Parallel Video De-multiplexing for Fast Television Channel Switching

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-decoding video streams of multiple channels before a channel switch request is made. When the current channel's I-frame is received, the system proactively decodes not only the current channel but also pre- decodes video streams of adjacent channels (N-1 and N+1) by receiving and processing their respective I-frames and subsequent P-frames in advance. This way, when a user requests to switch to an adjacent channel, the decoding is already complete or nearly complete, significantly reducing the perceived channel switching time.

The patent applies dynamics by making the video de-multiplexing module operational and configurable. The module can be activated or deactivated based on system requirements and resource availability. The controller dynamically manages the module's operation, enabling it to perform parallel decoding when needed and reducing its operational footprint when not required, thus balancing performance improvement with device complexity management.

The patent applies preliminary action by proactively receiving and buffering I-frames of adjacent channels as soon as they become available in the transport stream, even before a channel switch request is made. The controller monitors the arrival of I-frames and prepares the decoding pipeline in advance by pre-fetching and buffering reference frames (I-frames and P-frames) for adjacent channels. This preliminary preparation ensures that when a channel switch is requested, the necessary decoding data is already ready, allowing immediate decoding without waiting for I-frame arrival, thus maintaining both decoding accuracy and fast switching speed.