Method and apparatus to enable fast channel switching with limited DVB receiver memory

A transmitting device comprising a processor and a memory, the memory containing program code executable by the processor for performing the following:

• encapsulating a plurality of user datagram protocol (UDP) over Internet protocol (IP) datagrams associated with a plurality of real time audio/visual (A/V) streams or a plurality of file objects onto a plurality of multi-protocol encapsulation (MPE) sections;
• inserting each of the plurality of MPE sections into one of a plurality of elementary streams;
• multiplexing the plurality of elementary streams into a plurality of bursts, wherein each MPE section in a burst includes a relative time offset to a start of a next burst for an elementary stream, wherein multiplexing comprises unequally spacing bursts containing adjacent programs in a channel line-up apart in time such that a receiver has sufficient time to perform forward error correction (FEC) processing and to drain a buffer of a first burst before a second burst containing an adjacent program in the channel line-up arrives, wherein the adjacent programs correspond to three consecutively numbered channels including a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel, wherein the first burst corresponds to the first channel, the second burst corresponds to the second channel, and a third burst corresponds to the third channel, wherein the first burst is a nearest burst of the first channel to the second burst and the third burst is a nearest burst of the third channel to the second burst, wherein the first channel is adjacent to the second channel and lower in channel number than the second channel in the channel line-up, and the second channel is adjacent to the third channel and lower in channel number than the third channel in the channel line-up, and wherein a first number of bursts between the first burst and the second burst is unequal to a second number of bursts between the second burst and the third burst;
• and
• transmitting the plurality of bursts using a same burst size and a same burst bandwidth for each of the plurality of elementary streams.

A device for enabling a receiver to optimize channel switching time comprising:

• means for encapsulating a plurality of user datagram protocol (UDP) over Internet protocol (IP) datagrams associated with a plurality of real time audio/visual (A/V) streams or a plurality of file objects onto a plurality of multi-protocol encapsulation (MPE) sections;
• means for inserting each of the plurality of MPE sections into one of a plurality of elementary streams;
• means for multiplexing the plurality of elementary streams into a plurality of bursts, wherein each MPE section in a burst includes a relative time offset to a start of a next burst for an elementary stream, wherein multiplexing comprises unequally spacing bursts containing adjacent programs in a channel line-up apart in time such that a receiver has sufficient time to perform forward error correction (FEC) processing and to drain a buffer of a first burst before a second burst containing an adjacent program in the channel line-up arrives, wherein the adjacent programs correspond to three consecutively numbered channels including a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel, wherein the first burst corresponds to the first channel, the second burst corresponds to the second channel, and a third burst corresponds to the third channel, wherein the first burst is a nearest burst of the first channel to the second burst and the third burst is a nearest burst of the third channel to the second burst, wherein the first channel is adjacent to the second channel and lower in channel number than the second channel in the channel line-up, and the second channel is adjacent to the third channel and lower in channel number than the third channel in the channel line-up, and wherein a first number of bursts between the first burst and the second burst is unequal to a second number of bursts between the second burst and the third burst;
• and
• means for transmitting the plurality of bursts using a same burst size and a same burst bandwidth for each of the plurality of elementary streams.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium including program codes stored thereon, comprising:

• program codes for causing a computer to encapsulate a plurality of user datagram protocol (UDP) over Internet protocol (IP) datagrams associated with a plurality of real time audio/visual (A/V) streams or a plurality of file objects onto a plurality of multi-protocol encapsulation (MPE) sections;
• program codes for causing the computer to insert each of the plurality of MPE sections into one of a plurality of elementary streams;
• program codes for causing the computer to multiplex the plurality of elementary streams into a plurality of bursts, wherein each MPE section in a burst includes a relative time offset to a start of a next burst for an elementary stream, wherein multiplexing comprises unequally spacing bursts containing adjacent programs in a channel line-up apart in time such that a receiver has sufficient time to perform forward error correction (FEC) processing and to drain a buffer of a first burst before a second burst containing an adjacent program in the channel line-up arrives wherein the adjacent programs correspond to three consecutively numbered channels including a first channel, a second channel, and a third channel, wherein the first burst corresponds to the first channel, the second burst corresponds to the second channel, and a third burst corresponds to the third channel, wherein the first burst is a nearest burst of the first channel to the second burst and the third burst is a nearest burst of the third channel to the second burst, wherein the first channel is adjacent to the second channel and lower in channel number than the second channel in the channel line-up, and the second channel is adjacent to the third channel and lower in channel number than the third channel in the channel line-up, and wherein a first number of bursts between the first burst and the second burst is unequal to a second number of bursts between the second burst and the third burst;
• and
• program codes for causing the computer to transmit the plurality of bursts using a same burst size and a same burst bandwidth for each of the plurality of elementary streams.