Isochronous transmission for IP-oriented network

An apparatus for communicating data streams isochronously over an Internet protocol (IP) network, comprising:

• a framing circuit configured for detecting beacon signals on the network in response to sequential communication cycles;
• an encoder configured for receiving streaming data from a source and encoding said streaming data into a digital packet-based format;
• an interface circuit configured for receiving encoded packets from said encoder and packetizing the data for isochronous transmission within a contention-free period within said communication cycles;
• and
• a controller circuit configured for packetizing asynchronous data for communication during contention periods which comprise portions of said communication cycle other than said contention-free period.

A method of communicating streaming data isochronously over an Internet protocol (IP) network, comprising:

• marking sequential communication cycles on an IP-based network with a beacon signal;
• dividing each sequential communication cycle into a contention-free period and a contention period;
• packetizing incoming streaming data into sequential isochronous data packets;
• detecting an available time slot in the contention-free period;
• reserving the available time slot for communicating said sequential isochronous data packets;
• generating Media Access Control (MAC) addressing for said isochronous communication;
• and
• transmitting said isochronous data packets within said available time slot for receipt by another device coupled to the Internet Protocol (IP) based network.