Patent ID: 6865228

Claim:
A digital data transmission apparatus for multiplexing and transmitting compressed digital video data of n channels, within active video periods of one frame of a television signal, n being an integer of 2 or more, said digital data transmission apparatus comprising: a reproduction means for reproducing the digital video data of said channels from a recording medium, a multiplexing means for: (1) dividing said active video periods of one frame of the television signal into n transmission areas, each of the n transmission areas comprising m consecutive lines, m being a positive integer, (2) packetizing the reproduced compressed digital video data of each of the n channels into a plurality of packets, each of the packets having a packet header including a packet ID and a length of 1/k times the length of one of the m consecutive lines, k being an integer of 2 or more, and (3) arranging the packets of the reproduced compressed digital video data of each of said n channels within one of said n transmission areas wherein said m consecutive lines comprise the compressed digital video data of one and only one of said n channels, and a transmitting means for transmitting the packets arranged by said multiplexing means within each of the n transmission areas, serially from a top line to a bottom line of each of the transmission areas.