Patent ID: 7543308

Claim:
A method of generating a filter graph for a user-defined processing project, the method comprising: analyzing the project for multiple accesses to a single source of media content; determining that the multiple accesses cannot be combined and/or share a common processing chain; and coupling a single instance of the media source to the one or more processing chains through a software object to satisfy the multiple accesses without invoking a commensurate number of multiple instances of the media source, wherein the software object is a segment filter and further wherein the one or more processing chains comprise: a scalable, dynamically reconfigurable matrix switch having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs; at least one matrix switch input being communicatively linked with a first processing chain portion; at least one other matrix switch input being communicatively linked with a second processing chain portion; the matrix switch being configured to dynamically couple one or more of the matrix switch inputs to one or more of the matrix switch outputs.