Patent ID: 7668208

Claim:
A method for synchronizing packet-based digital data streams implemented on an stream synchronizing apparatus, comprising: determining, based on a current state of a finite state machine, a first number of data packets to be read from a first primary digital data stream and a second number of data packets to be read from a second primary digital data stream; reading, from the first and the second primary digital data streams, the first and the second number of the data packets, respectively, each of the data packets including a time-stamp generated with respect to a common clock; determining a temporal order of the time-stamps of the data packets, the temporal order relating to the first and the second primary digital data streams from which the data packets have been read; determining a subsequent state of the finite state machine as the current state based on the temporal order; outputting respective secondary digital data streams based on said first and second primary digital data streams, and further outputting a signal indicating whether the current state is a target state of the finite state machine, the target state corresponding to a temporal order appropriate for further processing.