Interleaved video streams

A system for recovering from a frame loss during the exchange of interleaved video streams between an interleaved stream encoder and a decoder, the system comprising:

• a processor;
• and
• a memory coupled with the processor, wherein the memory is configured to provide the processor with instructions which when executed cause the processor to:
• use the interleaved stream encoder to begin generating from a source video stream a first interleaved video stream and a second interleaved video stream, wherein the first interleaved video stream comprises an intra-coded frame and a first sequence of predictive frames and wherein the second interleaved stream comprises the intra-coded frame and a second sequence of predictive frames,
• wherein each predictive frame of each of the first sequence of predictive frames and the second sequence of predictive frames is encoded using at least some portion of a reference frame that is at least two frames prior to it in the source video stream;
• wherein the interleaved stream encoder is configured to:
• generate the first sequence of predictive frames of the first stream to include a first predictive frame that is encoded using a first reference frame;
• and
• generate the second sequence of predictive frames to include a second predictive frame that is encoded using a second reference frame and a third predictive frame that is encoded using a third reference frame;
• initiate transmission of the first interleaved video stream and the second interleaved video stream to a decoder via a network;
• receive from the decoder one or more messages indicating that the second predictive frame has been lost or corrupted prior to receipt by the decoder;
• and
• in response to receiving the one or more messages, reconfiguring the interleaved stream encoder to encode the third predictive frame using one of the first reference frame, the second reference frame, or any other frame occurring prior to in the source video stream, instead of the third reference frame, prior to transmission of the third predictive frame to the decoder.

A computer program product for recovering from a frame loss during the exchange of interleaved video streams between an interleaved stream encoder and a decoder, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

• using an interleaved stream encoder to begin generating from a source video stream a first interleaved video stream and a second interleaved video stream, wherein the first interleaved video stream comprises an intra-coded frame and a first sequence of predictive frames and wherein the second interleaved stream comprises the intra-coded frame and a second sequence of predictive frames;
• wherein each predictive frame of each of the first sequence of predictive frames and the second sequence of predictive frames is encoded using at least some portion of a reference frame that is at least two frames prior to it in the source video stream;
• wherein the interleaved stream encoder is configured to:
• generate the first sequence of predictive frames to include a first predictive frame that is encoded using a first reference frame;
• and
• generate the second sequence of predictive frames to include a second predictive frame that is encoded using a second reference frame and a third predictive frame that is encoded using a third reference frame;
• initiating transmission of the first interleaved video stream and the second interleaved video stream to a decoder via a network;
• receiving from the decoder one or more messages indicating that the second predictive frame has been lost or corrupted prior to receipt by the decoder;
• and
• in response to receiving the one or more messages, reconfiguring the interleaved stream encoder to encode the third predictive frame using one of the first reference frame, the second reference frame, or any other frame occurring prior to it in the source video stream, instead of the third reference frame, prior to transmission of the third predictive frame to the decoder.