Robust mode staggercasting without artifacts

A staggercasting receiver, for receiving a composite signal comprising a first channel encoded signal and a second channel encoded signal, the first channel encoded signal representing a first encoded signal representing a content representative signal and source encoded to have successive corresponding independent decoding segments, the second channel encoded signal representing a second encoded signal representing the content representative signal and source encoded to have successive corresponding independent decoding segments, wherein the first channel encoded signal is coded with a different channel coding than the second channel encoded signal and the first encoded signal is delayed with respect to the second encoded signal, and the first encoded signal is source encoded differently from the second encoded signal, comprising:

• a demultiplexer for extracting the first encoded signal and the second encoded signal from the composite signal and for generating an error signal representing an error in the composite signal;
• a selector, responsive to the error signal, for selecting an independent decoding segment of the extracted second encoded signal if an error is detected in the composite signal during at least a portion of the corresponding independent decoding segment of the first encoded signal, and selecting an independent decoding segment of the extracted first encoded signal otherwise;
• and
• a decoder for decoding the selected independent decoding segment of the corresponding extracted encoded signal for providing the content representative signal;
• and
• wherein each independent decoding segment has an associated time duration;
• and wherein the first encoded signal is delayed by the time duration with respect to the second encoded signal;
• and
• the receiver further comprises a delay, coupled between the demultiplexer and the selector, for delaying the extracted second encoded signal by the time duration, whereby the extracted first encoded signal and the extracted second encoded signal are realigned in time.

A method for use in a staggercasting receiver, the method comprising:

• receiving, by the staggercasting receiver, a composite signal comprising a first channel encoded signal and a second channel encoded signal, the first channel encoded signal representing a first encoded signal representing a content representative signal and source encoded to have successive corresponding independent decoding segments, the second channel encoded signal representing a second encoded signal representing the content representative signal and source encoded to have successive corresponding independent decoding segments, wherein the first channel encoded signal is coded with a different channel coding than the second channel encoded signal and the first encoded signal is delayed with respect to the second encoded signal, and the first encoded signal is encoded differently from the second encoded signal;
• extracting the first encoded signal and the second encoded signal from the received composite signal;
• generating an error signal representing an error in the composite signal;
• selecting, responsive to the error signal, an independent decoding segment of the extracted second encoded signal if an error is detected in the composite signal during at least a portion of the corresponding independent decoding segment of the first encoded signal, and selecting an independent decoding segment of the extracted first encoded signal otherwise;
• decoding the selected independent decoding segment of the corresponding extracted encoded signal for providing the content representative signal;
• and
• wherein each independent decoding segment has an associated time duration;
• and wherein the first encoded signal is delayed by the time duration with respect to the second encoded signal;
• and further comprising the step of
• delaying the extracted second encoded signal by the time duration, whereby the extracted first encoded signal and the extracted second encoded signal are realigned in time.