System and process for controlling the coding bit rate of streaming media data employing a linear quadratic control technique and leaky bucket model

A system for controlling a coding bit rate of streaming media data being transmitted to a client from a server over a computer network, comprising:

• a general purpose computing device;
• a computer program comprising program modules executable by the computing device, wherein the computing device is directed by the program modules of the computer program to,
• establish, on a frame-by-frame basis, a coding bit rate for the streaming media data that reduces a difference between an estimated latest anticipated arrival time of a frame under consideration and a prescribed target arrival time for that frame, while at the same time reducing the change in the coding bit rate to a prescribed degree, using a linear quadratic cost function, so as to provide a high quality playback of the streaming media data while still keeping a decoder buffer of the client used to receive streaming media data from the server filled to a desired level, and
• use each coding bit rate established to control said rate for the streaming media data.