Hint file-based implementation of contents navigation methods for set-top box

In this paper, a hint file scheme for contents navigation algorithms specialized for set-top box client is introduced. As a hint file contains overall information of video/audio properties, video frame, and GOP structure, a server can do streaming without parsing elementary streams. Especially, as our scheme aims at the set-top box, a hint file additionally contains information needed for set-top box requests so that a server can process the requests efficiently. This promises great advantages for service providers for set-top box-based systems.