Selective Video Mute
Pausing and then resuming a stream allows you to selectively and temporarily "mute" the video. For example, if you are streaming the same content multiple times to different audiences, you can choose to mute one or some of the streams (i.e., by pausing them). If a still image has been configured, the encoder will send this image to replace the encoded video stream when the stream is paused. (See Configuring Still Image Streaming.)
When the video is "unmuted" (i.e., resumed), the decoder will immediately display the video stream again. In effect, this provides a "privacy mode" and avoids delays that may occur when starting and stopping a stream and waiting for a decoder to start decoding again.
In order to support inter-working with the Furnace, the encoder inserts coded silence when a stream is paused to ensure that (for example, if there is a channel change), the still image will be displayed on Stingray set-top boxes and InStream players. (Note that these players need audio before they play any content.) No user selections are required to enable this feature.
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