APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING INDEPENDENT CLOCK DOMAINS TO PERFORM SYNCHRONOUS OPERATIONS IN AN ASYNCHRONOUS NETWORK
First Claim
1. A method to synchronize multimedia in asynchronous network nodes, each asynchronous network node having at least two independent clocks and transmitting and receiving packets to and from the asynchronous network nodes according to an asynchronous network media access protocol, comprising:
- adjusting the at least two independent clocks at each asynchronous network node to synchronize local traffic;
determining at each asynchronous network node a clock mismatch from the reception by the asynchronous network node of packets transmitted by another asynchronous network node; and
controlling data sampling or timestamps at the receiving asynchronous network node based on the determined clock mismatch of the packets transmitted by another asynchronous network node.
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Abstract
Method and apparatus are disclosed for synchronizing multimedia in asynchronous networks. In this invention, clock domains are first reduced to separate hardware clock correction circuits at the separate endpoints of an asynchronous network. At each end of the network node, the controllable input device such as a video device is synchronized to the non-controllable output device such as a set top box to prevent unknown or poor-quality alterations by the output device. Output device timestamp packets are regularly sent to the input device, which then adjusts its clock accordingly. The exchange of packets between input devices over the asynchronous network is then subjected to a software-based scheme to effectively synchronize these devices.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method to synchronize multimedia in asynchronous network nodes, each asynchronous network node having at least two independent clocks and transmitting and receiving packets to and from the asynchronous network nodes according to an asynchronous network media access protocol, comprising:
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adjusting the at least two independent clocks at each asynchronous network node to synchronize local traffic; determining at each asynchronous network node a clock mismatch from the reception by the asynchronous network node of packets transmitted by another asynchronous network node; and controlling data sampling or timestamps at the receiving asynchronous network node based on the determined clock mismatch of the packets transmitted by another asynchronous network node. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. Communication apparatus, comprising:
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a plurality of media production devices each with an adjustable clock, which are connected to communicate over an asynchronous network and are configured to capture data and to transmit the captured data; a plurality of media reproduction devices electrically coupled to one of the plurality of media production devices and configured to reproduce at least a first type of signal and a second type of signal and to transmit back to the coupled one of the plurality of media production devices timing information; and a processor in each of the plurality of media production devices, the processor capable of executing a set of instructions to perform actions that include; fine-tuning the adjustable clock based on the timing information from the media reproduction device; determining at each media production device a clock mismatch from the reception of packets transmitted over the asynchronous network by another media production device; controlling data sampling or timestamps at the receiving media production device based on the determined clock mismatch of the packets transmitted by another media production device. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method to synchronize the exchange of multimedia between a plurality of capture devices with capture clock and a plurality set top boxes through an asynchronous network, the method comprising:
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performing hardware synchronization at each capture device for controlling intra-node communication, wherein intra-node communication occurs between a capture device and a set top box; and performing software synchronization at each capture device for controlling inter-node communication, wherein inter-node communication occurs between capture devices through the asynchronous network. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification