Data processor and data processing method for compression encoding source data and multiplexing metadata

摘要

A data processor comprises a data compression encoder which operates to compression encode source data into compression encoded data having a variable compressed data rate, a multiplexer coupled to the data compression encoder and arranged in operation to concatenate the compressed data and ancillary data into a concatenated data stream, and a control processor coupled to the multiplexer and arranged in operation to control the multiplexer whereby a combined data rate of the concatenated data stream is less than or equal to a pre-determined maximum. The data processor finds application with a compression encoder which operates in accordance with an MPEG-type encoding algorithm. The source data may be representative of video signals or audio signals, and the ancillary data may be descriptive metadata.