Stream switching with in-stream transmission rate probing for adaptive mobile multimedia streaming

In this paper a new stream switching algorithm for mobile multimedia streaming is proposed. Special emphasis is given to the up-switching decision. In order to avoid false up-switches of the media content rate and consequential toggling behavior of the media quality, transmission rate probing within a multimedia stream is combined with bit-stuffing techniques and RTCP receiver reporting. Experimental results show that the proposed method avoids false up-switches in case of multimedia streaming in 3G networks resulting in a smoother media quality experience.