An architecture for multimedia data stream handling and its implication for multimedia transport service interfaces

A multimedia software system architecture should reflect that-for performance reasons-digital audio and video data is routed through different paths in a computer than traditional data. The author proposes a multimedia architecture based on the notion of `stream handlers´ which generate, filter, forward or consume multimedia data within a real-time environment. Stream handlers provide control operations to determine the content and direction of a multimedia stream. A multimedia transport system is discussed as an example of a multimedia stream handler