Abstract: The device and method according to the invention prevent that the consistency of image quality is negatively affected when transmission rate fluctuations occur on a communication channel. The invention relies on the perception that the transition from a full quality video signal to a basic-quality video signal, respectively from a basic-quality video signal to a full-quality video signal, should be a gradual transition instead of a sudden transition. The blending process can be implemented by circuitry which applies a blending factor on the decoded video signals of the base layer and the enhancement layer(s), before these decoded video signals are merged to form a single output video signal. Due to the delay time of the decoding process there will be a natural delay between the moment a transition occurs in the received video data and the moment that a transition occurs in the full-quality video signal.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a scalable video application by modeling it as a Markov decision process. The model is based on measuring the relative progress of the application, where relative progress is the difference between the allocated CPU budget for processing a frame and the actual CPU cycles used in processing a frame. The control strategy is based on the number of levels most recently decoded and the maximum levels that can be decoded for the next frame based on the number of received layers (the maximum quality level) and the budgeted CPU time. The object is to smooth quality transitions between frames by developing a quality level control strategy that minimizes both the number of deadline misses (frame not fully decoded) and the number of quality level changes, while maximizing the quality level. The fewer the number of quality level changes, the smoother the image viewed.

Abstract: The invention discloses an apparatus and a method for receiving multiple media data streams, which are displayed in separate windows of a multi-window display. Clipping information relating to an area of one of the windows being covered by the other window is transmitted to a source device providing the media data being covered when displayed. As a viewer may not see the covered area, the media data relating to the covered area is not needed by the destination device. Therefore, the source device based on the clipping information does not transmit any media data needed for processing of the covered area to the destination device, which does not have to process all media data relating to the covered area.