US 6,587,635 B1Granted

Subpicture master control

AssigneesSony Corporation, Sony Electronics Inc.

InventorsPattabiraman Subramanian, Ibrahim Cem Duruoz

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Abstract

A method for operating a digital video processor including a CPU and a memory to control the presentation of demultiplexed subpicture unit (“SPU”) data. The play back of the subpicture is synchronized with a system clock having a clock rate varying as a function of a desired play back speed selected by a user. The method first tests during a vertical blanking period, consecutive ones of the SPU's to identify a first SPU including a PTS value having a desired relationship with respect to a value of the system clock. Next, the video processor tests during the vertical blanking period, consecutive ones of the DCSQ commands in the first SPU to identify one or more DCSQ commands with a start time value having a desired relationship with respect to the value of the system clock. Thereafter, the one or more of the DCSQ commands associated with the first SPU are parsed, and subpicture data associated with one of the parsed DCSQ commands is displayed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of operating a digital video processor including a CPU and a memory to control the presentation of demultiplexed subpicture data, the subpicture data comprising a serial stream of subpicture units (“SPU's”), each of the SPU's including in part a plurality of display control sequence (“DCSQ”) commands and associated start time values, a start of each of the SPU's being defined by a presentation time stamp (“PTS”) associated therewith, the play back of the subpicture being synchronized with a system clock having a clock rate varying as a function of a desired play back speed selected by a user, the method comprising:

testing during a vertical blanking period, consecutive ones of the SPU's to identify a first SPU including a PTS value having a desired relationship with respect to a value of the system clock;
testing during the vertical blanking period, consecutive ones of the DCSQ commands in the first SPU to identify one or more DCSQ commands with respective start time values having the desired relationship with respect to the value of the system clock;
and
parsing during the vertical blanking period, the one or more DCSQ commands associated with the first SPU in response to their respective start time values having the desired relationship with respect to the value of the system clock, thereby commanding a play back of the subpicture defined by the first SPU.

1 more element

A method of operating a digital video processor including a CPU and a memory to control the presentation of demultiplexed subpicture data, the subpicture data comprising a serial stream of subpicture units (“SPU's”), each of the SPU's including in part a plurality of display control sequence (“DCSQ”) commands and associated start times, a start of each of the SPU's being defined by a presentation time stamp (“PTS”) associated therewith, the play back of the subpicture being synchronized with a system clock having a clock rate varying as a function of a desired play back speed selected by a user, the method comprising:

identifying during a vertical blanking period a first SPU having a first PTS value;
identifying in response to identifying the first SPU, a second SPU having a PTS value less than the value of the system clock;
and
thereafter during the vertical blanking period, parsing DCSQ commands associated with the second SPU in response to start times of respective DCSQ commands being less than the value of the system clock, thereby commanding a play back of the subpicture defined by the second SPU.

1 more element

A method of operating a digital video decoder including a CPU and memory to control the presentation of demultiplexed subpicture data, the subpicture data comprising a serial stream of subpicture units (“SPU's”), each of the SPU's including in part a plurality of display control sequence (“DCSQ”) commands and associated start times, a start of each of the SPU's being defined by a presentation time stamp (“PTS”) associated therewith, the play back of the subpicture being synchronized with a system time clock having a clock rate varying as a function of a desired play back speed selected by a user, the method comprising:

comparing during a vertical blanking period, a first PTS value for a first SPU to a value of the system time clock;
comparing during the vertical blanking period, a second PTS value associated with a second SPU to the value of the system time clock in response to the value of the first PTS being less than the value of the system time clock;
selecting during the vertical blanking period, the first SPU as a current SPU in response to the second PTS value being greater than or equal to the value of system time clock;
selecting during the vertical blanking period, the second SPU as the current SPU in response to the second PTS value being less than the value of system time clock;
detecting during the vertical blanking period, DCSQ commands associated with the current SPU;
comparing during the vertical blanking period, respective start time values of the DCSQ commands to the value of the system time clock;
and
parsing during the vertical blanking period, one or more DCSQ commands in response to the value of the start time of each of the DCSQ commands being less than or equal to the value of the system time clock;
and
displaying after the vertical blanking period, subpicture data associated with one of the one or more of the DCSQ commands.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 09/280,101Filed 29 Mar 1999
Granted: 1 Jul 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04N 21/433
Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g.…:…
H04N 5/783
On tape: adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
H04N 21/43072
Synchronising the rendering of multiple content streams or additional data on devices, e.g. synchronisation of audio on a mobile phone with the…:…
H04N 21/440281
Involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display: by altering the temporal…