Media Clock Negotiation Protocol for Transmitter Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing media clock synchronization protocols face challenges in ensuring synchronized media clocks across multiple transmitters, leading to potential sample rate conversion needs at receivers and inefficiencies in handling various frequencies and priorities.
Innovation Solution
The Media Clock Negotiation (MCN) Protocol allows transmitters to receive MCN Advertise packets, determine qualified media clock streams based on conditions like target frequency and priority, and select a reference media clock stream for synchronization, eliminating the need for sample rate conversion and supporting diverse clock domains and priorities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing media clock synchronization protocols are used, then media clocks can be synchronized across transmitters, but sample rate conversion is required at receivers and handling of various frequencies and priorities is inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of media clock streams by introducing frequency and priority fields that can be negotiated and adjusted. Transmitters can advertise media clock streams with different frequencies and priorities, and receivers can select appropriate streams based on their requirements, eliminating the need for sample rate conversion while maintaining synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dynamic negotiation mechanism where transmitters advertise media clock streams with negotiable parameters (frequency, priority), and receivers can dynamically select from multiple available streams. This dynamic selection process allows the system to adapt to different frequency requirements without requiring sample rate conversion, making the system flexible and efficient.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple media clock streams with different frequencies are supported, then diverse clock domains can be handled, but the protocol complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the media clock information into distinct negotiable parameters (frequency, priority, stream identifier) that can be independently advertised and selected. This segmentation allows the protocol to handle diverse frequencies and priorities through a structured advertisement and selection process, managing complexity through organized parameter separation rather than monolithic protocol design.
Data Source
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AI summary
Media Clock Negotiation (MCN) Advertise packets may advertise one or more media clock streams. Each media clock stream may include values of a real-time clock sampled according to a first media clock. A second media clock may be recoverable from the media clock stream such that the second media clock is synchronized with the first media clock. One or more transmitters that receive the packets may determine whether the advertised media clock stream meets a set of media clock conditions. If the advertised media clock stream meets the set of media clock conditions, then the transmitter may add the advertised media clock stream to a set of qualified streams. Each transmitter may select a reference media clock stream from the set of qualified streams. By selecting the same reference media clock stream, media clocks at two or more transmitters may be synchronized.