Abstract: A mechanism for managing and enhancing communication streams in a VOIP service using SIP is discussed. SIP is used to manage and enhance a communication stream at a centralized switching element in the VoIP environment rather than at the communication stream endpoints. The communication stream set up by SIP is directed through a central switching element under administrative control rather than traveling directly between the stream endpoints. As a result, the media stream may be conditioned with treatments and may be provided with enhanced services at the central switching element without the specific treatments and services being supported at both stream endpoints. The use of the centralized switching element allows full administrative control of the VoIP environment.

Abstract: A mechanism for managing and enhancing communication streams in a VOIP service using SIP is discussed. SIP is used to manage and enhance a communication stream at a centralized switching element in the VoIP environment rather than at the communication stream endpoints. The communication stream set up by SIP is directed through a central switching element under administrative control rather than traveling directly between the stream endpoints. As a result, the media stream may be conditioned with treatments and may be provided with enhanced services at the central switching element without the specific treatments and services being supported at both stream endpoints. The use of the centralized switching element allows full administrative control of the VoIP environment.

Abstract: A system for receiving and re-sequencing a plurality of digital data chunks after transmission across a digital data network, so as to recover the natural temporal order of the data chunks as defined at the transmitter, including a chunk sorter for storing the, digital data chunks in a data buffer. The system thereafter sequentially transfers, at a chunk transfer rate compatible with the system playout rate, the digital data chunks to a playout destination according to the natural temporal order. The system further includes a chunk sequence analyzer for measuring the average time that the digital data chunks remain in the data buffer. The chunk sequence analyzer adjusts the playout rate so as to balance an increase in the average time, with an amount of data chunks lost due to arriving late and missing a playout deadline.