Auxiliary data insertion in a transport datastream
AssigneeThomson Licensing
InventorsPaul Gothard Knutson, Billy Wesley Beyers, Jr., Kumar Ramaswamy, Thomas Anthony Stahl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A digital device, such as a digital VTR, receives and records an MPEG compatible datastream. On play back, the DVTR inserts packetized auxiliary information, such as on-screen display information, into the transport datastream for transmission to another digital device, such as a television receiver. Time stamps in the MPEG compatible datastream are unaffected by the insertion of the auxiliary information. The DVTR VSB modulates the datastream to provide sufficient bandwidth for the auxiliary information in the datastream.
Claims22
A method for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- inserting said auxiliary information transport packets into said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to provide an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- modulating said output datastream to provide a modulated datastream;
- and
- conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said inserting step provides said output datastream without altering said time stamps.
A method for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- inserting said auxiliary information transport packets into said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to provide an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- modulating said output datastream to provide a modulated datastream;
- and
- conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said inserting step provides said output datastream without altering said time stamps, wherein
- said modulating step performs one of (a) 16 VSB modulation, (b) 8 VSB modulation without trellis coding and (c) 8 VSB modulation.
A method for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- inserting said auxiliary information as transport packets into said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to provide an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- modulating said output datastream to provide a modulated datastream;
- and
- conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein
- said inserting step provides said output datastream without altering said time stamps;
- and
- wherein said inserting step further comprises the steps:
- identifying null data in said program datastream;
- and
- replacing said null data with said auxiliary information.
A method for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- inserting said auxiliary information transport packets into said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to provide an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- modulating said output datastream to provide a modulated datastream;
- and
- conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said inserting step provides said output datastream without altering said time stamps, wherein
- said auxiliary information is on-screen-display (OSD) data.
A digital device for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said digital device comprising:
- means for providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- means for generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- a multiplexer for multiplexing said auxiliary information transport packets and said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to produce an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- a modulator for modulating said output datastream to produce a modulated datastream;
- and
- an output for conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said multiplexer produces said output datastream without altering said time stamps.
A digital device for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said digital device comprising:
- means for providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- means for generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- a multiplexer for multiplexing said auxiliary information transport packets and said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to produce an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- a modulator for modulating said output datastream to produce a modulated datastream;
- and
- an output for conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said multiplexer produces said output datastream without altering said time stamps, wherein
- said modulator performs one of (a) 16 VSB modulation, (b) 8 VSB modulation without trellis encoding and (c) 8 VSB modulation.
A digital device for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said digital device comprising:
- means for providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- means for generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- a multiplexer for multiplexing said auxiliary information transport packets and said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to produce an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- a modulator for modulating said output datastream to produce a modulated datastream;
- and
- an output for conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said multiplexer produces said output datastream without altering said time stamps;
- said digital device further comprising:
- means to identify null data in said digital program datastream wherein said multiplexer replaces said null data with said auxiliary information.
A digital device for producing a digital datastream containing program information and auxiliary information for transmission via a transmission channel, said digital device comprising:
- means for providing a program datastream as successive transport packets with associated time stamps, the datastream being substantially capacity-filled;
- means for generating said auxiliary information as transport packets;
- a multiplexer for multiplexing said auxiliary information transport packets and said capacity-filled program transport packet datastream to produce an output datastream as successive transport packets;
- a modulator for modulating said output datastream to produce a modulated datastream;
- and
- an output for conveying said modulated datastream to said transmission channel;
- wherein said multiplexer produces said output datastream without altering said time stamps, wherein
- said auxiliary information is on-screen-display (OSD) data.
In a device for receiving a digital transport modulated datastream containing a substantially capacity-filled program information transport packet stream and auxiliary information transport packets via a transmission channel, apparatus for processing said datastream comprising:
- an input for receiving said modulated datastream comprising;
- a demodulator for demodulating said modulated datastream to provide a demodulated datastream;
- a transport demultiplexer for separating said capacity-filled program information transport packet stream and said auxiliary information transport packets from said demodulated datastream;
- a program processor for processing said separated program information packet stream;
- means for identifying content of said separated auxiliary information packets as one of useable information and null information;
- and
- an auxiliary information processor for processing said useable information.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.