal playing speed, the second different portion of the media program being a sub-sampled version of the pre-adapted portion of the media program for supporting the second different playing mode of the client device;

sending the second different portion of the media program to the client device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the first playing mode and the second playing mode represent two different operational modes among a plurality of different operational modes, and wherein the plurality of different operational modes comprises two or more of one or more normal playing modes, one or more fast forward playing modes, one or more rewind playing modes, or one or more non-playing modes.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising transcoding the first portion being transcoded from a first format into a second different format, wherein the second format is configured to be decoded by the client device.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a streaming request for streaming a second media program;

determining whether the client device possesses digital rights to perform one or more operations as specified in the streaming request for streaming the second media program.

5. The method as recited in claim 4 , further comprising:

in response to determining that the client device does not possess digital rights to perform one or more operations as specified in the streaming request for streaming the second media program, rejecting the streaming request for streaming the second media program.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving one or more credentials of at least one of the multimedia device or the client device;

establishing one or more corresponding trust levels with the at least one of the multimedia device or the client device based at least in part on the received credentials.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising performing one or more cryptographic operations related to one or more of the first portion of the media program or the second portion of the media program.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the user command is one of a plurality of user commands for changing playing modes as inputted by a user of the client device while the media program is being streamed.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a network connection between the streaming device and the client device comprises at least one wireless network link.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the streaming device loading a second media program to one of the client device or other client devices while the media program is being streamed from the multimedia device to the client device.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the streaming device streaming media content between the client device and one of the multimedia device or other multimedia devices while the media program is being streamed from the multimedia device to the client device.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising

while the streaming device is streaming the media program from the multimedia device to the client device, the streaming device streaming one or more additional media programs concurrently to one or more client devices.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first portion or the second portion comprises one or more tags.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising the streaming device maintaining a media data buffer for video frames in a time interval of the media program.

15. The method as recited in claim 1 , further comprising:

the streaming device discovering the client device;

the streaming device determining that the client device is not configured to decode media data encoded in the first format but is configured to decode media data encoded in the second format;

in response to determining that the client device is not configured to decode media data encoded in the first format but is configured to decode media data encoded in the second format, transcoding the media program from the first format to the second format.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions, which when executed by one or more processors cause performance of:

while a streaming device is streaming a media program from a multimedia device to a client device, the streaming device:

sending a first portion of the media program to the client device, the first portion having been adapted by the streaming device for a first playing mode of the client device with one or more first adaptation operations specific to the first playing mode;

in response to receiving an indication of a user command from the client device specifying a second different playing mode of the client device, the second different playing mode being different from a mode of normal playing speed, performing:

adapting a pre-adapted portion of the media program received from the multimedia device into a second different portion of the media program, the pre-adapted portion of the media program supporting the mode of normal playing speed, the second different portion of the media program being a sub-sampled version of the pre-adapted portion of the media program for supporting the second different playing mode of the client device;

sending the second different portion of the media program to the client device.

17. The medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the first playing mode and the second playing mode represent two different operational modes among a plurality of different operational modes, and wherein the plurality of different operational modes comprises two or more of one or more normal playing modes, one or more fast forward playing modes, one or more rewind playing modes, or one or more non-playing modes.

18. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising transcoding the first portion being transcoded from a first format into a second different format, wherein the second format is configured to be decoded by the client device.

19. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:

receiving a streaming request for streaming a second media program;

determining whether the client device possesses digital rights to perform one or more operations as specified in the streaming request for streaming the second media program.

20. The medium as recited in claim 19 , further comprising:

in response to determining that the client device does not possess digital rights to perform one or more operations as specified in the streaming request for streaming the second media program, rejecting the streaming request for streaming the second media program.

21. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:

receiving one or more credentials of at least one of the multimedia device or the client device;

establishing one or more corresponding trust levels with the at least one of the multimedia device or the client device based at least in part on the received credentials.

22. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising performing one or more cryptographic operations related to one or more of the first portion of the media program or the second portion of the media program.

23. The medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein the user command is one of a plurality of user commands for changing playing modes as inputted by a user of the client device while the media program is being streamed.

24. The medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein a network connection between the streaming device and the client device comprises at least one wireless network link.

25. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising the streaming device loading a second media program to one of the client device or other client devices while the media program is being streamed from the multimedia device to the client device.

26. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising the streaming device streaming media content between the client device and one of the multimedia device or other multimedia devices while the media program is being streamed from the multimedia device to the client device.

27. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:

while the streaming device is streaming the media program from the multimedia device to the client device, the streaming device streaming one or more additional media programs concurrently to one or more client devices.

28. The medium as recited in claim 16 , wherein at least one of the first portion or the second portion comprises one or more tags.

29. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising the streaming device maintaining a media data buffer for video frames in a time interval of the media program.

30. The medium as recited in claim 16 , further comprising:

the streaming device discovering the client device;

the streaming device determining that the client device is not configured to decode media data encoded in the first format but is configured to decode media data encoded in the second format;

in response to determining that the client device is not configured to decode media data encoded in the first format but is configured to decode media data encoded in the second format, the streaming device transcoding the media program from the first format to the second format.

31. A streaming device comprising:

a subsystem, implemented at least in part in hardware, that sends a first portion of a media program to a client device, the first portion having been adapted by the streaming device for a first playing mode of the client device with one or more first adaptation operations specific to the first playing mode, while the streaming device is streaming the media program from a multimedia device to the client device;

a subsystem, implemented at least in part in hardware, that adapts, in response to receiving an indication of a user command from the client device specifying a second different playing mode of the client device, while the streaming device is streaming the media program from the multimedia device to the client device, the second different playing mode being different from a mode of normal playing speed, a pre-adapted portion of the media program received from the multimedia device into a second different portion of the media program, the pre-adapted portion of the media program supporting the mode of normal playing speed, the second different portion of the media program being a sub-sampled version of the pre-adapted portion of the media program for supporting the second different playing mode of the client device; and sends the second different portion of the media program to the client device.

32. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the first playing mode and the second playing mode represent two different operational modes among a plurality of different operational modes, and wherein the plurality of different operational modes comprises two or more of one or more normal playing modes, one or more fast forward playing modes, one or more rewind playing modes, or one or more non-playing modes.

33. The system as recited in claim 31 , further comprising transcoding the first portion being transcoded from a first format into a second different format, wherein the second format is configured to be decoded by the client device.

34. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform:

receiving a streaming request for streaming a second media program;

determining whether the client device possesses digital rights to perform one or more operations as specified in the streaming request for streaming the second media program.

35. The system as recited in claim 34 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform:

in response to determining that the client device does not possess digital rights to perform one or more operations as specified in the streaming request for streaming the second media program, rejecting the streaming request for streaming the second media program.

36. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform:

receiving one or more credentials of at least one of the multimedia device or the client device;

establishing one or more corresponding trust levels with the at least one of the multimedia device or the client device based at least in part on the received credentials.

37. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform one or more cryptographic operations related to one or more of the first portion of the media program or the second portion of the media program.

38. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the user command is one of a plurality of user commands for changing playing modes as inputted by a user of the client device while the media program is being streamed.

39. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein a network connection between the streaming device and the client device comprises at least one wireless network link.

40. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform loading a second media program to one of the client device or other client devices while the media program is being streamed from the multimedia device to the client device.

41. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform streaming media content between the client device and one of the multimedia device or other multimedia devices while the media program is being streamed from the multimedia device to the client device.

42. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform:

while the streaming device is streaming the media program from the multimedia device to the client device, the streaming device streaming one or more additional media programs concurrently to one or more client devices.

43. The system as recited in claim 31 wherein at least one of the first portion or the second portion comprises one or more tags.

44. The system as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform maintaining a media data buffer for video frames in a time interval of the media program.

45. The streaming device as recited in claim 31 , wherein the streaming device is further configured to perform:

discovering the client device;

determining that the client device is not configured to decode media data encoded in the first format but is configured to decode media data encoded in the second format;

in response to determining that the client device is not configured to decode media data encoded in the first format but is configured to decode media data encoded in the second format, transcoding the media program from the first format to the second format.