Video streaming over data networks

A client device receives streamed encoded content data, such as encoded video data, which has been encoded at a constant perceptual quality. Several different versions of the content are available to be streamed to the device, at different perceptual quality levels. In order to decide which quality level to request from a content server at intervals the device calculates the delivery rates that would be required for each level of quality. The delivery rates are calculated in dependence on so-called critical points, which are points at which a piecewise constant bit rate delivery schedule is just equal to the decoding schedule. There are two classes of critical points, being a first class of critical points, referred to herein as "additional critical points", which are points on the decoding schedule where, for any particular other point on the decoding schedule before an additional critical point, and assuming that a minimum threshold amount of data is buffered when delivery occurs from the particular point, a constant bit rate delivery schedule that is calculated for the particular point taking into account the buffered minimum amount of data and of such a rate such that buffer underflow does not occur is substantially equal to the decoding schedule. A second class of critical points, referred to herein as "downstairs critical points", is also defined, which are derived from the decoding schedule as a whole, and which are the points at which a piecewise monotonically decreasing constant bit rate delivery schedule (the so-called "downstairs" schedule), which is calculated such that when delivering the encoded content data from the start buffer underflow does not occur, is substantially equal to the decoding schedule of the encoded content data. When the actual delivery rate received is ahead of the so-called "downstairs" schedule, then the delivery rate required for a particular quality level can be calculated from the second class of critical points. However, when the actual delivery rate received is behind the downstairs schedule, then the delivery rate required is calculated from the first class of critical points.