Patent ID: 7362959

Claim:
A method of encoding an input information stream in one operation, which input information stream comprises a stream of information units (R IN ), comprising: an encoding step of converting the input information stream into an output information stream, said output information stream comprising a variable stream of information units (R ENC ), the variable stream of information units being between a minimum value R ENC,MIN and a maximum value R ENC,MAX , while the effect of the encoding step can be influenced by means of at least one control signal (R), characterized in that the method comprises a measuring step in which, at any instant T, a quantity of information units (ENC 0UT (T)) generated in the encoding step, reduced by a chosen average value of the variable stream of information units in the output information stream (R ENC,AVER ) multiplied by the instant T, is recorded in accordance with the formula ENC OUT (T)−R ENC,AVER ·T, a comparison step in which the quantity of information units (ENC OUT (T)−R ENC,AVER ·T) recorded in the measuring step is compared with at least one criterion, and in which at least one signalizing signal (S) is generated, and a control step in which at least one control signal (R) is generated, in which the state of the control signal depends on the state of at least one of the signalizing signals (S) generated in the comparison step, and which control signal influences the effect of the encoding step.