Frame synchronous packet switching for high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) video transitions

An apparatus for use in a sink device for receiving data using a high-definition media interface (HDMI), the apparatus comprising:

• an HDMI interface for receiving data from a source device;
• a memory holding executable code;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the memory and to the HDMI interface, the processor configured by the executable code to perform operations including:
• receiving a video sequence from the source device via the HDMI interface, the video sequence including a plurality of video fields or video frames, each video field or video frame including an active video interval and one or more video blanking intervals (VBIs);
• extracting metadata for the video sequence from a frame-synchronous transmission window (FSTW) one video field or video frame of the video sequence, wherein the FSTW begins during one VBI of the one or more VBIs, on a first video blank pixel that immediately follows a last active video pixel of a preceding video frame or video field and ends a predetermined number of video lines after a start of the one VBI;
• and
• applying the extracted metadata to video data in the active video interval of the one video field or video frame.

A method for processing data from a high-definition media interface (HDMI), the method comprising:

• obtaining a video sequence via an HDMI interface, the video sequence including a plurality of video fields or video frames, each video field or video frame including an active video interval and one or more video blanking intervals (VBIs);
• extracting metadata for the video sequence from a frame-synchronous transmission window (FSTW) of one video field or video frame of the video sequence, wherein the FSTW begins during one VBI of the one or more VBIs, on a first video blank pixel that immediately follows a last active video pixel of a preceding video frame or video field and ends a predetermined number of video lines after a start of the one VBI;
• and
• applying the extracted metadata to video data in the active video interval of the one video field or video frame.