In some situations it is desirable to display multiple different streams of video on a single display device such as a television. For example, such a multiple display is useful to give a user the ability to quickly and visually determine what is on each of the displayed video stream. In another situation a user may need to quickly change between streams. Another situation arises when a user wishes to simultaneously watch multiple, related video streams such as watching different sporting events that occurring simultaneously or watching the same sporting event from different angles (via different video streams) simultaneously.
In order to provide this feature, some television systems are provided with picture-in-picture (PIP) capabilities. These systems have an advantage in that they can be installed by the viewer and work with any broadcast paradigm (terrestrial, cable, satellite) because they do not require a modification of any equipment or transmissions made at the broadcasting facility. However, PIP capabilities are expensive in that they require additional electronics in the form of additional tuners, memory and processing capabilities.