A data processor comprises a data compression encoder which operates to
compression encode source data into compression encoded data having a
variable compressed data rate, a multiplexer coupled to the data
compression encoder and arranged in operation to concatenate the
compressed data and ancillary data into a concatenated data stream, and a
control processor coupled to the multiplexer and arranged in operation to
control the multiplexer whereby a combined data rate of the concatenated
data stream is less than or equal to a pre-determined maximum. The data
processor finds application with a compression encoder which operates in
accordance with an MPEG-type encoding algorithm. The source data may be
representative of video signals or audio signals, and the ancillary data
may be descriptive metadata.
