Methods and apparatus for decoding and displaying different resolution video signals
AssigneeHitachi America, Ltd.
InventorsJill MacDonald Boyce, Larry Pearlstein
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for implementing a reduced cost HDTV/SDTV video decoder are disclosed. The described joint video decoder is capable of decoding HDTV pictures at approximately the resolution of standard definition television pictures and can be used to decode HDTV and/or SDTV pictures. The described video decoder may be used as part of a picture-in-picture decoder circuit for providing picture-in-picture capability without providing multiple full resolution video decoders. The reduction in decoder circuit complexity is achieved through the use of a plurality of data reduction techniques including the use of a preparser, downsampling, and truncating pixel values.
Claims35
A video signal decoder module for processing video signals of different resolutions, the different resolutions including a first resolution and a second resolution, the first resolution being a higher resolution than the second resolution, the video signal decoder module comprising:
- a mode control circuit for controlling the decoder module to operate in one of a plurality of different modes of operation, the plurality of different modes of operation including a first mode of operation during which a particular data reduction operation is performed and a second mode of operation during which decoding is performed without performing the particular data reduction operation which is performed during the first mode of operation, the mode control circuit controlling the decoder to operate in the first mode of operation when processing video signals of the first resolution and to operate in the second mode of operation when processing video signals of the second resolution;
- and
- a controllable data reduction circuit for performing the particular data reduction operation when the mode control circuit indicates that operation is in the first mode of operation but not when the mode control circuit indicates that operation is in the second mode of operation.
A method of processing video signals of different resolutions, the different resolutions including a first resolution and a second resolution, the first resolution being a higher resolution than the second resolution, the method comprising:
- generating at least one mode control signal to control video signal processing operations as a function of the type of video signal being processed, the step of generating at least one mode control signal including generating a data reduction mode control signal to cause operation to be performed in accordance with a first mode of operation when processing signals of the first resolution and generating a second mode control signal when the signal to be processed is of the second resolution, the second mode control signal causing operation to be performed in accordance with a second mode of operation;
- and
- performing a data reduction operation when a generated mode control signal indicates that operation is to be performed in the first mode of operation but not when the mode control circuit indicates that operation is to be performed in the second mode of operation.
A video signal processing apparatus for processing video signals of different resolutions, the different resolutions including at least a first resolution and a second resolution, the first resolution being a higher resolution than the second resolution, the processing apparatus comprising:
- a decoder module configured to perform at least one image decoding operation;
- a mode control module configured to generate a mode control signal, the mode control module controlling the mode control signal to indicate a first mode of operation when video signals of the first resolution are being processed and to indicate a second mode of operation when video signals of the second resolution are being processed;
- and
- a controllable data reduction module, coupled to the mode control module, configured to perform a data reduction operation under control of the mode control signal used to indicate if video signal processing is to be performed in a first mode of operation or in a second mode of operation, the controllable data reduction module performing at least one data reduction operation when the first mode of operation is indicated by the mode control signal which is not performed when the second mode of operation is indicated by the mode control signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.