A streaming-protocol retransmission scheme without client-server clock synchronization

This letter considers an Internet streaming protocol (SP) for the transport of real-time continuous data stream. SP makes use of measured network dela y to optimally set retransmission time-outs and scale reliability. The send er streams out packets in a periodic manner, and a NACK is issued by the re ceiver if it does not receive an expected packet by a certain time. Althoug h it may appear at first glance that the sender's and receiver's clocks mus t be synchronized, we prove that that the SP mould work even if the clocks were not synchronized, a situation not uncommon in the Internet.