A method for sending forward error correction, FEC, configuration information by a sending apparatus in a multimedia system, the method comprising: sending at least one FEC source packet, the at least one FEC source packet belonging to an FEC source packet block to which an FEC coding structure is applied, wherein each of the at least one FEC source packet includes a header, a payload and FEC configuration information, and the header includes information for a time stamp indicating a sending time of the FEC source packet, wherein the FEC coding structure is a two-stage FEC coding structure, wherein the FEC source packet block is split into M, M>1, FEC source packet sub-blocks and the M FEC source packet sub-blocks are each encoded by an FEC 1 code to generate M first FEC repair symbol blocks and the FEC source packet block is encoded by an FEC 2 code to generate a second FEC repair symbol block, characterized in that the FEC configuration information includes a time stamp indicator, TS_lndicator, and a time stamp field (FP_TS) and is located after the payload, the TS_indicator indicating whether the time stamp field of the FEC configuration information is related to the FEC source packet block or to the FEC source packet sub-blocks to which the FEC source packet belongs, wherein, in case the FEC configuration information is included in an FEC source packet which is even-numbered sent among one or more FEC source packets of the FEC source packet sub-blocks, the TS_indicator indicates that the time stamp field (FP_TS) as 31 bits information includes bits except a most significant bit, MSB, of 1 bit of the time stamp in the header of a first FEC source packet which is firstly sent in the FEC source packet block to which the even-numbered sent FEC source packet belongs, and wherein, in case the FEC configuration information is included in an FEC source packet which is odd-numbered sent among the one or more FEC source packets of the FEC source packet sub-blocks, the TS indicator indicates that the time stamp field (FP_TS) as 31 bits information includes bits except an MSB of 1 bit of the time stamp in the header of a first FEC source packet which is firstly sent in the FEC source packet sub-blocks to which the odd-numbered sent FEC source packet belongs. sending at least one FEC source packet, the at least one FEC source packet belonging to an FEC source packet block to which an FEC coding structure is applied, wherein each of the at least one FEC source packet includes a header, a payload and FEC configuration information, and the header includes information for a time stamp indicating a sending time of the FEC source packet, wherein the FEC coding structure is a two-stage FEC coding structure, wherein the FEC source packet block is split into M, M>1, FEC source packet sub-blocks and the M FEC source packet sub-blocks are each encoded by an FEC 1 code to generate M first FEC repair symbol blocks and the FEC source packet block is encoded by an FEC 2 code to generate a second FEC repair symbol block, characterized in that the FEC configuration information includes a time stamp indicator, TS_lndicator, and a time stamp field (FP_TS) and is located after the payload, the TS_indicator indicating whether the time stamp field of the FEC configuration information is related to the FEC source packet block or to the FEC source packet sub-blocks to which the FEC source packet belongs, wherein, in case the FEC configuration information is included in an FEC source packet which is even-numbered sent among one or more FEC source packets of the FEC source packet sub-blocks, the TS_indicator indicates that the time stamp field (FP_TS) as 31 bits information includes bits except a most significant bit, MSB, of 1 bit of the time stamp in the header of a first FEC source packet which is firstly sent in the FEC source packet block to which the even-numbered sent FEC source packet belongs, and wherein, in case the FEC configuration information is included in an FEC source packet which is odd-numbered sent among the one or more FEC source packets of the FEC source packet sub-blocks, the TS indicator indicates that the time stamp field (FP_TS) as 31 bits information includes bits except an MSB of 1 bit of the time stamp in the header of a first FEC source packet which is firstly sent in the FEC source packet sub-blocks to which the odd-numbered sent FEC source packet belongs.