US 8,819,513 B2 · Lost real-time media packet recovery

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer program products for facilitating the recovery of lost real-time media packets within a computer network real-time application implementing Forward Error Control (FEC), such that server performance is not affected from a CPU and memory perspective, are disclosed. In an embodiment, a conference server that is part of a communication network compliant with the Real Time Transport Protocol (RTP) is able to avoid regenerating FEC packets by not performing any FEC coding operation on the packets unless it is flagged to indicate regeneration via an FEC (e.g., Reed-Solomon) coding is necessary. Absent the flag, the conference server updates the received FEC packet as per the RTP and transmits the packet to its ultimate destination. Such disclosed systems, methods and computer program products are independent of the nature of the media being protected and flexible enough to support a wide variety of FEC techniques.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for processing packets by an intermediate node in a communication network, comprising:

receiving a first packet containing media data and a second packet containing protected information related to the media data, the protected information containing redundant bits corresponding to at least a portion of the media data of the first packet, the redundant bits being configured to correct transmission errors in the media data of the first packet;
determining whether the received second packet includes an unprotected portion that does not include redundant bits for correcting transmission errors in the unprotected portion of the second packet;
and
in response to determining that the received second packet includes the unprotected portion,
retransmitting the first packet;
and
retransmitting the second packet without performing a protection operation on the second packet to regenerate the received second packet.

4 more elements

A computing device, comprising:

a processor;
a communications interface operatively coupled to the processor;
and
a memory operative coupled to the processor, the memory containing instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform a process comprising:
generating a first packet containing media data;
performing an anti-coding operation on a portion of a copy of the first packet to generate a modified first packet with an anti-coding portion;
performing a coding operation on the modified first packet with the anti-coding portion to generate a second packet, the second packet containing:
redundant bits for correcting transmission errors in the media data of the first packet;
and
an unprotected portion that does not include corresponding redundant bits for correcting transmission errors in the unprotected portion of the second packet, the unprotected portion of the second packet corresponding to the anti-coding portion of the modified first packet;
and
transmitting both the first and second packets to a target destination over a communication network via the communications interface.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Lost real-time media packet recovery

Life of this patent

Lost real-time media packet recovery

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20