Patent ID: 7394850

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving a first compressed video stream; determining a first encoding profile for the first compressed video stream; encoding a second video stream in accordance with an encoding parameter associated with the first compressed video stream to generate a second compressed video stream having a second encoding profile which matches the first encoding profile to within a requisite degree, wherein a profiler continuously tracks the encoding parameter associated with the first compressed video stream for instant parameter changes; splicing the second compressed video stream into the first compressed video stream to produce a spliced stream, wherein the requisite degree of matching between the second encoding profile and the first encoding profile is selected such that the spliced video stream can be decoded without producing visible artifacts on a display during or after a transition from a first compressed video stream portion of the spliced stream to a second compressed video stream portion of the spliced stream, wherein the encoding of the second video is controlled such that the second encoding profile approximately matches the first encoding profile at approximately a point in time when the second compressed video stream is spliced into the first compressed video stream, wherein the encoding of the second video is further controlled such that the second encoding profile approximately matches the first encoding profile at approximately a point in time when the first compressed video stream is spliced back into the spliced stream.