MPEG FILE FORMAT OPTIMIZATION FOR STREAMING

MPEG data is packetized and streamed using a two phase procedure. First, the system parses MPEG data and reformats it into RTP sized packets in preparation for conversion to an RTP stream. This reformatting phase is done prior to streaming and typically only performed once for each MPEG file and network type. After reformatting, the MPEG data is contained in a modified MPEG bitstream that includes annotations that inform a network server that the modified MPEG stream is specially reformatted to facilitate RTP packetization. In the second phase, a network server encapsulates the reformatted MPEG data within RTP packets and streams the data onto the network for real-time playback. As a result of reformatting the MPEG data prior to transmission, the real-time demands of an MPEG to RTP conversion are greatly reduced.