Data transmission

• US 7,761,901 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2004
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Walker, Matthew D, Urzaiz, Eduardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller; John W
• Assistant Examiner(s): HANCE, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US10/549,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20060182016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,325 Days
• Field of Search: 725/118, 370/232
• US Class Current: 725/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/80 Responding to QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2402 Monitoring of the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. bandwidth available traffic monitoring in data switching networks H04L43/00; monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2662 Controlling the complexity of the video stream, e.g. by scaling the resolution or bitrate of the video stream based on the client capabilities

Abstract

Data to be transmitted over a network includes a first part (perhaps audio) which is always to be transmitted and alternative second parts (perhaps video coded at different compression rates) of which one is to be chosen for transmission, depending on the current network capacity. In order to accommodate systems where (owing perhaps to the use of a congestion control mechanism such as TCP) the capacity available is initially undetermined, one firstly begins to transmit just the first part. When the network capacity becomes known (typically by monitoring the performance of the network in transmitting the first part), one of the alternative second parts is chosen and transmission of it commences. If desired this may initially be preferentially to, or to the exclusion of, further transmission of the first part.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data initially in a start-up mode over a network having initially undetermined transmission capacity, in which the data comprises a single first part including no alternatives therein relating to different resolutions and at least two alternative second parts in which the at least two alternative independent second parts respectively corresponding to different independently alternative resolutions which may be independently transmitted without regard for the other alternative second part(s), for synchronized presentation at a receiving terminal simultaneously with the first part, said method comprising:

(a) in an initial start-up mode for starting data transmission over a particular communications channel, initially transmitting at least an initial portion of only the single first part;

(b) receiving data indicative of the available transmission capacity for said initial transmission in step (a);

(c) choosing one from among the alternative independent second parts corresponding to respectively different resolutions for immediate transmission following step (b) in a second phase of said start-up mode, as a function of the data indicative of the available transmission capacity received in step (b); and

(d) thereafter, in a third phase of said start-up mode, transmitting only the chosen one independent second part and any remainder of the single first part for synchronized presentation at a receiving terminal simultaneously with the first part during said initial start-up mode, thereby quickly achieving initial transmission of said second part at a resolution suited to available transmission capacity.

2. A method according to claim 1 including the step of generating said data indicative of the available transmission capacity by monitoring the transmission by the network of the said initial portion of the single first part.

3. A method according to claim 1 in which, in an initial time period of step (d), transmission of a leading part of the chosen second part of an extent corresponding to the extent of the single first part already transmitted is performed preferentially to, or to the exclusion of, further transmission of the single first part, thereby causing the transmission of the synchronized second part to catch up with its corresponding first part.

4. A method for transmitting related audio and video digitized data representing an audio-visual presentation over a communications network having an initially undetermined transmission capacity wherein the audio data includes only a single version thereof, said method comprising:

(a) initially transmitting digitized audio data of said audio-visual presentation over a communications network without corresponding related digitized video data;

(b) determining available transmission capacity of the communications network based on said initial transmission of audio data for which there is only a single version to be transmitted;

(c) selecting one of plural corresponding but different resolution related digitized video data of said audio-visual presentation as a function of the determined available transmission capacity; and

(d) thereafter continuing to transmit (i) said digitized audio data in the same single available version as previously transmitted, and (ii) the selected resolution related digitized video data over said communications network as selected in step (c) to provide a coordinated audio-video presentation.