End-to-end network encoding architecture

• US 6,278,478 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1999
• Issued: 08/21/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ferriere, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ramakrishnaiah, Melur
• Application Number:
  US09/383,449
• Time in Patent Office: 726 Days
• Field of Search: 348/14, 348/15, 348/16, 348/17, 370/260, 370/261, 370/263, 370/264, 370/265, 370/352, 370/389, 370/400, 709/204, 709/205, 375/240.02, 375/240.05, 375/240.07
• US Class Current: 348/14.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/10 Use of a protocol of communication by packets in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/147 Communication arrangements, e.g. identifying the communication as a video-communication, intermediate storage of the signals selecting H04Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/148 Interfacing a video terminal to a particular transmission medium, e.g. ISDN

Abstract

An improved teleconferencing data capture, encoding, and decoding architecture incorporates the audio encoding and video encoding functions in capture encoder hardware devices, and incorporates the video decoding function in a video decoder hardware device. The video decoder and an audio decoder are able to analyze incoming data packets and are communicably linked to their respective capture encoder devices, or to a single capture encoder device if both audio and video capture and encoding functions are incorporated in a single device, so that the capture and/or encoding functions may be modified during the course of a teleconference.

Claims

1. A teleconferencing accelerator apparatus for transmitting data via a packet-switched network, comprising:

a capture encoder hardware module for capturing and encoding video image and audio data comprising;

a video input operable to receive video image data;

a video output operable to supply encoded video image data in a format transmittable via the packet-switched network;

an audio input operable to receive audio data;

an audio output operable to supply encoded audio data in a format transmittable via the packet-switched network; and

a control input for receiving requests from a video decoder or audio decoder to modify in real-time the data encoding and capture functionality of the module.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capture encoder hardware module further comprises a packetization descriptor output operable to supply a description of the intended packetization of the encoded video image data for transmittal over the packet-switched network.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a video decoder hardware module adapted to receive video data packets from the capture encoder hardware module, analyze the received packets, and decode the encoded video image data, comprising:

a packetized encoded video image data input operable to receive the packetized encoded video image from the packet-switched network; and

an unencoded video image data output, operable to supply unencoded video image data.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the request is selected from the group consisting of:

a command to enter a fast-update mode;

a command to perform a fast update of a group of blocks;

a command to perform a fast update of a macroblock;

a command to use sync for every group of blocks;

a command to decide the frequency of group of block syncs;

an indication that a set of macroblocks has been received with errors and has been treated as not coded;

a command to enter a progressive refinement mode;

a command to alter the maximum bit rate; and

a command to alter the maximum frame rate.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the capture encoder hardware module further comprises a separate progressive refinement output operable to supply progressive refinement data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a video decoder hardware module adapted to receive the packets, analyze the received packets, and decode the encoded video image data, comprising;

a packetized encoded video image data input operable to receive the packetized encoded video image data from a network; and

an unencoded video image data output, operable to supply unencoded video image data; and

an audio decoder module adapted to receive the encoded audio data, to analyze the received data, and to decode the encoded audio data, comprising;

an encoded audio input; and

an audio output operable to supply unencoded audio data.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoded video image data conforms to an ITU-T H.323 standard for video data transmission.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capture encoder hardware module further comprises a preview output operable to supply preview data to be displayed on a local display device.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video image data received by the video input is digital.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the video image data received by the video input is analog.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoded audio data conforms to an ITU-T H.323 standard for transmission of audio data.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an audio decoder module having an encoded audio input operable to receive the encoded audio data, and an audio output operable to supply unencoded audio data.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the capture encoder hardware module is adapted to measure the acoustic energy of the audio data prior to encoding the audio data to detect silent input.