Method and apparatus for efficient transmission of multimedia data packets

An efficient method of transmitting multimedia data packets each having an associated data packet header for carrying data packet attribute information between a multimedia source device and a multimedia sink device that are connected by way of a bi-directional auxiliary channel and a unidirectional main link, comprising:

• prior to transmitting the multimedia data packets between the multimedia source device and the multimedia sink device over the unidirectional main link,
• transferring the packet attribute information from the multimedia source device to the multimedia sink device via the auxiliary channel;
• reducing the size of the multimedia data packet headers commensurate with the data packet attribute information already transferred;
• and
• transmitting the multimedia data streams packets each, having the reduced size data packet headers over the unidirectional main link from the multimedia source device and the multimedia sink device, wherein since each of the data packet headers is reduced in size commensurate with the packet attribute information previously sent over the auxiliary channel, an overall data packet overhead is also commensurably reduced wherein neither the main link nor the auxiliary channel include separate clock signal lines.