Streaming video navigation systems and methods

A method comprising:

• storing in a first buffer, a first video stream comprising a first plurality of differentially compressed image frames and a first plurality of key frames, the first video stream generated from a first sequence of images of an event perceived at a first video camera angle;
• storing in a second buffer, a second video stream comprising a second plurality of differentially compressed image frames and a second plurality of key frames, the second video stream generated from a second sequence of images of the event perceived at a second video camera angle, wherein the first and the second video streams are perceivably aligned in time;
• receiving at an arbitrary instant in time after transmission of a first key frame and during transmission of one of the compressed image frames in the first plurality of differentially compressed image frames, a request to transmit the second video stream in place of the first video stream;
• using a backwards seek procedure to identify in the buffered second video stream, a second key frame that precedes the arbitrary instant in time;
• using the identified second key frame to execute a forward seek for identifying in the buffered second video stream, a compressed image frame corresponding to the arbitrary instant in time;
• and
• transmitting the second video stream starting from the compressed image frame corresponding to the arbitrary instant in time.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon, instructions that when executed by a processor implement a method comprising the steps of:

• storing in a first buffer, a first video stream comprising a first plurality of differentially compressed image frames and a first plurality of key frames, the first video stream generated from a first sequence of images of an event perceived at a first video camera angle;
• storing in a second buffer, a second video stream comprising a second plurality of differentially compressed image frames and a second plurality of key frames, the second video stream generated from a second sequence of images of the event perceived at a second video camera angle, wherein the first and the second video streams are perceivably aligned in time;
• detecting the receiving of a message at an arbitrary instant in time after transmission of a first key frame and during transmission of one of the compressed image frames in the first plurality of differentially compressed image frames, the message comprising a request to transmit the second video stream starting from the arbitrary instant in time;
• using a backwards seek procedure to identify in the buffered second video stream, a second key frame preceding the arbitrary instant in time;
• using the identified second key frame to execute a forward seek procedure to identify in the buffered second video stream, a compressed image frame that corresponds to the arbitrary instant in time;
• and
• transmitting the second video stream starting from the compressed image frame that corresponds to the arbitrary instant in time.

A method comprising:

• storing in a first video buffer of a multimedia transmitter, a first video stream comprising a first plurality of differentially compressed image frames and a first plurality of key frames, the first video stream generated from a first sequence of images of an event perceived at a first video camera angle;
• storing in a second video buffer of the multimedia transmitter, a second video stream comprising a second plurality of differentially compressed image frames and a second plurality of key frames, the second video stream generated from a second sequence of images of the event perceived at a second video camera angle, wherein the first and the second video streams are perceivably aligned in time;
• receiving in the multimedia transmitter, at an arbitrary instant in time after transmission of a first key frame and during transmission of one of the compressed image frames in the first plurality of differentially compressed image frames, a first request to replace a previously transmitted image perceived at the first video camera angle, with a corresponding image perceived at the second video camera angle, wherein the previously transmitted image has been placed in a paused state in a receiver communicatively coupled to the multimedia transmitter;
• using a backwards seek procedure to identify in the buffered second video stream, a second key frame that corresponds to the transmitted first key frame;
• using the identified second key frame to execute a forward seek procedure for identifying in the buffered second video stream, the corresponding image perceived at the second video camera angle;
• and
• transmitting to the receiver, an image frame containing the corresponding image perceived at the second video camera angle.