Patent ID: 8189659

Claim:
A method for transmitting video signals to a plurality of receivers in a multicast session, said method comprising: controlling and jointly adapting coding schemes, transmission schemes and protection schemes of a plurality of layers of a network protocol stack, wherein said coding schemes comprise physical layer channel coding modes and wherein said transmission scheme comprise modulation and wherein protection schemes comprise application layer forward error correction coding and packetization; segmenting said video signals into one of a base layer and an enhancement layer based on importance of said segmented video signals, wherein said segmentation provides unequal protection; applying forward error correction coding to said base layer and said enhancement layer; selecting a physical layer modulation and channel coding mode, a packet size and a forward error correction coding scheme for said base layer; receiving feedback from said plurality of receivers, said feedback including channel conditions; and dynamically adapting an enhancement layer source rate, an enhancement layer physical layer modulation and channel coding mode and an enhancement layer packet size and applying a forward error correction scheme to said enhancement layer under a total channel usage constraint, said adaptations for said enhancement layer being different from said adaptations for said base layer.