Method and apparatus for using a receiver model to multiplex variable-rate bit streams having timing constraints
US6438139B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 28, 1999 |
| Grant date | Aug 20, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 28, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N21/2402
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Techniques for determining an output rate for a bit stream, the output rate being determined by applying information read from the bit stream to a model of a receiver for the bit stream. The techniques are employed to construct a statistical multiplexer that multiplexes varying bit-rate MPEG-2 bit streams onto a satellite up-link. Minimum and maximum output rates for each MPEG-2 bit stream are determined such that neither a queue for the bit stream in the multiplexer nor the bit stream's decoder will underflow or overflow. The rates with regard to the decoder are determined using timing information read from the bit stream and a general model of an MPEG-2 decoder. The multiplexer first allocates each bit stream its minimum bandwidth and then allocates any remaining bandwidth to the bit streams in proportion to the difference between the minimum and maximum output rates for the bit streams, with no bit stream receiving more than its maximum output rate. If there is not enough bandwidth to give every bit stream its minimum rate, bit rates are allocated according to priorities assigned to the bit streams.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.