Matsushita Electric Corporation of America

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

North American Philips Corporation

North American Philips Consumer Electronics Corp.

Panasonic Corporation

North American Philips Consumer Elec. Corp.

Saiprasad V Naimpally

Hee-Yong Kim

Edwin Robert Meyer

Larry Phillips

Shuji Inoue

Richard Sita

Robert T Ryan

Larry G Phillips

Siu-Leong Iu

Ren Egawa

Ted A Darby

Anthony R Bugni

William S Burdick

Ghanshyam Dave

Edwin R Meyer

Jereld Pearson

Edward Brosz

Vasanth Shreesha

Jimmy C Tran

Robert Meyer

Joseph P O'Hara

The invention includes an apparatus and method of providing information using an information appliance coupled to a network. The method includes storing text files in a database at a remote location and converting, at the remote location, the text files into speech files. A portion of the speech files requested are downloaded to the information appliance and presented through an audio speaker. The speech files may include audio of electronic program guide (EPG) information, weather information, news information or other information. The method also includes converting the text files into speech files at the remote location using an English text-to-speech (TTS) synthesizer, a Spanish TTS synthesizer, or another language synthesizer. A voice personality may be selected to announce the speech files.

Method and apparatus for audio navigation of an information appliance

A video decoder compliant with the Advanced Television Systems Standard (ATSC) includes circuitry which decodes an ATSC encoded image and employs a downconversion process to produce a standard definition video signal. The video decoder includes a frequency-domain filter to reduce the resolution of the ATSC encoded signal. The video decoder downconversion system also includes a formatting section having vertical and horizontal filters, as well as resampling processing, to format the decoded and downconverted video image for a particular display and aspect ratio. The decoder senses the display format of the encoded video signal and changes the processing provided by the decoder to produce a standard definition output signal regardless of the display format of the encoded input signal. The system also includes a format converter which may be programmed to use a plurality of methods to convert the aspect ratio of the input signal for display on a display device having a different aspect ratio. In one mode, the system sequences through the possible methods to allow the user to select one method.

HDTV downconversion system

An HDTV down conversion system including apparatus for forming a set of low resolution down-sampled pixel values corresponding to a current frame of a video signal from a set of low resolution pixel values corresponding to a residual image of a current frame of the video signal and from a set of down-sampled low resolution pixel values corresponding to reference frames of the video signal. The apparatus includes a memory for storing the set of down-sampled low resolution pixel values. An up-sampling processor receives from the memory and uses Lagrangian interpolation to convert the set of down-sampled low resolution pixel values corresponding to the reference frame of the video signal into a set of up-sampled low resolution pixel values corresponding to the reference frame of the video signal. A summing processor adds the set of low resolution pixel values corresponding to the residual image of the current frame of the video signal to the set of up-sampled low resolution pixel values corresponding to the reference frame of the video signal to form a set of low resolution pixel values corresponding to the current frame of the video signal. A decimating processor deletes selected ones of the set of low resolution pixel values corresponding to the current frame to generate the set of low resolution down-sampled pixel values corresponding to the current frame of the video signal.

Upsampling filter for a down conversion system

A video decoder compliant with the Advanced Television Systems Standard (ATSC) includes circuitry which, when the decoder is operated in a first mode, decodes a Main Profile, High Level (MP&commat;HL) image to produce a high-definition video output signal and decodes a Main Profile, Main Level (MP&commat;ML) signal to produce a standard definition video signal. In addition, when the decoder is operated in a second mode, circuitry is used which generates a standard definition image from the MP&commat;HL signal. The video decoder includes a frequency-domain filter to reduce the resolution of the MP&commat;HL signal when the decoder is operated in the second mode.

MPEG decoder providing multiple standard output signals

A method and apparatus for requesting, receiving, processing, and providing local information from a single local source to a television viewer. A local information provider is accessed via a communications link and specific data, which is separate and distinct from video signals received by the television receiver, is downloaded to the television receiver. The data provided by the local source is minimally formatted without any graphical overhead. Requests for information from the local source may be on demand or at a predetermined time.

Method and apparatus for providing a variety of information from an

A method and apparatus for requesting, receiving, processing, and providing information from a single source to a television viewer. An information provider is accessed via a communications link and specific data, which is separate and distinct from video signals received by the television receiver, is downloaded to the television receiver. The data provided by the information provider is database information with minimal formatting and does not contain any graphical overhead. Requests for information from the information provider may be on demand or at a predetermined time. The information provided may be filtered by the information provider and/or television receiver based on selected program categories and/or a user provided profile.

Method and apparatus for providing electronic program guide information

An apparatus or transforming the resolution of an image from a first image resolution to a second image resolution using operations in the spatial frequency domain. The apparatus converts the bit-stream format which defines the first image and can be used to, for example, change the resolution of an MPEG encoded video signal by converting the MPED bitstream. The apparatus generates converted macroblocks from original macroblocks. During conversion, the apparatus determines whether the converted macroblock is (1) intra or non-intra coded, (2) P-coded or B-coded, and (3) in field format or frame format. The apparatus may also include the selection of a motion vector for the converted macroblock from the original macroblocks. Further, the apparatus may also map a first group of transform values which represent the image at the first image resolution to a second group of transform values which represent the image the second image resolution in the spatial frequency domain.

MPEG bit-stream format converter for changing resolution

A decoder for a video signal encoded according to the MPEG-2 standard processes either interlace scan signals or progressive scan signals by dynamically reconfiguring a single high-bandwidth memory. The memory is used to hold 1) the input bit-stream, 2) first and second reference frames used for motion compensated processing, and 3) image data representing a field that is currently being decoded. The decoder includes circuitry which stores and fetches the bit-stream data, fetches the reference frame data, stores the image data for the field that is currently being decoded in block format and fetches this image data for conversion to raster-scan format. This circuitry also detects whether the signal is in interlace or progressive format from the input data stream. When an interlace format signal is being decoded, the memory is partitioned in one configuration and when a progressive format signal is being decoded, the memory is partitioned in another configuration.

MPEG video decoder having a high bandwidth memory for use in decoding

A transport decoder 110, for receiving and processing a transport data stream using MPEG-2 formats, includes connections to a physical layer channel interface (channel interface) 112, a buffer memory 114, a host microprocessor 116, audio and video decoders 118/120, and clock signal circuitry 122. Upon receipt of a discontinuity indicator, the transport packet headers are parsed and transport packet payloads are stored in memory. Subsequently, upon receipt of a next program counter reference (PCR) value, a counter is loaded with the received program counter reference value. Next, the data stored in memory is searched for a time stamp and, when one is found, the time stamp is retrieved. Finally, a timer interrupt is set for a point in time approximately one frame time before the time stamp value, and, when the timer interrupt occurs, the program counter reference value is sent to the decoders, thereby providing sufficient time for the decoders to process data.

System and method for updating a system time constant (STC) counter

An apparatus and method, applicable to variable bit rate video and constant bit rate video, is disclosed for replacing 'stuffing bytes' with private data. The invention takes advantage of the otherwise wasted resources dedicated to 'stuffing' in a data stream in order to insert private data. This is accomplished by inserting useful private data in a Transport Stream instead of the stuffing bits. That is, effectively, a re-multiplexing operation occurs where, based on the existence of certain conditions in a Transport Packet (e.g., stuffing bytes exist), the information necessary to replace stuffing bytes with private data yet still comply with established standards is accomplished. This data generally is referred to as privatestuff data in order to distinguish it from typical private data which may otherwise be encoded into a Transport Stream. The stuffing bytes removed from the Transport Packet may come from an adaptation field in the Transport Header or directly from the Transport Payload or both.

Method and apparatus for sending private data instead of stuffing bits

A system records a single program from a multi-program transport stream that is encoded according to the MPEG-2 standard. The system demultiplexes transport packets from the multi-program transport stream and records the demultiplexed packets on a digital video cassette recorder (DVCR). The system includes circuitry in the encoder which emulates a buffer in the digital recorder that is used to hold the packets to convert the bursty packet data into constant rate data for recording. This emulated buffer controls the overall rate at which packets of the selected program are inserted into the multi-program transport stream by the encoder. As each packet is recorded, a time stamp value, representing when the packet was demultiplexed and a clock count value, representing a number of pulses of a high-frequency system clock signal that occurred during a predetermined number of bytes of the demultiplexed packet are recorded with the demultiplexed packet. These values are used to regenerate timing signals for a single program transport stream when the recorded packet data is replayed from the tape.

MPEG transport encoding/decoding system for recording transport streams

A signal processing system for a high resolution digital video tape recorder (VTR) includes circuitry which processes the high resolution video signal to produce a relatively low resolution video signal which may be recorded on the tape with the high resolution video signal. The low resolution video signal is encoded using intra-frame techniques and recorded in fixed-length segments which appear at predetermined locations in the tape tracks. Low resolution segments representing images in different frames may be recovered and combined to produce an image which is suitable for display in trick-play modes. During normal play modes, the data stream representing the high resolution image is recovered in sequence. Accordingly, this high resolution image may be encoded using predictive coding techniques as well as intra-frame techniques.

Digital high definition television video recorder with trick-play

A system and method for providing a video signal during the delay time between when a new channel is selected and when the digital picture is acquired and displayed is disclosed. In particular, the system provides an NTSC-like analog video signal along with a conventional digital television signal such that when a user initially makes a new channel selection, the analog video signal, which can be quickly and easily decoded, is presented for display until the digital television signal is completely decoded and acquired. As soon as the digital television signal is ready for display, the displayed signal switches from the analog video signal to the digital television signal. For purposes of conserving frequency spectrum, the analog video signal is a simple NTSC-like monochrome (i.e., black and white) signal and limited to a 1 MHz band of the available 6 MHz spectrum allocated for each channel.

Hybrid analog/digital television transmission system

A parallel decoder for an MPEG-2 encoded video signal includes a deformatter which separates the input bit stream into multiple portions, each representing a respectively different section of the HDTV image. The separate portions are processed in parallel by respective decoders. In order to perform motion compensated processing, each of the four decoders includes a memory that holds data representing the entire image. Each decoder provides its decoded output data to all of the decoders to maintain the data in the respective memories.

Parallel architecture for a high definition television video decoder

A system and method for filtering a digital signal having a relatively high data rate uses circuitry which operates at a lower data rate. The filter includes an input section which receives the input signal and which divides the input signal into a plurality of contiguous segments. The system also includes a first filter which receives samples representing one of the plurality of segments and adjacent samples from the next contiguous one of the segments and which filters all of the received samples to produce a first filtered signal. A second filter receives samples of the next contiguous segment and filters those samples to produce a second filtered signal. The filtered signals are combined by providing the samples of the second filtered signal immediately after the samples of the first filtered signal to produce a filtered output signal. The invention also relates to using respective timing signals associated with the segments to determine when the samples of the first and second filtered signals are provided.

Growing community of inventors

Langhorne, PA, United States of America

Saiprasad V Naimpally