Other Features of MPEG‐2 Systems

This chapter discusses the requirements imposed by MPEG to allow for re‐multiplexing of transport streams, without violating the compliancy of re‐multiplexed transport streams. Local program insertion plays an important role in several digital TV broadcast systems. A typical example is a global news programme that is broadcast countrywide. Inserting a local program involves splicing operations, a form of editing of coded audio and video streams within a transport stream. The chapter discusses the available padding options in MPEG‐2 systems, with some associated use cases. It is important to achieve a good random access to an MPEG‐2 system stream, for example upon recovery after a transmission error or when zapping from one program to another in the same or in a different transport stream. Coded video, audio and other coded elementary streams are in many cases capable to convey private data.