Sony Corporation

Sony United Kingdom Limited

Sony Group Corporation

Sony Europe Limited

Jian-Rong Chen

Clive Henry Gillard

Jonathan James Stone

Michael John Ludgate

Richard Cooper

Daniel Wilson

Daphne Economou

Robert Mark Stefan Porter

David Berry

Stephen Charles Olday

A method of managing a computer network in a production environment is described. The method comprises:

Controller, computer program and method

A method of calculating a new route for a media data traffic flow on a computer network when a device is connected to the network, the network comprising a first and a second network switch connected by a link, the method comprising: determining whether media data traffic already flows between the first and second network switch over the link; applying a weighting to the link whose value is based on whether media data traffic already flows over the link; and determining the new route for media data traffic by using a least cost path generation algorithm using the weighting.

Controller, computer program and method for calculating host specific network paths

A packet-based software-defined data network supporting multicast, unicast and/or broadcast packet-based data traffic types comprises a software defined network (SDN) controller; and a network of one or more packet switches arranged to route, under the control of the SDN controller, data packets from one or more packet sources to one or more packet receivers, in which the SDN controller is responsive to data defining a topology of interconnections between the plurality of packet switches, packet sources, and packet receivers, to select a route for packets from a packet source to a packet receiver; the SDN controller being configured to select the route in dependence upon the traffic type of the packets to be routed, using a respective one of a set of route selection algorithms each applicable to one of multicast, unicast and broadcast packet-based data traffic types.

Data network

A packet-based video network including: two or more video data sources, each configured to launch video data packets onto the network as multicast data packets each associated with a multicast group identifier corresponding to that video data source; and a video data destination configured to receive and process video data from a video data source by joining a multicast group corresponding to that video data source, and execute a switching operation to switch from receiving video data from a first video data source to receiving video data from a second video data source by leaving a multicast group of the first video data source and joining a multicast group of the second video data source. The video data destination is configured to process video data corresponding to a video frame which, at end of a frame period, represents a most recently received video frame from the first video data source.

Seamless switching between multicast video streams

A packet-based video network includes: plural packetized video data nodes; a packet switch configured to switch from one of video packet routes to another of video packet routes; and a video synchronizer configured to synchronize the video frame periods of at least nodes acting as packetized video data sources; wherein: each node acting as a packetized video data source is configured to launch onto the network packetized video data such that, for at least video frame periods adjacent to a switching operation: the node launches onto the network packetized video data required for decoding that frame during a predetermined active video data portion of the video frame period, and the node does not launch onto the network packetized video data required for decoding that frame during a predetermined remaining portion of the video frame period; and the switching operation is implemented during the predetermined remaining portion.

Video network

A packet-based data network including: an audio/video network including a packet-switched network over which data including audio and/or video data packets can be carried; at least one data source connected to the network and operable to assemble packetized data comprising audio/video data at a first resolution and at a second resolution greater than the first resolution, and to transmit data packets carrying multiple audio/video streams at the first resolution by multicast network transmission; and at least one client connected to the network, being a data handling device for handling packetized audio/video data and being arranged to join the multicast group to receive the multiple audio/video streams at the first resolution. The client is associated with a graphical user interface configured in conjunction with a processor to select an audio/video stream.

Device and methodology for virtual audio/video circuit switching in a packet-based network

A packet-based data network including: an audio/video network comprising:

Video/audio network

A packet-based data network includes a packet-based network switch, and a plurality of packetised data sources coupled to the network, where the packetised data includes at least one of audio data or video data. The data network further includes at least one destination, being a data handling device for handling packetised data sources, coupled to the network, and a network control arrangement coupled to the network, the network arrangement being arranged to provide virtual circuit-switched connections for transfer of packetised data from sources to destinations via the network switch by assigning multicast group identifiers to the sources, so that the sources launch packetised data onto the network as multicast data packets identified by the multicast group identifiers, and instructing a destination to issue a request to the network switch to join the multicast group of a source so as to receive data packets from that source.

Growing community of inventors

Shinfield, United Kingdom

Jian-Rong Chen