Patent ID: 6823010
Filing Date: 2004-11-23
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A method of switching video component(s) of a first digital audio-visual program onto video component(s) of a second digital audio-visual program, each video component including in the order of presentation of a sequence of ordered sets of pictures which are Intra or predictive or bidirectional, each Intra picture being devoid of reference to any other picture, each predictive picture referring to the Intra picture or to the predictive picture preceding it, each bidirectional picture being referable to two Intra or predictive pictures, namely the Intra picture or the following predictive picture or to a combination of two preceding and following predictive pictures or Intra pictures, the method comprising:performing switching at the beginning of the first set of pictures including an Intra picture of a video component of the second program encountered following the switch command and in the transmission order of the pictures, replacing each of the bidirectional pictures of the first set of pictures referring to pictures belonging to the set of pictures which preceded it with a replacement picture including a bidirectional picture referring to a previous picture in the transmission order and having its motion vectors set to a zero value, each replacement picture being a frame picture including a top frame and a bottom frame, each of said top and bottom frames referring to the closest frame in the display order of said picture.