20110122877 | HIGH DEFINITION VIDEO/AUDIO DATA OVER IP NETWORKS - The system transmits High Definition (HD) video/audio data, e.g. a JPEG2000-compressed video stream multi-channel audio stream, over a packet switching network, e.g. an Ethernet or IP network. Both the transmitter unit VTB and the receiver unit VRB feature a modular structure consisting of a base module or baseboard common to both units and one or more exchangeable adapter cards attached to or inserted into the baseboards to perform selected functions. The basebord is unitary, i.e. identical for both the VTB and the VRB; its components are activated depending upon the baseboard being in a VTB or a VRB. Each card is unique and earmarked and serves a specific purpose, e.g. for video coding and decoding, SMPTE processing, clocking/re-clocking, audio embedding/extraction. Upon inserting a card into a baseboard, the earmark is identified and the baseboard configured as transmitter or receiver baseboard. Functions in the baseboard can be implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and the network management, configuration, and/or control of the transmitting and/or receiving processes be performed by a softcore processors. This inventive combination of modular hardware/software results in a cost-effective, reliable, and fast system for transmitting large data volumes over packet switching networks. | 05-26-2011 |