Forward error correction system for packet based real time media

A method of coded transmission of a sequence of payload blocks in a telecommunications network, wherein said payload blocks cooperatively represent a real-time media signal selected from the group consisting of audio and video, said method comprising, in combination:

• deriving p redundancy blocks from each sequential group of k of said payload blocks;
• combining each of said p redundancy blocks, respectively, with a payload block in a subsequent sequential group of k of said payload blocks, wherein any given payload block is combined with at most one redundancy block;
• and
• transmitting packets into said network, said packets corresponding in sequence to said sequence of payload blocks, and each of said packets comprising (i) one of said payload blocks and (ii) a redundancy block, if any, combined with said payload block.

An apparatus for encoding a sequence of payload blocks in a telecommunications network to enable recovery of lost payload blocks, wherein said payload blocks cooperatively represent a real-time media signal selected from the group consisting of audio and video, said apparatus comprising, in combination:

• a computer processor;
• a memory;
• a first set of machine language instructions stored in said memory and executed by said processor for deriving p redundancy blocks from each sequential group of k of said payload blocks;
• and
• a second set of machine language instructions stored in said memory and executed by said processor for combining each of said p redundancy blocks, respectively, with a payload block in a subsequent sequential group of k of said payload blocks, wherein said second set of machine language instructions causes said processor to combine up to one redundancy block with a given payload block.