System and method for seamless switching through buffering

A system for seamlessly switching between a plurality of digital data streams, each digital data stream comprising a plurality of digital data segments, said system comprising:

• means for encoding, at a rate that is based on a selected capacity of a buffer of a switching device, said plurality of digital data segments into a plurality of encoded segments, wherein each encoded segment has an end point that is synchronized with respect to end points of corresponding encoded segments of the other plurality of data streams;
• and
• means for multiplexing at least a portion of said encoded segments at a transmission rate that is higher than said rate that is based on said selected capacity of said buffer.

A computer program product for seamlessly switching between a plurality of digital data streams, each digital data stream comprising a plurality of digital data segments, said computer program product stored on a computer readable medium, said computer program product comprising instructions for causing a computer to:

• encode, at a rate that is based on a selected capacity of a buffer of a switching device, said plurality of digital data segments into a plurality of encoded segments, wherein each encoded segment has an end point that is synchronized with respect to end points of corresponding encoded segments of the other plurality of data streams;
• and
• multiplex at least a portion of said encoded segments at a transmission rate that is higher than said rate that is based on said selected capacity of said buffer.