Patent ID: 6049569
Filing Date: 2000-04-11
Classification: G06T,H04N

Abstract:
A method of encoding a digital video bit stream which includes a plurality of successively-encoded pictures, including the steps of:constructing a seamless In Point in accordance with a constraint expressed by the following equation (1):dd.sub.f.sbsb.--.sub.ip .ltoreq.minimum {DD.sub.thr.sbsb.--.sub.ip, (B.sub.d /r.sub.n.sbsb.--.sub.ip)}, (1)where dd.sub.f.sbsb.--.sub.ip represents an amount of time by which a first byte of the digital video bit stream after the seamless In Point must stay in a decoder buffer before it is decoded; B.sub.d is a size of the decoder buffer; r.sub.n.sbsb.--.sub.ip is a bit rate at which the digital video bit stream is normally encoded at the seamless In Point; and, DD.sub.thr.sbsb.--.sub.ip represents a prescribed minimum decoding delay threshold for seamless In Points, where DD.sub.thr.sbsb.--.sub.ip is defined by the following equation (2):DD.sub.thr.sbsb.--.sub.ip =((MSR/r.sub.n.sbsb.--.sub.ip)*SDD)+T.sub.p.sbsb.--.sub.i *(1-(MSR/r.sub.n.sbsb.--.sub.ip), (2)where T.sub.p.sbsb.--.sub.i is a time needed for displaying a picture which starts being displayed at a time of decoding of a last picture prior to the seamless In Point; SDD is a prescribed splice decoding delay; and, MSR is a prescribed maximum splice rate; and,inserting the seamless In Point at a first point in the digital video bit stream at which another digital video bit stream can be spliced into the digital video bit stream.