The data reorganization described in the previous paragraph allows the server to stream the AVI file sequentially, from the beginning to the end. On the client side, subsequently care must be taken that the codec accesses the correct data.

Recall that we did not alter any index values within the AVI file. Therefore, the buffer manager must correctly translate any file system calls (read and seek) attempted by the codec to the relevant locations in the client playout buffer.

Figure 2 shows the initial organization of the client buffer when data starts to arrive. Two number values are transmitted at the very beginning of the data stream: (1) the file size: fileSize, and (2) the byte offset where the frame table starts: offsetOfFrameTable.

QRead(): This function retrieves a specific amount of data from the current seek position in the buffer. The currentSeekOffset is then adjusted to reflect the next unread byte. Error checks ensure that data is not read beyond the current buffer end. If this condition were to occur, the function would wait for more data to arrive and then return. In that case, the buffer sizes and/or the streaming rate are