Overcoming lost or corrupted slices in video streaming

A computerized apparatus having a processor and a storage device the processor being adapted to perform the steps of:

• receiving a sequence of communication packets associated with a frame within a video stream, wherein each packet in the sequence of communication packets comprises an indication in a predetermined location within a header of the packet of whether the packet comprises a slice header or not, and an indication to a frame number;
• retrieving slices associated with the frame from the sequence of communication packets until a missing or corrupted slice, or an end of the frame is encountered;
• subject to no missing or corrupted slice encountered, providing the slices associated with the frame to a handling unit;
• and
• subject to a missing or corrupted slice encountered:
• skipping data from a beginning location of the missing or corrupted frame, until a header start indicator or until an end of the frame;
• creating a P-skip slice;
• providing the P-skip slice to the handling unit;
• and
• resuming retrieving the slices subject to the end of the frame not being encountered.

A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium retaining program instructions, which instructions when read by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

• receiving a sequence of communication packets associated with a frame, wherein each packet in the sequence of communication packets comprises an indication in a predetermined location within a header of the packet of whether the packet comprises a slice header or not, and an indication to a frame number;
• retrieving slices associated with the frame from the sequence of communication packets until a missing or corrupted slice, or an end of the frame is encountered;
• subject to no missing or corrupted slice encountered, providing the slices associated with the frame to a handling unit;
• and
• subject to a missing or corrupted slice encountered:
• skipping data from a beginning location of the missing or corrupted frame, until a header start indicator or until an end of the frame;
• creating a P-skip slice;
• providing the P-skip slice to the handling unit;
• and
• resuming retrieving the slices subject to the end of the frame not being encountered.