Patent ID: 6778493
Filing Date: 2004-08-17
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A system for transmitting and synchronizing real-time multimedia content to plural, multimedia receivers, comprising:a multimedia server for generating a multimedia packet having multimedia audio/visual information therein in a play sequence, and for transmitting said multimedia packet; a packet-based communication network connected to said multimedia server for receiving said multimedia packets therefrom; said network having multiple routers therein to route said multimedia packets to plural destinations; means for inserting total delay information (TDI) into said multimedia packets, wherein said TDI includes total end-to-end delay (TED) and cumulative network delay (CND), wherein TED is the total time from when a multimedia packet is transmitted from the multimedia server to when the multimedia packet is to be played at a receiver and wherein CND is the actual delay caused as a multimedia packet transits the communications network; and plural multimedia receivers for receiving said multimedia packets having TDI therein, wherein each multimedia receiver includes a buffer for storing-received multimedia packets, a sequencing means for retrieving stored multimedia packets from said buffer and sequencing said multimedia packets in said play sequence for providing a real-time synchronization of the multimedia packets at plural, multimedia receivers, and a playing mechanism for playing the retrieved, sequenced multimedia packets at time TED after said multimedia packet has been transmitted by said multimedia server.