Video processing system

#1. Field of the Disclosure

#The invention relates to a video processing system.

#2. Description of the Related Art

#The above and further features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims and together with advantages thereof will become clearer from consideration of the following detailed description of an exemplary embodiment of the invention given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

#In the drawings:

#FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a system embodying the invention;

#Turning now to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings there is shown a video processing system 1 comprising a video tape recorder (VTR) 2 which is used in the transfer of video clips between video tape (not shown) and a video processing and editing system 3, such as our abovementioned HENRY editing system. Video tape is used to form a bulk off-line store or library of video clips and the VTR 2 provides a means by which archived video clips can be retrieved from the library for use as initial video clips in the editing system 3. The VTR 2 may be connected to, or indeed replaced by, other external sources such as a video camera or even a computer for generating video data representing 3-D animation or other computer-related effects. The term “initial clip” is used herein to refer to a video clip which has been read from the VTR 2 (and/or other external source) to the disc store 7. The initial clip may never have been edited or it may have been edited or otherwise processed using different equipment at some time in the past. Of course, the VTR 2 also provides a means by which a resultant video clip created in the editing system 3 can be archived onto video tape for later use either in the same or a different system. Thus, the VTR 2 serves as a bulk store for several video clips. Video data representing each video clip is stored on video tape in a non-compressed digital component format, for example a format corresponding to the so called D1 standard.

#The editing system 3 comprises a buffer 4 which is connected to the VTR 2 via a data path having sufficient bandwidth to enable data relating to at least one video clip to be transferred thereover at video rate (e.g. 27 MHz for a full colour picture). The buffer 4 is also connected both to a display store 5 an image processor 6 and to a video disc store 7. The buffer 4 provides an interface between the VTR 2 and the display store 5, the processor 6 and the video disc store 7. The buffer 4 is used to transfer incoming video clip data from the VTR 2 via two (or more) bidirectional buses 9a, 9b to the video disc store 7 and at the same time to transfer the incoming data to the display store 5 for display on a monitor 8 connected thereto. This enables an incoming video clip from the VTR 2 to be previewed on the monitor 8 by the user as it is loaded into the video disc store 7.

#The display store 5 provides for the processor 6 a large scratch pad store for storing data relating to several frames of video. The image processor 6 processes the frame data therein to produce respective frames of reduced size for concurrent display at different portions of the monitor 6, as described in greater detail in our aforementioned British Patent application published as GB-A-2266037. The processor 6 is able to control the output of one piece of video from the display store 5 simultaneously to several different places on the monitor or to output several pieces of video to a common area on the monitor 8. Thus, the processor 6 is able to present video clips on the monitor 8 in several different ways for manipulation and modification by the user of the system. The image processor 6 comprises two separate processing units (not shown) for producing simultaneously images of reduced size from data supplied via the buffer 4. A video clip may be read out from the video store 7 and written directly to the. display store 5 or alternatively, video clips may be transferred directly from the bulk storage of the VTR 2 via the buffer 4 to the display store 5.