System and method for media stream indexing and synchronization
AssigneeEspial, Inc.
InventorsMichael J. Abbott, Paul Close, Kevin P. Smith
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An indexing system and method for allowing a viewer to control the mode of delivery of program material. By mapping from time to data position, data delivery can begin at any selected time in the program material. The indexing method also provides for controlling data delivery to begin at the beginning of a frame of data. A synchronizing method is provided to minimize a time offset between audio and video data, particularly in environments using groups of pictures.
Claims13
A method for locating program material at a specified time T, comprising:
- converting the specified time T to a time Trel, relative to media data representing the program material;
- determining an index number from said time Trel using an index duration;
- converting said index number to a data position, thereby locating media data representing the program material at the specified time T;
- and
- converting a specified-segment relative time Tseg to a specified-atom relative time Tatom by adding a specified segment's offset to Tseg, and computing an index number from Tatom using an index duration.
A computer program product stored on a computer readable medium for use with a computer system and a content on demand media delivery system including computer readable program code for enabling a computer system to carry out the locating of program material so that delivery of the program material to a viewer via media delivery on demand begins at the specified time T in the program material;
- the computer program product including instructions for:
- converting the specified time T to a time Trel relative to media data representing the program material;
- determining an index number from said time Trel using an index duration;
- converting said index number to a data position, thereby locating media data representing the program material at the specified time T;
- and
- converting a specified-segment relative time Tseg to a specified-atom relative time Tatom by adding a specified segment's offset to Tseg, and computing an index number from Tatom using an index duration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.