Patent ID: 7490344

Claim:
A method of preparing a plurality of data streams to allow seamless switching between said data streams by a switching device, wherein said switching device includes data stream buffering for an output data stream, said method comprising the steps of: preparing said plurality of data streams prior to transmitting said plurality of data streams to said switching device, wherein said preparing comprises: providing a plurality of data streams, said data streams including data which is divided into segments, wherein said segments include synchronized starting points and end points on all of said plurality of data streams; multiplexing said plurality of data streams for delivery to said switching device; and increasing a data rate of said multiplexed plurality of data streams from a first data rate to a second data rate at a time before an end point of each segment by changing the multiplexing for said plurality of streams to provide gaps in said plurality of data streams between said end points and said starting points wherein such changing of multiplexing does not affect the contents of said plurality of data streams, and wherein said plurality of data streams are processed at least in part on a serial basis; and after preparing said plurality of data streams, transmitting said multiplexed data streams to said switching device.