Method and apparatus for time stretching to hide data packet pre-buffering delays

摘要

A special rendering mode for the first few seconds of play out of multimedia data minimizes the delay caused by pre-buffering of data packets in multimedia streaming applications. Instead of pre-buffering all incoming data packets until a certain threshold is reached, the streaming application starts playing out some of the data packets immediately after the arrival of the first data packet. Immediate play out of the first data packet, for example, results in minimum delay between channel selection and perception, thereby allowing a user to quickly scan through all available channels to quickly get a notion of the content. The immediate play out is done at a reduced speed.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
while rendering, via a device, a first data packet in a stream of data packets, generating fill packets associated with the first data packet; and after rendering the first data packet via the device, and before rendering a second data packet which is next to and following the first data packet in the stream of data packets, rendering the fill packets.