Abstract: A rate adaptation system or method is used in a subsystem to splice new content into a live stream to form a spliced stream. The live stream comprises a first plurality of frames contained within a first plurality of packets, and the new content comprises a second plurality of frames contained within a second plurality of packets. The system or method monitors the first plurality of packets and increments a live stream frame count when a new frame is encountered within the first plurality of packets; monitors the second plurality of packets and increments a new content frame count when a new frame is encountered within the second plurality of packets; and determines when the live stream frame count is greater than the new content frame count by a predetermined amount and replaces the first plurality of packets with the second plurality of packets.

Abstract: An apparatus to splice MPEG transport streams in a communications network comprises an input to receive a first transport stream and a storage unit storing a second transport stream. A packet replacement module is coupled to the input and the storage unit. The packet replacement module receives the first transport stream from the input and the second transport stream from the storage unit and categorizes the packets into a first packet type and a second packet type and storing them into a buffer. The packet replacement module replaces packets of the first packet type from the first transport stream with packets of the first packet type from the second transport stream and replaces packets of the second packet type from the first transport stream with packets of the second packet type from the second transport stream, producing a spliced transport stream.

Abstract: A system to splice new content into a live stream in a single frequency network. The system includes a program clock reference (PCR) adjustment module, an intelligent packet replacement module, and a rate adaptation module to match a stream rate associated with the live stream with a stream rate associated with the new content.