Patent ID: 7090582
Filing Date: 2006-08-15
Classification: A63F

Abstract:
1. A method for encoding a plurality of audio channels during play of an electronic game, using at least one encoder, but fewer encoders than audio channels to be encoded, each encoder encoding audio signals in an active audio channel and producing corresponding data packets for transmission to at least one recipient participating in the play of the electronic game, comprising the steps of: (a) creating a round robin history of the audio channels that have been encoded by the encoders during successive processing intervals; (b) if more than one audio channel per encoder are simultaneously active, selecting an audio channel to encode with each encoder based upon the round robin history and on the audio channels that are then active, so that an audio channel that is active will be skipped and not encoded more frequently than every other processing interval; and (c) updating the round robin history for each processing interval to indicate each audio channel that was encoded during the processing interval.