Method and apparatus for time stretching to hide data packet pre-buffering delays
A special rendering mode for the first few seconds of play out of multimedia data minimizes the delay caused by pre-buffering of data packets in multimedia streaming applications. Instead of pre-buffering all incoming data packets until a certain threshold is reached, the streaming application starts playing out some of the data packets immediately after the arrival of the first data packet. Immediate play out of the first data packet, for example, results in minimum delay between channel selection and perception, thereby allowing a user to quickly scan through all available channels to quickly get a notion of the content. The immediate play out is done at a reduced speed.
1. A method comprising:
while rendering, via a device, a first data packet in a stream of data packets, generating fill packets associated with the first data packet; and
after rendering the first data packet via the device, and before rendering a second data packet which is next to and following the first data packet in the stream of data packets, rendering the fill packets.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising switching, after rendering the first data packet, from a first speed used to render the first data packet to a second speed to render the second data packet, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a number of the fill packets rendered is associated with perceptual entropy of the first data packet.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein a level of the perceptual entropy corresponds to an amount of repetition of the first data packet.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the rendering of the first data packet is initiated upon receiving the first data packet.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a buffing delay of rendering the stream of data packets is hidden by the rendering of the fill packets.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fill packets are copies of the first data packet.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein while rendering the first data packet, the method further comprises receiving additional packets in the stream of data packets.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein while rendering the first data packet, the method further comprises buffering the additional packets.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving additional data packets while rendering the first data packet;
placing the additional data packets into a buffer; and
triggering rendering of the second data packet when the buffer reaches a threshold.
11. A system comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in the processor performing operations comprising:
while rendering, a first data packet in a stream of data packets, generating fill packets associated with the first data packet; and
after rendering the first data packet via the device, and before rendering a second data packet which is next to and following the first data packet in the stream of data packets, rendering the fill packets.
12. The system of claim 11 , the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by processor, result in operations comprising switching, after rendering the first data packet, from a first speed used to render the first data packet to a second speed to render the second data packet, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed.
13. The system of claim 11 , wherein a number of the fill packets rendered is associated with perceptual entropy of the first data packet.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein a level of the perceptual entropy corresponds to an amount of repetition of the first data packet.
15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the rendering of the first data packet is initiated upon receiving the first data packet.
16. The system of claim 11 , wherein a buffering delay of rendering the stream of data packets is hidden by the rendering of the fill packets.
17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the fill packets are copies of the first data packet.
18. The system of claim 11 , the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in operations comprising: while rendering the first data packet, receiving additional packets in the stream of data packets.
19. The system of claim 18 , the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having additional instructions stored which, when executed by the processor, result in operations comprising: while rendering the first data packet, buffering the additional packets.
20. A computer-readable storage device having instructions stored which, when executed by a computing device, result in the computing device performing operations comprising:
while rendering, via a device, a first data packet in a stream of data packets, generating fill packets associated with the first data packet; and
after rendering the first data packet via the device, and before rendering a second data packet which is next to and following the first data packet in the stream of data packets, rendering the fill packets.