# US 5,703,658 A · Video decoder/converter with a programmable logic device which is programmed based on the encoding format

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- Number: US 5,703,658 A
- Document ID: US5703658A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/661,990
- Filed: 1996-06-12
- Granted: 1997-12-30
- Earliest claimed: 1995-06-14
- Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd.
- Inventors: Yasutaka Tsuru; Takumi Okamura; Shoji Kimura; Yuji Yamamoto; Toshinori Murata; Kenji Katsumata; Moriyoshi Akiyama; Takanori Eda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5703658A

## CPC

- H04N 5/46: for receiving on more than one standard at will (deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27)
- H04N 21/426: Internal components of the client {; Characteristics thereof} (H04N5/44 takes precedence)
- H04N 21/435: Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
- H04N 21/4435: {Memory management (allocation of memory to service a request G06F9/5016; addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures G06F12/02)}
- H04N 21/4586: {Content update operation triggered locally, e.g. by comparing the version of software modules in a DVB carousel to the version stored locally (deployment, distribution, installation, update of software G06F8/65; error detection or correction of the data by redundancy during software upgrading G06F11/1433; arrangements for updating broadcast information or broadcast-related information H04H60/25)}
- H04N 21/4622: {Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet (web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859)}
- H04N 21/8193: {dedicated tools, e.g. video decoder software or IPMP tool}
- H04N: PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION

## Abstract

An apparatus and a method for receiving television signals can display a television signal of a novel signal format, even at a low cost, without addition of any hardware. The apparatus and a method for receiving a television signal employs a data input unit for receiving video data encoded by any one format among multiple kinds of encoding formats, a video data memory for storing the video data from the data input unit, a decoding process program memory for storing multiple kinds of decoding process programs for decoding processes corresponding to received video data having multiple kinds of encoding formats, a programmable logic device which can vary the hardware constitution for the decoding process, a logic device varying unit for varying the hardware constitution for the decoding process, a decoding control unit for varying the circuit constitution of the programmable logic device via the logic device varying unit depending on the encoding format of the input video data and decoding the video data stored in the video data memory into a video signal which may be displayed depending on the decoding process program, and a display for displaying the decoded video signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A television signal receiving apparatus, comprising:
data input means for fetching input video data encoded by any one encoding format from among multiple kinds of encoding formats;
video data memory means for storing the input video data received from said data input means;
decoding process program memory means for storing multiple kinds of decoding process programs to execute decoding processes corresponding respectively to video data having respective ones of said multiple kinds of encoding formats;
a programmable logic device capable of having at least a part of a circuit construction thereof varied to execute the decoding process;
logic device varying means for varying the circuit construction of said programmable logic device;
decoding control means for controlling said logic device varying means to vary the circuit construction of the programmable logic device depending on the encoding format of the input video data and for decoding the input video data stored in said video data memory means into a decoded video signal which may be displayed, depending on a selected decoding process program; and
display means for displaying said decoded video signal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A television signal receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said decoding control means includes:
encoding format detector means for detecting the encoding format of the input video data;
program selector means for reading, from said decoding process program memory means, a decoding process program for decoding a signal having the encoding format detected by said encoding format detector means; and
decoding processor means for varying the circuit constitution of the programmable logic device via the logic device varying means depending on the program readout by the program selector means.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A television signal receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 2, further comprising:
program management means for storing a decoding format of a decoding process program stored in the decoding process program memory means;
program comparing means for comparing the decoding format of a decoding process program inputted from the data input means with a decoding format stored in said program management means; and
program update means for storing, when said program comparing means judges that a decoding process program inputted from the data input means is already stored in the decoding process program memory means, said decoding process program inputted from the data input means into the decoding process program memory means.