Efficient on-demand packet recovery for broadcast and multicast networks system and method

In a broadcast/multicast IP distribution network for reliable transfer of data/media from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver, the network having a method for generic IP error correction of packets sent in a data/media stream, the method comprising:

• configuring a probe device to send packetized data in the data/media stream to one of a plurality of recovery servers using a reliable data delivery protocol, the probe device associated with the at least one transmitter;
• associating a detection device with the at least one receiver for packet loss detection, the detection device sending a missing packet request to the plurality of recovery servers upon detecting a missing packet;
• and
• establishing a message communication between the detection device and the plurality of recovery servers, the message communication including packet loss event notification messages with respective messages indicating at least one packet of the data/media stream that did not reach the detection device;
• whereby the data/media stream is buffered in the plurality of recovery servers, and the recovery servers is available for a recovery process;
• and
• whereby the recovery process includes gathering and subsequently encoding a plurality of missing packet requests, resulting from a plurality of missing packets, into a recovery reference packet, and sending the recovery reference packet to the at least one receiver for decoding and recovery.

In a broadcast/multicast IP distribution network additionally including data/media streaming over satellite, multimedia broadcast multicast services (MBMS), RF, and cellular data, for reliable transfer of data/media from at least one transmitter to at least one receiver, the network having a system for generic IP error correction of packets sent in a data/media stream, the system comprising:

• a probe device configured to send packetized data in the data/media stream to one of a plurality of recovery servers using a reliable data delivery protocol, the probe device associated with the at least one transmitter;
• a detection device for packet loss detection, the detection device associated with the at least one receiver, the detection device adapted to send a missing packet request to the plurality of recovery servers upon detecting a missing packet;
• and
• a message communication between the detection device and the plurality of recovery servers, the message communication including packet loss event notification messages with respective messages indicative of at least one missing packet in the data/media stream that did not reach the detection device;
• wherein the data/media stream is buffered in the plurality of recovery servers, and the recovery servers available for a recovery process;
• and
• wherein the recovery process includes gathering and subsequently encoding a plurality of missing packet requests, resulting from a plurality of missing packets, into a recovery reference packet, the recovery reference packet sent to the at least one receiver for decoding and recovery.