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AssigneeMatsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
InventorsSeigo Suguta, Norio Hatanaka, Hideyuki Kakuno, Masahiro Sueyoshi
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The multimedia data decoder includes a decoding section and a control section. The decoding section for decoding coded data in a bit stream has a function to detect a synchronous word from the bit stream, analyze decoding information following the synchronous word and extract specific option designating information from the decoding information. The control section determines whether or not the option designating information extracted by the decoding section has any out-of-standard value, that is, any value that is not defined by a standard. If the option designating information has any out-of-standard data, the control section controls the decoding section so as to replace the out-of-standard value with a value defined by the standard and conduct a decoding process. For this purpose, the control section applies replacement information to the decoding section. Accordingly, decoded data is obtained even if the decoding information has an out-of-standard value.
A multimedia data decoder for decoding a bit stream of coded multimedia data according to a predetermined standard, comprising:
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Generation or processing of protective or descriptive data associated with content; Content structuring: generation or processing of descriptive…
Digital recording or reproducing: audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements
Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals: decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video…
Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream:…
Term end not estimated
The present invention relates to a multimedia data decoder for decoding a bit stream of coded multimedia data (audio/image data) according to a predetermined standard.
Standards called MPEG1, MPEG2 and MPEG4 (moving picture experts group phase 1, 2 and 4), the standards named after the experts group of ISO (international organization for standardization), are conventionally well known in the art as compression standards of multimedia data. MP3 (MPEG audio layer 3) is one of the audio compression methods used in MPEG1. On the other hand, MPEG2 is used in a currently used DVD (digital versatile disk) player.
The technology disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 8-116314 relates to decoding of an MPEG1 audio bit stream in the second-generation EDTV (enhanced definition television), EDTV-II. According to this technology, even if an error is generated in header information of a certain audio frame within a transmission system, generation of noises due to the error is suppressed. Such suppression of noise generation is achieved as follows: if any error is detected, bit information common to header information of the MPEG1 audio bit stream is extracted from control bits of an EDTV-II digital audio format and the header information of the NPEGI audio bit stream is modified based on the extracted bit information. Thereafter, coded data in the audio frame is decoded.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the structure of a multimedia data decoder according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows an example of a format of an audio bit stream which is applied to the multimedia data decoder of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows an example of a format of a video bit stream which is applied to the multimedia data decoder of FIG. 1;
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the structure of a multimedia data decoder according to the present invention. The multimedia data decoder 10 of FIG. 1 is mounted in, e.g., a DVD player, and includes a decoding section 11 and a control section 12. The decoding section 1 receives a bit stream (audio bit stream or video bit stream) 13, and decodes coded data in the bit stream 13. The decoding section 1 has a function to detect a synchronous word from the bit stream 13, analyze decoding information following the synchronous word, and extract specific option designating information 14 from the decoding information. The control section 12 determines whether or not the option designating information 14 extracted by the decoding section 11 has any out-of-standard value, i.e., any value that is not defined by the standard of the DVD player. If the option designating information 14 has any out-of-standard value, the control section 12 then controls the decoding section 11 so as to replace the out-of-standard value with a value defined by the standard and conduct a decoding process. The control section 12 applies replacement information 15 to the decoding section 11 for this purpose. The decoding section 11 thus can decode the coded data and output decoded data 16 even if the decoding information in the bit stream 13 has any out-of-standard data.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a format of an audio bit stream which is applied to the multimedia data decoder 10 of FIG. 1. Each audio frame is formed by a synchronous word, decoding information following the synchronous word, and audio coded data following the decoding information. The decoding section 11 analyzes the decoding information and extracts specific option designating information therefrom. The option designating information herein refers to at least one of sampling frequency information, emphasis information, and bit rate index information. For example, the sampling frequency information is represented by a code designating one of a plurality of sampling frequencies that may be used in the standard of the DVD player. Note that the synchronous word and the decoding information are sometimes collectively referred to as a header.