Skip to main content

10.2 One of N Codec Selection

10.2 One of N Codec Selection​

A common occurrence in embedded phones is that the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) used for compression can support multiple codecs at a time, but once that codec is selected, it cannot be readily changed on the fly. This example shows how a session can be set up using an initial offer/answer exchange, followed immediately by a second one to lock down the set of codecs.

The initial offer from Alice to Bob indicates a single audio stream with the three audio codecs that are available in the DSP. The stream is marked as inactive, since media cannot be received until a codec is locked down:

v=0
o=alice 2890844526 2890844526 IN IP4 host.anywhere.com
s=
c=IN IP4 host.anywhere.com
t=0 0
m=audio 62986 RTP/AVP 0 4 18
a=rtpmap:0 PCMU/8000
a=rtpmap:4 G723/8000
a=rtpmap:18 G729/8000
a=inactive

Bob can support dynamic switching between PCMU and G.723. So, he sends the following answer:

v=0
o=bob 2890844730 2890844731 IN IP4 host.example.com
s=
c=IN IP4 host.example.com
t=0 0
m=audio 54344 RTP/AVP 0 4
a=rtpmap:0 PCMU/8000
a=rtpmap:4 G723/8000
a=inactive

Alice can then select any one of these two codecs. So, she sends an updated offer with a sendrecv stream:

v=0
o=alice 2890844526 2890844527 IN IP4 host.anywhere.com
s=
c=IN IP4 host.anywhere.com
t=0 0
m=audio 62986 RTP/AVP 4
a=rtpmap:4 G723/8000
a=sendrecv

Bob accepts the single codec:

v=0
o=bob 2890844730 2890844732 IN IP4 host.example.com
s=
c=IN IP4 host.example.com
t=0 0
m=audio 54344 RTP/AVP 4
a=rtpmap:4 G723/8000
a=sendrecv

If the answerer (Bob), was only capable of supporting one-of-N codecs, Bob would select one of the codecs from the offer, and place that in his answer. In this case, Alice would do a re-INVITE to activate that stream with that codec.

As an alternative to using "a=inactive" in the first exchange, Alice can list all codecs, and as soon as she receives media from Bob, generate an updated offer locking down the codec to the one just received. Of course, if Bob only supports one-of-N codecs, there would only be one codec in his answer, and in this case, there is no need for a re-INVITE to lock down to a single codec.

Last updated on