Patent · US Expired

System for adaptive video/audio transport over a network

US6014694A · kind A · utility

627Cited by
1References
11Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 26, 1997
Grant dateJan 11, 2000
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 26, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04N19/39
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system for adaptively transporting video over networks wherein the available bandwidth varies with time. The system comprises a video/audio codec that functions to compress, code, decode and decompress video streams that are transmitted over networks having available bandwidths that vary with time and location. Depending on the channel bandwidth, the system adjusts the compression ratio to accommodate a plurality of bandwidths ranging from 20 Kbps for POTS to several Mbps for switched LAN and ATM environments. Bandwidth adjustability is provided by offering a trade off between video resolution, frame rate and individual frame quality. The system generates a video data stream comprised of Key, P and B frames from a raw source of video. Each frame type is further comprised of multiple levels of data representing varying degrees of quality. In addition, several video server platforms can be utilized in tandem to transmit video/audio information with each video server platform transmitting information for a single compression/resolution level.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.