METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ADAPTING MEDIA

1 .- 16 . (canceled)

17 . A method of processing media, the method comprising:

receiving a first request for a media stream;

creating a media processing element;

processing a source media stream using the media processing element to produce a media stream and assistance information;

storing the assistance information;

receiving a second request for the media stream;

reprocessing the source media stream using a media reprocessing element to produce a refined media stream, wherein the media reprocessing element utilizes the assistance information.

18 . The method of claim 17 wherein reprocessing the source media comprises a second pass encoding.

19 .- 28 . (canceled)

29 . An apparatus for processing media, the apparatus comprising:

a media source element;

a first media processing element coupled to the media source element;

a second media processing element coupled to a media output element;

a first data bus coupled to the first media processing element and the second media processing element; and

a second data bus coupled to the first media processing element and the second media processing element.

30 . The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the first data bus transmits media data and the second data bus transmits media meta-information.

31 . The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the second data bus transmits encoder assistance information.

32 . The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the first media processing element is a decoder and the second media processing element is an encoder.

33 . The apparatus of claim 29 wherein the first media processing element is an encoder and the second media processing element is an encoder.

34 . The apparatus of claim 29 further comprising a third media processing element coupled to the first data bus and the second data bus.

35 . The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the third media processing element converts a media frame arriving on the first data bus and converts assistance information arriving on the second data bus.

36 . The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the first data bus and the second data bus are a same bus.

37 . A method of processing media, the method comprising:

creating a first media processing element;

creating a second media processing element;

processing a first media stream using the first media processing element to produce assistance information;

processing a second media stream using the second media processing element,

wherein the second media processing element utilizes the assistance information.

38 . The method of claim 37 wherein the first media processing element is a decoder and the second media processor is an encoder.

39 . The method of claim 37 wherein the first media processing element is a first encoder and the second media processor is a second encoder.

40 . The method of claim 37 further comprising processing a third media stream using a third media processing element, wherein the third media processing element utilizes the assistance information.

41 . The method of claim 37 wherein processing a second media stream further comprises producing a second assistance information.

42 . The method of claim 41 further comprising processing a third media stream using a third media processing element, wherein the third media processing element utilizes the second assistance information.

43 . The method of claim 37 further comprising storing the assistance information.

44 . The method of claim 37 further comprising processing the assistance information.

45 . The method of claim 44 wherein processing the assistance information comprises combining one or more frames of assistance information.

46 . The method of claim 44 wherein processing the assistance information comprises reducing a frame size.

47 . The method of claim 44 wherein processing the assistance information comprises converting assistance information suitable for a first codec associated with the first media processing element to assistance information suitable for a second codec associated with a second media processing element.

48 .- 87 . (canceled)