Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and method for listeners, or “virtual fans,” to exist in a monitor mode during a real-time multimedia collaboration via a global computer network. In one embodiment, a system for processing data signals via a communication network comprises a first data signal received from a first client, a second data signal received from a second client, a mixer for mixing the first and second data signals, a first unique data mix, for the first client, generated by the mixer, a second unique data mix, for the second client, generated by the mixer, and a third unique data mix, for a fan room, generated by the mixer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a method and apparatus for mixing a data signal in a frequency domain so as to realize computational efficiency and reduced latency. In one embodiment, a method of processing data comprises generating a data signal at a client, encoding the data signal at the client using a linear transform to generate a time frequency coefficients, transmitting the time frequency coefficients to a server, modifying the time frequency coefficients in accordance with instructions to create modified time frequency coefficients, transmitting the modified time frequency coefficients to the client; and decoding the modified time frequency coefficients using an inverse linear transform.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method for processing data signals in real-time via a global computer network. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method for processing data signals comprising a first data signal received from a first client, a second data signal received from a second client, a mixer for mixing the first and second data signals, a first unique data mix, for the first client, generated by the mixer, and a second unique data mix, for the second client, generated by the mixer. Additional embodiments of the invention further provide a system comprising a first unique data mix is exclusive of the first data signal, and a second unique data mix is exclusive of the second data signal.

Abstract: This invention provides methods and apparatus for protecting data transmitted using standard compression techniques such as Huffman coding. After input data is preprocessed (filtered, quantized, etc.), the data is encoded using a Huffman coder based on Huffman codes or code books which have been scrambled to change the order of the code books and/or codes from established standard Huffman code books and/or codes. When the transmitted information is received by a Huffman code receiver, the received data may be decoded using the scrambled Huffman code book/codes to obtain the data that was transmitted by the transmitter.

Abstract: A system and method for transmitting data over a channel, in which the data are categorized in at least two different categories. For example, the data are categorized according to the effect on perceived degradation on the data when error mitigation is performed on the data. Corrupted data of the first category are replaced using a first replacement method, such as retransmission and forward error correction. The corrupted data of the second category are replaced using a second replacement method different from the first replacement method, e.g., error mitigation or interpolation.

Abstract: The invention provides a system and method in which users may join a communication mode such that the multimedia content received by the user is closely matched to a predefined profile. The content may be transmitted by unicast, multicast or radio broadcast. Moreover, depending on an individual's request(s) and that of other users in a network, a user may switch between a radio broadcast, multicast and unicast to meet the user's preferences based on a profile. Profile data may include content type, transmission quality, cost considerations, etc. The two-way nature of the system and method also enable a user to request and receive information and complete transactions.

Abstract: In the coding and decoding of stereo audio spectral values both the intensity stereo process and prediction are used in order to achieve high data compression. If intensity stereo coding is active in one section of scale factor bands, the prediction for the right channel in that range is deactivated, whereby the results of the prediction are not used to form the coded stereo audio spectral values. To allow further adaptation of the prediction for the right channel, the predictor of the right channel is fed with stereo audio spectral values for the channel, which again are intensity stereo decoded.