Cisco Technology, Inc.

Software Site Applications, Limited Liability Company

Pierre Seigneurbieux

Shan Zhu

Jiandong Shen

David Arnstein

Apparatus and methods for efficient queuing and dequeuing using segmented output buffers comprising sub-buffers and priority queues. Output buffers are monitored for empty sub-buffers. When a newly empty sub-buffer is discovered, a refill request is enqueued in a ranked priority queue wherein the rank of the destination priority queue is based on the number of empty-sub-buffers in the requesting output buffer. All high priority refill requests are dequeued before lower priority refill requests, thereby reducing the possibility of starvation. Optionally, by using simple dequeuing criteria, such as a FIFO discipline, instead of complex algorithms designed to improve fairness, system resources may be conserved thereby improving system throughput.

Apparatus and method for priority queuing with segmented buffers

The invention described herein improves and expedites compressed video data delivery by providing systems and methods for transcoding and pass through on a sub-picture level. For example, in MPEG embodiments described herein, transcoding and compressed video data pass through may occur on a macroblock or slice level. This permits portions of a picture that need no rate reduction to be passed through without transcoding. The invention may also implement pass through on a picture by picture basis. Accordingly, the invention may determine transcoding or pass through for each picture or picture subregion. Thus, systems and methods described herein provide flexible compressed video data transcoding and pass through, as determined by varying bit rate demands of compressed video data transmission.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Pierre Seigneurbieux