Abstract: A system to provide a multipoint processing terminal and a multicast bridging terminal to provide mixing, switching, and other processing of media streams under the control of H.323 components. Application Programming Interfaces defined for the multipoint processing terminal provide a multipoint control unit with the capability to change the default behavior of the multipoint processing terminal by allowing the multipoint control unit to control the routing audio and video streams in the multipoint processing terminal and control the media formats in a multipoint conference. Multipoint processing acceleration functionality is provided by providing interfaces to allow hardware accelerated implementations of multipoint processing terminals.

Abstract: Modulated data signal having data fields encoded in a data structure defining a bandwidth sharing object for transmission over communications channels. A first data field contains a first stream of first information having a first bandwidth. A second data field contains a second stream of second information having a second bandwidth. The first stream is transmitted simultaneously with the second stream. One or more additional data fields each contain an additional stream of information having an additional bandwidth. The additional streams are transmitted simultaneously with the first and second stream. A bandwidth number indicated in the object is a function of the bandwidth of the first stream, the second stream, and the one or more additional streams. A bandwidth value indicated in the object is less than the total of the first bandwidth, the second bandwidth, and the total bandwidths of the one or more additional streams.

Abstract: The buffer of a programmable video recorder includes a backing store having a plurality of discrete temporary files that are configured to store non-byte streamed data, such as ASF data. The data stream includes a number of data samples that are each assigned a time stamp upon receipt. Each data sample is then assigned and written to a temporary file based on a corresponding duration assigned to each of the temporary files. The backing store operates like a moving window as the oldest temporary files are replaced with the newest temporary files.

Abstract: A system to provide a multipoint processing terminal and a multicast bridging terminal to provide mixing, switching, and other processing of media streams under the control of H.323 components. Application Programming Interfaces defined for the multipoint processing terminal provide a multipoint control unit with the capability to change the default behavior of the multipoint processing terminal by allowing the multipoint control unit to control the routing audio and video streams in the multipoint processing terminal and control the media formats in a multipoint conference. Multipoint processing acceleration functionality is provided by providing interfaces to allow hardware accelerated implementations of multipoint processing terminals.

Abstract: A computing system connected to storage medium and one or more rendering devices receives streamed multimedia data. The multimedia data is encoded in a format, such as an Advanced Streaming Format, that is conducive to storing the multimedia data in files having appended indexes. Upon receiving the multimedia data, the multimedia data is written to file structures within the storage medium, while at the same time maintaining a real-time index for each file in a shared memory. After a file is complete, the real-time index is appended to the completed file and deleted from the shared memory. When a request for data is received that pertains to a file that does not have an appended index, the computing system obtains any necessary file index information from the real-time index in the shared memory, thereby enabling the requested data to be accessed.

Abstract: A system to provide a multipoint processing terminal and a multicast bridging terminal to provide mixing, switching, and other processing of media streams under the control of H.323 components. Application Programming Interfaces defined for the multipoint processing terminal provide a multipoint control unit with the capability to change the default behavior of the multipoint processing terminal by allowing the multipoint control unit to control the routing audio and video streams in the multipoint processing terminal and control the media formats in a multipoint conference. Multipoint processing acceleration functionality is provided by providing interfaces to allow hardware accelerated implementations of multipoint processing terminals.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: Dynamic sizing of packets of data is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a client and a server. The client receives packets of dynamic size, the client having a bandwidth. The server determines the dynamic size of the packets based on at least one factor. One such factor is the bandwidth of the client. The server sends the packets to the client.

Abstract: A computing system connected to storage medium and one or more rendering devices receives streamed multimedia data. The multimedia data is encoded in a format, such as an Advanced Streaming Format, that is conducive to storing the multimedia data in files having appended indexes. Upon receiving the multimedia data, the multimedia data is written to file structures within the storage medium, while at the same time maintaining a real-time index for each file in a shared memory. After a file is complete, the real-time index is appended to the completed file and deleted from the shared memory. When a request for data is received that pertains to a file that does not have an appended index, the computing system obtains any necessary file index information from the real-time index in the shared memory, thereby enabling the requested data to be accessed.

Abstract: The buffer of a programmable video recorder includes a backing store having a plurality of discrete temporary files that are configured to store non-byte streamed data, such as ASF data. The data stream includes a number of data samples that are each assigned a time stamp upon receipt. Each data sample is then assigned and written to a temporary file based on a corresponding duration assigned to each of the temporary files. The backing store operates like a moving window as the oldest temporary files are replaced with the newest temporary files.

Abstract: A modulated data signal having data fields encoded thereon in a data structure which define a bandwidth sharing object of the modulated data signal for transmission over a communications channel. A first data field contains a first stream of first information having a first bandwidth. A second data field contains a second stream of second information having a second bandwidth. The first bandwidth is greater than or equal to the second bandwidth. The first stream is transmitted simultaneously with the second stream. One or more additional data fields each contain an additional stream of information having an additional bandwidth. The additional streams are transmitted simultaneously with the first and second stream. A bandwidth data field includes an object indicating the bandwidth of the modulated data signal. The bandwidth number indicated in the object is a function of the bandwidth of the first stream, of the bandwidth of the second stream and of the bandwidth of the one or more additional streams.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: Dynamic sizing of packets of data is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system includes a client and a server. The client receives packets of dynamic size, the client having a bandwidth. The server determines the dynamic size of the packets based on at least one factor. One such factor is the bandwidth of the client. The server sends the packets to the client.

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.

Abstract: An audio data transmission system encodes audio files into individual audio data blocks which contain a variable number bits of digital audio data that were sampled at a selectable sample rate. The number of bits of digital data and the input sampling rate are scaleable to produce an encoded bit stream bit rate that is less than or equal to an effective operational bit rate of a recipient's modem. The audio data transmission system uses computing units which are designed to select an appropriate combination of block size and input sampling rate to maximize the available bandwidth of the receiving modem. For example, if the modem connection speed for one modem is 14.4 kbps, a version of the audio data compressed at 13000 bits/s might be sent to the recipient; if the modem connection speed for another modem is 28.8 kbps, a version of the audio data compressed at 24255 bits/s might be sent to the receiver.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method of storing and of progressively transferring a still image so that it can be conveniently previewed during the transfer and so that a user can terminate the transfer at an early stage if the image turns out to be undesirable. The methods of the invention include transforming the image into a plurality of decomposition levels using a discrete wavelet transform. Each decomposition level comprises a plurality of subimages which allow reconstruction of an image representation of the still image. The decomposition levels are transmitted beginning with a base decomposition level providing a low level of image resolution and then proceeding with decomposition levels providing increasingly higher levels of image resolution. Within each decomposition level, rows of the various subimages are arranged or interlaced together in contiguous blocks, so that all data for a single row, at a single decomposition level, is transmitted together.

Abstract: An audio data transmission system encodes audio files into individual audio data blocks which contain a variable number bits of digital audio data that were sampled at a selectable sample rate. The number of bits of digital data and the input sampling rate are scaleable to produce an encoded bit stream bit rate that is less than or equal to an effective operational bit rate of a recipient's modem. The audio data transmission system uses computing units which are designed to select an appropriate combination of block size and input sampling rate to maximize the available bandwidth of the receiving modem. For example, if the modem connection speed for one modem is 14.4 kbps, a version of the audio data compressed at 13000 bits/s might be sent to the recipient; if the modem connection speed for another modem is 28.8 kbps, a version of the audio data compressed at 24255 bits/s might be sent to the receiver.

Abstract: A computer system includes a local non-volatile data storage medium and a visual display device. A still image is stored as a compressed data file in a multi-resolution compression format on the non-volatile data storage medium. The multi-resolution format is of a type that allows efficient progressive decompression and display of the selected still image. The computer system includes a data processor programmed to decompress the compressed data file, to produce successive versions of the selected still image at progressively increasing resolutions, and to display the successive versions on the visual display device. The computer system has a data retrieval medium through which the data processor retrieves the compressed data file from the local non-volatile data storage medium. The data retrieval medium has a data transfer rate that is at least as fast as the data processor can decompress the compressed data file and display the successive versions of the selected still image.