One embodiment provides a method of performing packet identifier (PID) filtering of a digital video broadcasting-handheld (DVB-H) transport stream and includes processing a PID and a continuity counter (CC) sequence of the DVB-H transport stream, computing a number of mismatched bits between the PID and a desired PID, proceeding to a start of a reset state on a first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue of the DVB-H transport stream when a FIFO buffer becomes full, determining if a number of mismatched bits of a first packet in the FIFO buffer is less than a first threshold value, and proceeding to a start of a run algorithm state only if the number of mismatched bits of the first packet in the FIFO buffer is less than the first threshold value and if there is a valid CC sequence that includes the first packet.