Decoder buffer for streaming video receiver and method of operation

A receiver for receiving encoded streaming data comprising:

• a device for at least one of:
• 1) displaying streaming video data associated with said encoded streaming data and 2) audibly playing streaming audio data associated with said encoded streaming data;
• a decoder for decoding said encoded streaming data;
• and
• a decoder buffer for receiving from a streaming data transmitter data packets comprising said encoded streaming data and storing said data packets in a plurality of access units, each of said access units for holding at least one data packet associated with a selected portion of said encoded streaming data, wherein said decoder buffer comprises:
• a first buffer region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are less immediately needed by said decoder;
• and
• a re-transmission region comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets that are most needed by said decoder, wherein said decoder buffer, in response to a detection of a missing data packet in said re-transmission region requests that said streaming video transmitter retransmit said missing packet.

For use with a video decoder capable of decoding streaming video, a method for buffering the streaming video comprising the steps of:

• receiving from a streaming video transmitter data packets comprising the streaming video and storing the data packets in a plurality of access units in a decoder buffer, each of the access units for holding at least one data packet associated with a selected frame in the streaming video;
• storing data packets that are less immediately needed by the video decoder in a first buffer region of the decoder buffer comprising at least one access unit for storing data packets;
• and
• storing data packets that are most immediately needed by the video decoder in a re-transmission region of the decoder buffer comprising at least one access unit, wherein the decoder buffer, in response to a detection of a missing data packet in the re-transmission region, requests that the streaming video transmitter retransmit the missing packet.