Abstract: A method and system for gracefully reducing demands for shared decompression resources required to present multiple video streams concurrently such that their streaming video content is simultaneously available for further processing or display. In particular, it relates to the use of presentation time stamps or incoming frames with reference to a time base dock and a threshold to determine if the decompression resources are falling behind in their ability to process incoming frames in real time. If this occurs then frames are dropped, i.e. discarded without being decompressed, with preference given to dropping incremental frames rather than key frames.

Abstract: An audiovisual signal is converted from a native format to a digital, packetized interchange format and transported between a capture node and a display node through a switch. The display node converts the audiovisual signal from the interchange format to a displayable format and causes display of the audiovisual signal. The use of a switch for video routing and distribution allows one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-one, and many-to-many distribution. The use of a device-independent interchange format allows concurrent distribution of multiple heterogeneous audiovisual signals.