Frame Accurate Video Splicing via Timestamp Alteration

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing B-frames before the splice point to make them display-independent. Specifically, it converts B-frames to either I-frames or P-frames that do not reference future frames, ensuring they can be displayed correctly even when frames after the splice point are omitted. This preliminary conversion resolves the contradiction by maintaining video quality while enabling seamless splicing without requiring actual frame conversion at the splice point.

The patent uses copying by creating a copy or reference of the necessary frame data from after the splice point and embedding it in the preceding frames. When a B-frame before the splice point references a frame after the splice point, the system copies the required data from that future frame and incorporates it into the B-frame or its reference structure, allowing the B-frame to be rendered accurately without actually displaying or transmitting the frames after the splice point.

The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the temporal reference parameters of B-frames rather than changing the compression format itself. It adjusts the reference frame pointers and timing information in the compressed bitstream to ensure that B-frames before the splice point reference only frames that will be displayed, while maintaining the original compression encoding. This allows splicing to occur directly on the compressed files without decompression and recompression, preserving content integrity while minimizing processing complexity.