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US 2006/0136970 A1Published application
Joint bit rate control
OwnerEduard Salomonsinventor
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OwnerEduard Salomonsinventor
Estimating the term…
A gateway 15 of an in-home audio visual distribution system comprises first to third encoder or transcoders 20-22, each being associated with a respective buffer 23-25. Each encoder or transcoder and buffer combination process signals from a different input channel. Data signals from the buffers are scheduled by an earliest deadline first scheduler 26 for transmission over a wireless link via a transmitter 17. A joint bit rate controller 27 is arranged to control the encoders or transcoders to adopt a bit rate which is dependent on the amount of data stored in the buffers 23-25 awaiting transmission, particularly on the difference between the amount of data and a target amount. The output bit rate of the encoders or transcoders is dependent also on the complexity of the content being coded. Following a channel change or start-up event, the scheduler 26 is controlled to transmit data for the relevant channel with priority over data for the other channels.
Apparatus (15) for distributing audio-visual content over at least two channels, the total channel rate being unpredictable, the apparatus comprising a coder (20-22) and a data buffer (23-25) for each channel, and a transmission controller (26) arranged to control the transmission of data from the buffers and to provide for the retransmission of data which is deemed not to have been received correctly, the apparatus comprising a joint bit-rate controller (27) arranged to control each of the coders to provide data at a rate which is dependent at least in part on a data production rate and on a data transmission rate.
A method of distributing audio visual content over at least two channels, the total channel rate being unpredictable, the method comprising providing a coder (20-22) and a data buffer (23-25) for each channel, controlling the transmission of data from the buffers and controlling the retransmission of data which is deemed not to have been received correctly, the method comprising controlling each of the coders (20-22) to provide data at a rate which is dependent at least in part on a data production rate and on a data transmission rate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.