Signalling of decodable sub-sequences

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a transport stream corresponding to a video stream that comprises a sequence of pictures corresponding to a video program, each of the pictures of the sequence uniquely associated with one of k successive tiers, where k is a non-negative integer number starting with a lowest tier number;

receiving personal video recording assist (PVRA) information in the transport stream, the PVRA information comprising an indication of a first tier number corresponding uniquely to the pictures associated with a first tier and a second tier number corresponding uniquely to the pictures associated with a second tier different than the first tier;

responsive to a request for a first trick mode, decoding a first sub-sequence of pictures beginning at one of the pictures corresponding to a random access point (RAP) and consisting of the pictures of the sequence signaled by the PVRA information as the first tier number; and

responsive to a request for a second trick mode that has a different playback speed than the first trick mode, decoding a second sub-sequence beginning at the one of the pictures corresponding to a RAP and consisting of all of the pictures of the sequence signaled as the first tier number, and one or more of the pictures of the sequence signaled by the PVRA information as the second tier number, the pictures corresponding to the first tier number decodable independently of the pictures corresponding to the second tier number, wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, wherein receiving the PVRA information comprises receiving a tier number signaled for a decodable Tier k picture located between an rth and (r+1)th RAP of a decodable sub-sequence, the respective tier number signaled for all tiers including the lowest tier number through Tier k pictures that are located between a Tier k picture's DEP and the (r+1)th RAP.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising initiating decoding at a decodability entry point (DEP) at a RAP corresponding to an rth RAP if the picture associated with the rth RAP is an instantaneous decode refresh (IDR) picture, otherwise the DEP is at the (r−1)th RAP corresponding to a RAP location immediately preceding the rth RAP, where r is a non-negative integer number.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, and wherein for an interval demarcated by a Tier k picture's DEP and the Tier k picture, the tier number signaled for the Tier k picture, prohibiting the Tier k picture from belonging to a decodable sub-sequence unless the tier number is signaled for all RAP pictures present in the interval and at least one picture corresponding to each of the respective tiers from the lowest tier number to Tier k−1.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein responsive to prohibiting a picture from belonging to the decodable sub-sequence, discarding the prohibited picture as a discardable picture.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, further comprising receiving PVRA information corresponding to pictures signaled as highest tier number pictures and one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures, and responsive thereto, discarding the pictures corresponding to the one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures if the pictures corresponding to the highest tier number pictures and the one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures are discarded between a Tier k picture's DEP and a next RAP that contains an IDR picture.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, responsive to receiving a picture that signals a memory management control operation (MMCO) affecting an order of reference pictures, optionally decoding the picture and processing a slice layer corresponding to the picture.

7. A method, comprising:

providing a transport stream including a video stream that comprises a sequence of pictures corresponding to a video program, each of the pictures of the sequence uniquely associated with one of k successive tiers, where k is a non-negative integer number starting with a lowest tier number;

decoding the video stream using personal video recording assist (PVRA) information in the transport stream at each of the pictures of the sequence associated with a first tier and each of the pictures of the sequence associated with a second tier different than the first tier, the PVRA information comprising an indication of a first tier number corresponding uniquely to the pictures associated with the first tier and a second tier number corresponding uniquely to the pictures associated with the second tier, the pictures corresponding to the first tier number decodable independently of the pictures corresponding to the second tier number; and

signaling discardable pictures by omitting a tier number for the respective discardable picture corresponding to pictures of a highest tier, the discardable pictures further including pictures associated with a tier having one tier number lower than the highest tier.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, wherein providing the PVRA information comprises providing a tier number that signals a decodable Tier k picture located between an rth and (r+1)th RAP of a decodable sub-sequence, the respective tier number signaled for all tiers including the lowest tier number through Tier k pictures that are located between a Tier k picture's decodability entry point (DEP) and the (r+1)th RAP, the DEP defined to be at the rth RAP if the picture associated with the rth RAP is an instantaneous decode refresh (IDR) picture, otherwise the DEP is at the (r−1)th RAP corresponding to a RAP location immediately preceding the rth RAP, where r is a non-negative integer number.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, further comprising providing PVRA information corresponding to pictures signaled as highest tier number pictures and one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures, and responsive thereto, enabling the discarding the pictures corresponding to the one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures if the pictures corresponding to the highest tier number pictures and the one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures are discarded between a Tier k picture's DEP and a next RAP that contains an IDR picture.

10. A system, comprising:

a video stream receive-and-process (VSRP) device, comprising:

a memory with personal video recording (PVR) logic; and

a processor configured with the PVR logic to:

receive a transport stream that includes a video stream that comprises a sequence of pictures corresponding to a video program, each of the pictures of the sequence uniquely associated with one of k successive tiers, where k is a non-negative integer number starting with a lowest tier number;

receive personal video recording assist (PVRA) information in the transport stream, the PVRA information comprising an indication of plural tier numbers, each tier number uniquely associating each one of the pictures with a respective tier number; and

responsive to a request for a trick mode, initiating decoding at a decodability entry point (DEP) at a random access point (RAP) corresponding to an rth RAP if the picture associated with the rth RAP is an instantaneous decode refresh (IDR) picture, otherwise the DEP is at the (r−1)th RAP corresponding to a RAP location immediately preceding the rth RAP, where r is a non-negative integer number, wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, and wherein for an interval demarcated by a Tier k picture's DEP and the Tier k picture, the tier number signaled for the Tier k picture, the processor is further configured with the PVR logic to prohibit the Tier k picture from belonging to a decodable sub-sequence unless the tier number is signaled for all RAP pictures present in the interval and at least one picture corresponding to each of the respective tiers from the lowest tier number to Tier k−1.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, wherein the processor is further configured with the PVR logic to receive a tier number signaled for a decodable Tier k picture located between an rth and (r+1)th RAP of a decodable sub-sequence, the respective tier number signaled for all tiers including the lowest tier number through Tier k pictures that are located between a Tier k picture's DEP and the (r+1)th RAP.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein responsive to prohibiting a picture from belonging to the decodable sub-sequence, the processor is further configured with the PVR logic to discard the prohibited picture as a discardable picture.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein for all values of k, where a lowest tier number≦k≦a highest tier number, wherein the processor is further configured with the PVR logic to receive PVRA information corresponding to pictures signaled as highest tier number pictures and one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures, and responsive thereto, discard the pictures corresponding to the one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures if the pictures corresponding to the highest tier number pictures and the one tier number lower than the highest tier number pictures are discarded between a Tier k picture's DEP and a next RAP that contains an IDR picture.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the processor is further configured with the PVR logic to, responsive to receiving a picture that signals a memory management control operation (MMCO) affecting an order of reference pictures, optionally decode the picture and process a slice layer corresponding to the picture.

15. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a video stream emitter (VSE), the VSE comprising a processor configured to provide the transport stream and the PVRA information.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the VSE is further configured to signal a discardable picture by omitting a tier number for the discardable picture.