Patent ID: 8054757

Claim:
A method for evaluating an effect of a simulated communication network to media data, the method comprising the acts of: encoding, by an encoder, media data to produce a plurality of packets to encode the media data; generating, by the encoder, a packet index number, a packet size and a packet transmission time, separate from the plurality of packets and associated with each of the plurality of packets; inputting the packet index number, packet size and packet transmission time for each of the plurality of packets to a communication network simulator, wherein the communication network simulator creates trace packets based on the packet index number, packet size and packet transmission time and corresponding to the plurality of packets; receiving, at a decoder, from the encoder by a first communication link the plurality of packets and from the communication network simulator by a second communication link an output indicating at least one effect of the simulated communication network to the trace packets; decoding, at the decoder, the media data encoded in the received plurality of packets while accounting for the effect of the simulated communication network; and correlating the decoded media data to a performance rating.