Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for implementing special mode playback operations in a digital video recorder. The apparatus comprises an Intra frame indexing device capable of receiving an incoming MPEG video stream and identifying therein data packets associated with Intra frames, wherein the Intra frame indexing device modifies header information in a first data packet associated with a first Intra frame to include location information identifying a storage address of a second data packet associated with a second Intra frame.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for implementing special mode playback operations in a digital video recorder. The apparatus comprises an Intra frame indexing device capable of receiving an incoming MPEG video stream and identifying therein data packets associated with Intra frames, wherein the Intra frame indexing device modifies header information in a first data packet associated with a first Intra frame to include location information identifying a storage address of a second data packet associated with a second Intra frame.

Abstract: There is disclosed a digital video recorder that uses a circular file management system to efficiently manage time-shifted viewing a live video broadcast television program. There is provided for use in the digital video recorder, an apparatus for performing time-shifted viewing of an incoming television program being received by the digital video recorder. The apparatus comprises a controller capable of creating a data file having a defined maximum size on a storage disk of the digital video recorder and capable of causing video data associated with the incoming television program to be stored sequentially in the data file from a first location to an Nth location. The controller, in response to a determination that the video data has been stored in the Nth location, causes a next received video data to be stored in the first location.

Abstract: An exemplary MPEG decoder is capable of decoding received bitstreams and generating PES packets. The MPEG decoder includes a controller that detects start codes in the received bitstreams, each of such codes having a three-byte start code prefix and a one-byte start code value. The controller is operable to (i) fetch a thirty-two bit word of a received bitstream, (ii) determine whether a start code prefix and a start code value are properly aligned within the thirty-two bit word, and (iii) if not properly aligned within the thirty-two bit word, determine that the thirty-two bit word does not contain any portion of the start code prefix based solely on a determination that a least significant byte of the thirty-two bit word is not part of the start code prefix.

Abstract: There is disclosed an MPEG decoder comprising: 1) a packetized elementary stream (PES) interface for receiving a plurality of packetized elementary streams associated with a single video program; 2) a presentation time stamp (PTS) detection circuit for detecting presentation time stamps in the packetized elementary streams and extracting the presentation time stamps therefrom; and 3) a selection circuit for selecting presentation time stamps associated with a first one of the plurality of packetized elementary streams and transmitting the selected presentation time stamps to a clock generation circuit, wherein the clock generation circuit generates a first reference clock signal used by a first decoder to decode the first packetized elementary stream.

Abstract: There is disclosed an MPEG decoder comprising: 1) a packetized elementary stream (PES) interface for receiving a plurality of packetized elementary streams associated with a single video program; 2) a presentation time stamp (PTS) detection circuit for detecting presentation time stamps in the packetized elementary streams and extracting the presentation time stamps therefrom; and 3) a selection circuit for selecting presentation time stamps associated with a first one of the plurality of packetized elementary streams and transmitting the selected presentation time stamps to a clock generation circuit, wherein the clock generation circuit generates a first reference clock signal used by a first decoder to decode the first packetized elementary stream.

Abstract: There is disclosed systems for detecting start codes in MPEG video streams in a digital video recorder (DVR), and methods of operating the same. An exemplary MPEG decoder is capable of decoding received bitstreams and generating PES packets. The MPEG decoder includes a controller that detects start codes in the received bitstreams, each of such codes having a three-byte start code prefix and a one-byte start code value. The controller is operable to (i) fetch a thirty-two bit word of a received bitstream, (ii) determine whether a start code prefix and a start code value are properly aligned within the thirty-two bit word, and (iii) if not properly aligned within the thirty-two bit word, determine whether the least significant byte of the thirty-two bit word may be part of the start code prefix.

Abstract: There is disclosed an apparatus for implementing special mode playback operations in a digital video recorder. The apparatus comprises an Intra frame indexing device capable of receiving an incoming MPEG video stream and identifying therein data packets associated with Intra frames, wherein the Intra frame indexing device modifies header information in a first data packet associated with a first Intra frame to include location information identifying a storage address of a second data packet associated with a second Intra frame.

Abstract: There is disclosed a digital video recorder that uses a circular file management system to efficiently manage time-shifted viewing a live video broadcast television program. There is provided for use in the digital video recorder, an apparatus for performing time-shifted viewing of an incoming television program being received by the digital video recorder. The apparatus comprises a controller capable of creating a data file having a defined maximum size on a storage disk of the digital video recorder and capable of causing video data associated with the incoming television program to be stored sequentially in the data file from a first location to an Nth location. The controller, in response to a determination that the video data has been stored in the Nth location, causes a next received video data to be stored in the first location.

Abstract: There is disclosed systems for multiplexing packetized elementary streams in a digital video recorder (DVR), methods of operating the same, and multiplexed program streams. One such system is associated with a DVR and operates to multiplex packetized elementary streams into a multiplexed program stream, the packetized elementary streams comprising PES packets of disparate size. The system is operable to (i) receive the PES packets into a memory buffer, (ii) reformat each of the received PES packets into at least one fixed-size program packet having a header and a payload, the header defining a payload content, and (iii) associate ones of the at least one fixed-size program packets into the multiplexed program stream.