A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESING MULTIMEDIA DATA STREAMS USING FILTER GRAPHS

Multimedia data processing accomplished by automated assembly of a filter graph comprising filters operative to conduct processing functions on data streams. The filter graph can be assembled by selecting appropriate filters that can handle the data processing requirements for the desired data stream(s). For example, a graph can be constructed by (1) selecting a set of filters, including an appropriate file reader compatible with the media type of the data stream(s), a demultiplexer for separating multiplexed data, a decoder for decoding encoded data, and a renderer to display or sound the data, and (2) combining these filters within the architecture of a filter graph to efficiently process the multimedia data.