Real-time applications on the Internet

This paper provides a general introduction to real-time applications over networks operating the internet protocol. A particular issue facing such applications is the difficulty in consistently achieving the required quality of service. This paper looks at the role of the network, the operating system and the application environment in delivering the required quality of service. The main focus is an outline description of an application architecture designed to support a wide range of real-time applications, with particular reference to audiovisual services.