1. A system, comprising:
a downstream component configured to present multimedia to a user in response to user input;
an upstream component configured to:
stream a first media stream to the downstream component for presentation at a first playback rate; and,
upon request for a faster playback rate, switch from the first media stream to a rate-appropriate point in a second media stream configured for presentation at the faster playback rate; and, wherein the system can function without the downstream component recognizing a media stream switch.
2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second media streams contain headers relating to presentation times and wherein the upstream component is configured to alter the presentation times in the second media stream such that the first presentation time of the second media stream chronologically follows the last presentation time of the first media stream.
3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second media streams have approximately equal average bit rates.
4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the upstream component comprises a media server.
5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the upstream component is configured to access a configuration file associated with the user input and wherein the configuration file identifies a location and a relative playback rate of at least two media files associated with the user input.
6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the upstream component comprises a trick mode parser configured to access a configuration file associated with the user input and wherein the configuration file identifies a location and relative playback rate of at least two media files associated with the user input.
7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein the trick mode parser is further configured to access the at least two media files associated with the user input and to cause a media parser to be created for individual media files.
8. A network device, comprising:
a first component configured to be communicably coupled to a network, the first component being configured to access and stream multiple data formats over the network; and,
a second component operatively associated with the first component and being configured to receive a first client request to stream data for presentation to a client at a first playback rate and to cause data of a first media stream to be streamed in response to the first client request, the second component further being configured to stream the client-requested data from an appropriate point in a second different media stream having a second greater playback rate corresponding to a second client request.
9. A network device as recited in claim 8, wherein the first component comprises a general purpose media server.
10. A network device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second component comprises a plug-n-play software component which is added to the first component.
11. A network device as recited in claim 8, wherein the multiple formats comprise one or more of JPEG, MPEG, and MP3.
12. A network device as recited in claim 8, wherein the data streamed in response to the first client request and the data streamed in response to the second client request are streamed at generally equivalent average bit rates.
13. A network device as recited in claim 8, wherein the first and second data streams contain individual packets of data and wherein individual packets contain information relating to a chronological presentation time of the individual packet relative to an overall presentation time for the data and wherein the component is further configured to begin streaming the second media stream from an appropriate point which chronologically follows the chronological presentation time of the data at the end of the first media stream.
14. A network device as recited in claim 13, wherein the second component is further configured to recalculate the chronological presentation times of the second data stream to correspond to the chronological presentation times of the first data stream.
15. A network device as recited in claim 13, wherein the first component is configured for use on multiple types of networks.
16. A network device as recited in claim 13, wherein the second component comprises a sub-component of the first component.
17. A method, comprising:
receiving a first request to stream media for presentation at a first normal playback rate;
streaming a first media stream configured to the first normal playback rate;
receiving a second request to stream the media for presentation at a second greater playback rate; and
performing one of the following responsive to receiving the second request:
switching from streaming the first media stream to streaming from an appropriate position in a second media stream that corresponds to the second greater playback rate; or
in an event that a second media stream corresponding to the second greater playback rate is not available, then streaming the first media stream at a higher bit rate in an attempt to comply with the second request.
18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the first and second media streams are streamed at a substantially equivalent average bit rate.
19. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein said streaming comprises accessing a configuration file which identifies a location and the playback rate of multiple media files, individual media files having distinct playback rates.
20. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising causing a media parser to be created for the multiple media files.
21. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising causing a media parser to be created for each of the multiple media files.
22. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein said streaming a first media stream comprises causing an individual media parser associated with a media file having the normal playback rate to stream media from the media file.
23. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein the first media stream comprises a first data format and the second media stream comprises a second different data format.
24. One or more computer readable media comprising computer executable instructions that, when executed, direct a computing device to perform the method of claim 17.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of decoding data comprising:
receiving a symbol;
determining a data rate that was used to encode the symbol;
generating a set of correlator output signals based on a first mode when a first data rate was used to encode the symbol and based on a second mode when a second data rate was used to encode the symbol;
identifying a maximum-valued signal in one of the set of correlator output signals; and
demodulating the maximum-valued signal in one of the set of correlator output signals.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the symbol comprises eight complex chips.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating a phase of the symbol to generate the set of correlator output signals if the higher of the first and second data rates was used to encode the symbol.
4. The method of claim 3, further comprising rotating a phase of the symbol to each of a predetermined number of phases.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the predetermined number of phases is four.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of correlator output signals includes a number of signals that is based on the data rate used to encode the symbol.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein demodulating the maximum-valued signal in one of the set of correlator output signals includes applying the maximum-valued one of the set of correlator output signals to a look-up table.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein demodulating the maximum-valued one of the set of correlator output signals includes applying the maximum valued signal in one of the set of correlator output signals to a differential Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK) demodulator.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the encoded data includes an indication of a data rate used to encode the symbol, and wherein determining which of the first and second data rates was used to encode the symbol comprises extracting the indication from the encoded data.
10. An apparatus for decoding data comprising:
means for receiving a symbol;
means for determining a data rate that was used to encode the symbol;
means for generating a set of correlator output signals based on a first mode when a first data rate was used to encode the symbol and based on a second mode when a second data rate was used to encode the symbol;
means for identifying a maximum-valued signal in one of the set of correlator output signals; and
means for demodulating the maximum-valued signal in one of the set of correlator output signals.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the symbol comprises eight complex chips.
12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a phase rotating means for generating the set of correlator output signals if a higher one of the first and second data rates was used to encode the symbol.
13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said phase rotating means includes means for rotating the phase of the symbol to each of a predetermined number of phases.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predetermined number of phases is four.
15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the set of correlator output signals includes a number of signals that is based upon the data rate used to encode the symbol.
16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for demodulating the signal in one of the set of correlator output signals includes means for applying the signal in one of the set of correlator output signals to a look-up table means.
17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the means for demodulating the maximum valued one of the correlator output signals includes means for applying the maximum valued one of the correlator output signals to a differential Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK) demodulating means.
18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the encoded data includes an indication of a data rate used to encode the symbol, and wherein the means for determining the data rate comprises means for extracting the indication from the encoded data.
19. An apparatus for decoding data encoded at one of first and second differing rates, comprising:
a Complementary Code Keying (CCK) correlator that includes:
a phase rotator; and
a control module that selectively rotates a phase of a symbol using the phase rotator when the data has been encoded at a higher one of first and second differing rates and that does not rotate the phase when the data has been encoded at a lower one of the first and second differing rates.
20. An apparatus for Complementary Code Keying (CCK)-encoding and decoding data at one of first and second differing rates comprising:
a differential Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK) modulator;
a first CCK correlator that receives data to be encoded;
a second CCK correlator that receives data to be decoded and that includes:
a maximum-value module;
a comparator that receives an output of the maximum-value module; and
a phase rotator that selectively rotate phase when the data has been encoded at a higher one of the first and second differing rates; and
a differential Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK) demodulator.
21. The apparatus of claim 20 further comprising:
a first antenna;
a radio-frequency modulator coupled to the differential QPSK modulator and the first antenna;
a second antenna; and
a radio-frequency demodulator that communicates with the second antenna and the differential Quadrature Phase Shift Key (QPSK) demodulator.