Patent ID: 7974200

Claim:
A method of operating a real-time communication apparatus comprising a real-time data sender, a real-time data display device having a store, and a network connecting said sender and said display device, said method comprising: operating said sender to transmit a plurality of first-encoding-rate data packets encoded at a first encoding rate and representing a first part of a real-time presentation to said display device at a transmission rate higher than said first encoding rate of said first-encoding-rate data packets; operating said display device to: receive said first-encoding-rate data packets into said store; read-out said received first-encoding-rate data packets from said store at a data rate equal to said first encoding rate of said first-encoding-rate data packets for decoding so as to present said first part of said real-time presentation to a user at a first level of quality; on said store being filled with said first-encoding-rate data to a predetermined level, sending an indication that said level has been reached to said data sender; operating said data sender, on receipt of said indication from said display device, to send second-encoding-rate data packets encoded at a second encoding rate and representing subsequent parts of said real-time presentation to said display device, said second encoding rate of said second-encoding-rate data packets being higher than said first encoding rate of said first-encoding-rate data packets; operating said display device to: receive the second-encoding-rate data packets representing the subsequent part of real-time presentation into said store; read out said second-encoding-rate data packets from said store at a data rate equal to said second encoding rate of said second-encoding-rate data packets for decoding so as to present said subsequent part of said real-time presentation to said user at a second level of quality which is higher than said first level of quality.