METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADAPTIVE SYNCHRONIZATION OF DIGITALVIDEO AND AUDIO PLAYBACK IN A MULTIMEDIA PLAYBACK SYSTEM

摘要

Synchronization among digital video and digital audio signals is maintained in a multimedia player with limited or highly varying processing power. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, a processor with stored program memory controls the decoding and playback of audio blocks and video frames, each stream independently stored in an order of intended playback time. The processor gives priority to the decoding and playback of audio blocks, a nd periodically determines whether a backlog of encoded video frames exists. Under video backlog conditions, the processor reduces the backlog by decodi ng only those backlogged video frames that must be decoded in order to decode and play the frame in the sequence of backlogged video frames with the lates t intended playback time. After decoding this latest backlogged frame, the processor directs it to be played. Normal video decoding and playback then resumes for video frames following this latest backlogged video frame in sequence and in intended playback time.