Apple Inc.

Ashley Ian Butterworth

Matthew Xavier Mora

Niel David Warren

Andrew Yanowitz

Girault W Jones, Jr

Methods and apparatus for efficiently servicing isochronous streams (such as media data streams) associated with a network. In one embodiment, an Isochronous Cycle Manager (ICM), receives multiple independent streams of packets that include isochronous packets arriving according to different time bases (e.g., where each stream has a different time base). The packets are sorted by the ICM into a buffering mechanism according to their required presentation time. Additionally the ICM calculates a launch time for each packet. The NIC transmits the packets from the queue according to an access scheme, such as a time division multiplexed (TDM) scheme where each of a plurality of cycles is subdivided into time slots. During appropriate time slots, the NIC transmits the packets in chronological order, as read out of the buffering mechanism.

Methods and apparatus for isochronous data delivery within a network

Methods and apparatus that enable a community of devices having differing underlying protocols to stream media data such as video or audio data. In one exemplary embodiment, this invention enables IEEE 1394-compliant ('FireWire' enabled) devices to communicate across an Ethernet infrastructure, such as one enabled by the Ethernet AVB Standard(s). This enhances connectivity, and also supports obviating one or more physical ports within the device(s). In another embodiment, or more wireless transports are utilized.

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Normanhurst, Australia

Ashley Ian Butterworth