Network packet aware data encoding
A communication device is operable to manage communication of data streams, which comprise data encoded utilizing scheme that generate plurality of frames with logical grouping and/or inter-frame dependencies, based on determination of network payload parameters that are utilized for the data transmission. Exemplary encoding schemes comprise MPEG encoding, which generates data streams comprised I-frames, P-frames and/or B-frames. Network packets that are utilized to perform data communication are generated such that packet payloads comprise only data corresponding to a single frame and/or logical grouping within the encoded data stream. Feedback from networking subsystem in the communication device may be provided during processing of the data streams to enable use of network payload parameters during encoding operations. Frame sizes may be adjusted, for example, so that a size of each frame is multiple of a size of a payload of the network packets that are utilized in data communication.
1. A communication device comprising:
a networking subsystem configured to communicate media streams from the communication device, the media streams comprising frames of data;
a streaming management module configured to determine presence in the media streams of interdependent frames of data and produce an indication of the presence of interdependent frames;
a data processing module in data communication with the networking subsystem and the streaming management module and configured to receive the indication of the presence of interdependent frames and data streams, the data processing module further configured to generate network packets using information about inter-frame dependencies to prevent inter-frame data packing within individual network packets, the data processing module further configured to communicate the network packets to the networking subsystem for communication from the communication device.
2. The communication device of claim 1 wherein the streaming management module is configured to determine presence of interdependent frames from header information of the frames of data.
3. The communication device of claim 2 wherein the streaming management module is configured to identify whether the frames are MPEG frames from the header information of the frames of data and to determined boundaries of corresponding MPEG I-frames, P-frames and B-frames that may be present in the frames of data.
4. The communication device of claim 2 wherein the streaming management module is configured to receive from the data processing module information about inter-frame logical grouping in the media streams and to determine the presence of interdependent frames using the received information.
5. The communication device of claim 1 wherein the data processing module comprises:
a packetizer configured to receive encoded data and generate the network packets.
6. The communication device of claim 5 wherein the packetizer is configured to receive the information about inter-frame dependencies when generating the network packets to prevent inter-frame data packing within individual network packets.
7. The communication device of claim 5 wherein the packetizer is configured to use information about inter-frame logical grouping to prevent inter-frame data packing within individual network packets.
8. The communication device of claim 7 wherein the data processing module further comprises:
an encoder in data communication with the packetizer and configured to encode received input data and provide the encoded data to the packetizer.
9. The communication device of claim 8 wherein the encoder is configured to perform MPEG based source coding on the received input data and to produce a plurality of MPEG I-frames, P-frames and B-frames having inter-frame dependencies in the encoded data.
10. The communication device of claim 1 further comprising:
a program stream multiplexer in data communication with the data processing module and configured to multiplex packetized elementary streams received from the data processing module and to generate program streams for communication by the networking subsystem in a relatively error-free environment; and
a transport stream multiplexer in data communication with the data processioning module and configured to multiplex packetized elementary streams received from the data processing module and to generate program streams for communication by the networking subsystem in a relatively noisy or lossy environment.
11. A communication device comprising:
a networking subsystem configured to communicate media streams from the communication device, the media streams comprising frames of data;
a streaming management module configured to determine presence in the media streams of interdependent frames of data and produce an indication of the presence of interdependent frames;
a data encoder configured to encode received input data and produce encoded data;
a transcoder in data communication with the networking subsystem and the data encoder and configured to receive the encoded data and re-encoded the encoded data using networking feedback received from the networking subsystem and produce re-encoded data; and
a data packetizer coupled to the data encoder and the transcoder and configured to combine the encoded data from the data encoder or the re-encoded data from the transcoder into a stream of network packets, the data packetizer further configured to receive the information about inter-frame dependencies and to generate the network packets using the information about inter-frame inter-frame dependencies to prevent inter-frame data packing within individual network packets.
12. The communication device of claim 11 further comprising:
a data re-packetizer coupled to the data packetizer and in data communication with the networking subsystem, the data re-packetizer configured to re-packetize combine the encoded data from the data encoder or the re-encoded data from the transcoder into a stream of network packets using networking feedback received from the networking subsystem.
13. The communication device of claim 12 wherein the networking subsystem is configured to provide the networking feedback to the transcoder or to the data re-packetizer to enable processing of the media streams using awareness of a network environment to which the media streams are communicated.
14. The communication device of claim 13 wherein the networking subsystem is configured to provide information about available types of network packets as the networking feedback.
15. The communication device of claim 13 wherein the networking subsystem is configured to provide information about available payload within network packets as the networking feedback.
16. The communication device of claim 13 wherein the transcoder is configured to re-encode the media streams to ensure that framing logical groupings are aligned with networking limitations of the network environment to which the media streams are communicated.
17. The communication device of claim 13 wherein the data re-packetizer is configured to re-packetize the media streams to ensure that framing logical groupings are aligned with networking limitations of the network environment to which the media streams are communicated.
18. A method comprising:
in a communication device,
receiving data streams from a data source;
processing the received data streams as network packets and a plurality of data frames including MPEG based I-frames, P-frames or B-frames;
packetizing the data into a plurality of network packets to prevent generation of network packets which include data frames crossing a logical frame grouping; and
transmitting said network packets via one or more interfaces of the communication device.
19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:
arranging data in the data streams to prevent generation of network packets which include data corresponding to more than one data frame of said plurality of data frames.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:
receiving data for transmission from the communication device;
encoding the received data according to a predetermined data coding protocol prior to processing the data streams;
receiving network feedback;
using the network feedback, arranging the received data in data streams to encode or re-encode the received data to ensure that framing logical groupings are aligned with networking limitations as evidenced by the network feedback.