Patent ID: 6522694
Filing Date: 2003-02-18
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
A video signal decoder which decodes signals that have been encoded according a stand (MPEG-2) specified by the moving pictures experts group (MPEG), the encoded video signal including a plurality of types of start codes and stuffing data, bursts of zero-valued bits, which are added to the encoded signal to provide the encoded signal as a fixed-rate bit-stream, the apparatus comprising:a terminal for receiving the encoded video signal; a zero-byte detector which monitors the received encoded video signal to identify individual zero-valued bytes; a counter which counts the individual zero-valued bytes identified by the zero-byte detector to generate a count value, and compares the count value to a threshold value to identify stuffing data; a start code identifier which monitors the received encoded video signal to identify start codes; programming means, responsive to a type of start code identified by the start code identifier, for setting the threshold value; and means for blocking passage of ones of the zero-valued bytes in the sequence of is zero-valued bytes when the counter identifies the ones of the zero-valued bytes as stuffing data.