Patent ID: 8041180

Claim:
A video/audio data processing apparatus for respectively receiving video signals and audio signals from a video signal input device and an audio signal input device, and encoding and outputting them as a bit stream, comprising: a video signal acquisition device for receiving the video signals from the video signal input device and converting them into frame-based digital video data; an audio signal acquisition device for receiving the audio signals from the audio signal input device and converting them into frame-based digital audio data; a time information processing device for receiving a clock signal for synchronization of the frame-based digital video data and the frame-based digital audio data; a video signal encoding device for encoding the frame-based digital video data; an audio signal encoding device for encoding the frame-based audio video data; a multiplexing device for converting the encoded video and audio signals provided by the video signal encoding device and the audio signal encoding device into a single piece of bit stream data; and an output device for outputting the bit stream data provided by the multiplexing device; wherein the time information processing device acquires time information about when the video signals are input from the video signal input device to the video signal acquisition device and time information about when the audio signals are input from the audio signal input device to the audio signal acquisition device, and provides the two pieces of time information to the multiplexing device respectively as a video reference clock and an audio reference clock, wherein the video reference clock is time information about a moment at which the video signals have finished being converted into a format existing prior to encoding by the video signal acquisition device, and the audio reference clock is time information about a moment at which the audio signals have finished being converted into a format existing prior to encoding by the audio signal acquisition device; and wherein, when the multiplexing device converts the encoded video and audio signals into the single piece of bit stream data, the multiplexing device multiplexes the video reference clock and the audio reference clock into the bit stream data as capture time points for the encoded video and audio signals.