Patent ID: 8085663

Claim:
A data processing apparatus comprising: adjusting means for receiving a stream including packets and a start flag indicative of the beginning of each of said packets in said stream, adjusting a rate of said stream to a certain rate, and outputting the adjusted stream that is said stream after the rate adjustment and said start flag indicative of the beginning of each of said packets in said adjusted stream; monitoring means for monitoring a packet interval that is a start interval between said packets in said adjusted stream on the basis of said start flag; and output control means for executing output control of outputting said packets in said adjusted stream if said packet interval is a normal interval and restricting the outputting of said packets in said adjusted stream if said packet interval is an abnormal interval, wherein, if said packet interval is a relatively short internal as an abnormal interval, said output control means discards data of a portion of said abnormal interval in said adjusted stream and, if said packet interval is a relatively long interval as an abnormal interval, said output control means outputs a null packet as a packet for a portion of said abnormal interval.