Patent ID: 8351768

Claim:
A method for rendering media content, the media content having a play duration and being arranged into a plurality of consecutive encoded media samples receivable from a media source, the method comprising: ascertaining at least a portion of a media timeline having a plurality of presentation times, presentation times representing times within the play duration at which particular encoded media samples, when decoded, are available to be presented to a user; identifying a particular presentation time; using a first media processing component, decoding one or more encoded media samples to produce a first decoded output media sample; using a second media processing component, decoding one or more encoded media samples to produce a second decoded output media sample; using a renderer, rendering the first decoded output media sample to produce a first rendered media sample; using the renderer, rendering the second decoded output media sample to produce a second rendered media sample; and at the particular presentation time, synchronously presenting the first and second rendered media samples to a user, wherein the first and second rendered media samples subjectively comparable by the user, and further comprising: storing the first decoded output media sample in a first queue; storing the second decoded output media sample in a second queue; at a time prior to the particular presentation time, determining whether both the first decoded output media sample is stored in the first queue and the second decoded output media sample is stored in the second queue; when both the first decoded output media sample is stored in the first queue and the second decoded output media sample is stored in the second queue, rendering the first and second decoded output media samples; and when either the first decoded output media sample is not stored in the first queue or the second decoded output media sample is not stored in the second queue, not rendering the first and second decoded media samples.