Patent ID: 8380874

Claim:
An apparatus for transferring a complete copy of media designated as time sensitive over a network, the apparatus comprising: a sending node, the sending node including: a network ascertaining element configured to ascertain if conditions on the network are adequate to transmit a first bit rate representation of media designated as time-sensitive between the sending node and a receiving node over the network, the first bit rate representation derived from when the time-sensitive media was originally encoded; a transmitter configured to generate and transmit a reduced bit rate representation of the media designated as time-sensitive if the network ascertaining element ascertains that network conditions are inadequate to transmit the first bit rate representation at a first bit rate and a first packetization interval sufficient for the media to be decipherable when rendered upon receipt by a recipient; the network ascertaining element further configured to receive over the network receipt reports from the receiving node, the received receipt reports identifying the received reduced bit rate representation of the media and including a first priority request for retransmission of the identified media; and the transmitter further configured to retransmit, from the sending node to the receiving node, the first bit rate representation of the media corresponding to the media identified in the receipt reports in response to the first priority request, the retransmission ensuring that a complete copy of the first bit representation of the media is transferred from the sending node to the receiving node so that the first bit rate representation of the media is available for rendering by the recipient in a time-shifted mode.