Priority assignment and signaling of scalable video in a switch based system

A method comprising:

• at an endpoint device that is in network communication with a server in a switch-based multipoint video system, generating from a video signal to be sent to other endpoint devices, a scalable video coding (SVC) bitstream comprising a plurality of layers, wherein each layer is a spatial layer having a different resolution quality, and each spatial layer is capable of having one or more temporal layers with different temporal characteristics and each temporal layer is capable of having one or more quality layers with different signal to noise ratio characteristics;
• assigning priority to each of the plurality of spatial layers based on a mathematical ceiling function applied to a maximum number of temporal layers and a maximum number of quality layers of the plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream, such that within a spatial layer, priority is assigned in order of temporal layer first and then quality layer;
• inserting priority information in extension headers of packets of the SVC stream for each of the plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream, the priority information representing relative level of quality of a respective layer of the SVC bitstream;
• transmitting packets to the server;
• and
• discarding packets of the SVC bitstream that are not supportive of the service level of the requesting endpoint.

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface device configured to enable communications over a network with a plurality of endpoints in a switch-based multipoint video system;
• a memory;
• a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface device, wherein the processor is configured to:
• receive from at least one sending endpoint, a scalable video coding (SVC) bitstream comprising packets having headers that include priority information assigned based on a mathematical ceiling function applied to a maximum number of temporal layers and a maximum number of quality layers of a plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream, the priority information representing relative level of quality of a respective layer of the SVC bitstream;
• receive from at least one requesting endpoint a request to receive video with a service level from the sending endpoint;
• receive from the requesting endpoint messages indicating downlink network conditions from the server to the requesting endpoint;
• parse the priority information in the headers of the packets in the bitstream received from the sending endpoint;
• select packets for the layer of the SVC bitstream that satisfies the service level for the requesting endpoint based on the downlink network conditions;
• forward the selected packets of the SVC bitstream to the requesting endpoint;
• and
• discarding packets of the SVC bitstream that are not supportive of the service level of the requesting endpoint.

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface device configured to enable communications over a network between an endpoint and a server in a switch-based multipoint video system;
• a memory;
• a processor coupled to the memory and the network interface device, wherein the processor is configured to:
• generate from a video signal to be sent to other endpoints in the switched-based multipoint video system, a scalable video coding (SVC) bitstream comprising a plurality of layers, wherein each layer is a spatial layer having a different resolution quality, and each spatial layer is capable of having one or more temporal layers with different temporal characteristics and each temporal layer is capable of having one or more quality layers with different signal to noise ratio characteristics;
• assign priority to each of the plurality of spatial layers based on a mathematical ceiling function applied to a maximum number of temporal layers and a maximum number of quality layers of the plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream such that within a spatial layer, priority is assigned in order of temporal layer first and then quality layer;
• insert priority information in extension headers of packets of the SVC stream for each of the plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream, the priority information representing relative level of quality of a respective layer of the SVC bitstream;
• transmit packets to the server;
• and
• discarding packets of the SVC bitstream that are not supportive of the service level of the requesting endpoint.

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• at a server that is in network communication with a plurality of endpoints in a switch-based multipoint video system, receive from at least one sending endpoint, a scalable video coding (SVC) bitstream comprising packets having headers that include priority information assigned based on a mathematical ceiling function applied to a maximum number of temporal layers and a maximum number of quality layers of a plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream, the priority information representing relative level of quality of a respective layer of the SVC bitstream;
• receive from at least one requesting endpoint a request to receive video with a service level from the sending endpoint;
• receive from the requesting endpoint messages indicating downlink network conditions from the server to the requesting endpoint;
• parse the priority information in the headers of the packets in the bitstream received from the sending endpoint;
• select packets for the layer of the SVC bitstream that satisfies the service level for the requesting endpoint based on the downlink network conditions;
• forward the selected packets of the SVC bitstream to the requesting endpoint;
• and
• discarding packets of the SVC bitstream that are not supportive of the service level of the requesting endpoint.

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• at an endpoint device that is in network communication with a server in a switch-based multipoint video system, generate from a video signal to be sent to other endpoint devices, a scalable video coding (SVC) bitstream comprising a plurality of layers, wherein each layer is a spatial layer having a different resolution quality, and each spatial layer is capable of having one or more temporal layers with different temporal characteristics and each temporal layer is capable of having one or more quality layers with different signal to noise ratio characteristics;
• assign priority to each of the plurality of spatial layers based on a mathematical ceiling function applied to a maximum number of temporal layers and a maximum number of quality layers of the plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream such that within a spatial layer, priority is assigned in order of temporal layer first and then quality layer;
• insert priority information in extension headers of packets of the SVC stream for each of the plurality of layers of the SVC bitstream, the priority information representing relative level of quality of a respective layer of the SVC bitstream;
• transmit packets to the server;
• and
• discarding packets of the SVC bitstream that are not supportive of the service level of the requesting endpoint.