Channel selection by decoding a first program stream and partially decoding a second program stream

• Main Author: PETER STIEGLITZ
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 02.10.2013
• Subjects: ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE; ELECTRICITY; PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

An apparatus and method in which a first pipeline receives and decodes a first program stream and a second pipeline receives and partially decodes a second program stream. When the first program stream is selected, the first pipeline provides the decoded first program stream to be output and the second pipeline discards the partially decoded second program stream. The second program stream may be partially decoded according to a partial processing mode that may involve; identifying packets of the second program stream; performing frame analysis on the identified packets; decoding reference frames of identified packets and identifying and decoding remaining frames of the identified packets. The invention may be used to reduce latency when a new program or channel is selected by ensuring that information relating to a channel the user may select has already been partially decoded. Also disclosed is an apparatus configured to decode packets from a first program stream.