Patent ID: 7627039

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: decoding, by the computer, a first slice of a first frame of a video by performing a submethod comprising: determining, in accordance with a slice header of the first slice, that the first slice has a decoding dependency on a second slice of a second frame of the video; determining that said second slice has not been decoded; suspending decoding the first slice for a first predetermined amount of time; then determining after said first predetermined amount of time that said second slice has not been decoded; then suspending decoding the first slice at least one subsequent time, wherein the length of each subsequent suspension of time is reduced by another predetermined amount; then determining that said second slice has been decoded; and transforming said first slice from an encoded state to a decoded state; and decoding, by the computer, said second slice; wherein said first and second slices each comprise a plurality of macroblocks that are respectively selected from said first and second frames of the video.