System and method for synchronization of multimedia streams

摘要

A computer-based multimedia presentation system is provided with a synchronization scheme for recording and playing independent media. The disclosed system and method allows media processes and single medium processes to achieve and maintain synchronization with each other without process interdependence and without interprocess communication. This capability is provided by assigning a common clock for all processes, requiring all participating media processes to reference the common clock, informing each process of, a synchronization basepoint called a "zero-time", and then allowing each process to independently synchronize itself to the common clock. The common clock itself does not provide any stimulus to a media process; it is a passive component in the synchronization. The media process is the active component, referring to the common clock as required to maintain synchronization for the particular media it is handling.