Method for tuning voice playback ratio to optimize call quality

An apparatus for optimizing customer experience of a real-time system comprising:

• a device for collecting statistics from the network;
• a control apparatus operatively coupled to the device for manipulating playback properties of the real-time system;
• and
• an optimizer operatively coupled to the device for using the statistics to choose a plurality of parameters for the control apparatus, wherein the plurality of parameters are chosen to optimize the customer experience as measured on a physiological scale.

An apparatus for optimizing jitter buffer length to improve call quality comprising:

• a jitter buffer;
• a voice decoder operatively coupled to the jitter buffer for controlling a rate at which voice date is removed from the jitter buffer;
• a voice resampler operatively coupled to the voice decoder for controlling a number of bits removed from the voice decoder;
• and
• a playback optimizer operatively coupled to the jitter buffer and the voice resampler for receiving statistics on a communication link from the jitter buffer, for using the statistics to determine a jitter buffer length and playback ratio that yield an optimum score on a physiological scale and for sending the jitter buffer length and playback ratio to the voice resampler to improve call quality.