SPIRIT DSP receives patent for HD voice codec IP-MR for IP-networks

RUSSIA: SPIRIT DSP has received a patent for its scalable, wideband, error resilient HD voice codec IP-MR designed for video soft phones and web videoconferencing products.

The patent was granted to SPIRIT for multilayer, scalable, packet loss-resilient speech coding technology for IP-networks. Implementations of SPIRIT IP-MR HD voice codec are already used in massively multiplayer online games and IP-telephony and videoconferencing software. SPIRIT IP-MR is a patent-free codec, which means that, unlike other high-profile codecs, it doesn’t require paying any patent royalties to SPIRIT.

One of the advantages of the patented IP-MR codec is its ability to adapt on the fly to changing bandwidth. The codec's variable bit rate provides the best possible quality of speech or audio for current network conditions. Its capabilities are enhanced by its robustness to packet loss and delay. Built-in mechanisms help to provide high speech quality even when the network is overloaded and/or has insufficient resources. Transmitted voice layers are prioritized, and high-priority packets are subject to guaranteed delivery (in QoS networks).

Progressive coding algorithm used in IP-MR makes it possible to improve speech quality without additional network load. As a result, IP-MR has the ability to connect multiple participants that use channels with different bandwidth without transcoding to prevent delays and voice quality degradation.

The IP-MR automatically adjusts bit rates and the codec scalability provides maximum voice quality for all participants adjusted for their current channel bandwidth. The patented coding algorithm and built-in network impairments compensation mechanisms allow for optimization of voice traffic to ensure smooth and high-quality voice communication. The same coding principles were used in H.264 SVC video codec after IP-MR came on the market. The optimized algorithmic complexity of IP-MR allows the codec to run fine on mobile devices.

Receiving a patent for IP-MR is the next step of its professional recognition after its payload was adopted in 2011 by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the key institution responsible for systems standards interconnection, protocols and devices interaction across the Internet.

The codec received IETF's recognition and standardization approval as RFC 6262 to enable interoperability of voice products or different vendors based on IP-MR, that means an ability of any developer to use it in such a way that other devices will recognize it, with no interoperability issues.

All benefits of the IP-MR codec are used in the scalable cross-platform software product from SPIRIT, TeamSpirit Voice & Video Engine SDK, which enables rapid development of voice and video applications for all popular platforms, including PC, Mac, operation systems and Linux, smartphones and tablets running under iOS, Android and Windows Phone.

SPIRIT IP-MR codec is used in IP telephony and videoconferencing products from AT&T, Blizzard, China Mobile, Dialogic, Huawei, Korea Telecom, LG U+, Maaii, Oracle, Rostelecom, and many others. SPIRIT IP-MR codec is positioned for telcos and service providers and competes against proprietary HD voice codecs from Google, Skype and Microsoft. IP-MR HD voice codec is also used in SPIRIT VideoMost multi-point web videoconferencing software available for white-label licensing to carriers, service providers and system integrators.