General Instrument Corporation

Motorola Corporation

Vicky B Kaku

Robert S Nemiroff

Branislav N Meandzija

Randall Lewis Silagi

Randall Silagi

Transcoder multiplexers that transport digital packets, such as MPEG2 packets, between boards in a chassis using a serial differential protocol are disclosed. The disclosed multiplexers achieve data transfer rates at least twice as fast as conventional systems. Digital data packets are thereby efficiently communicated to target processing engines on other boards across the backplane. Prior art requirements for custom backplane designs, together with discrete hardware for sending data in parallel form between boards, are obviated. Instead, a backplane architecture designed specifically for IP data traffic from any slot to any slot is utilized. Also, an improved protocol is applied for transmitting data serially between boards to provide an inexpensive, upgradeable and flexible hardware solution. Preferred embodiments use LVDS transmitter/receiver pairs with high link speeds.

High speed serial data transport between communications hardware modules

A system and method of multiplexing data into an MPEG transport stream are described. In particular, an IP packet is examined to determine if it is a multicast IP packet. If so, the IP packet is repackaged into one or more MPEG packets for transmission in the MPEG transport stream.

IP data encapsulation and insertion in a transport multiplexer

Aliasing and routing of plural MPEG data streams are disclosed. Disclosed apparatus embodiments include, e.g., a router or a cross-point switch that can route data packets from any source location(s) to any destination location(s). Such locations may be on multiple targets on a single processing board or may be on multiple boards in a chassis with a backplane linking the boards together. The disclosed aliasing and routing is achieved by processing MPEG data streams with associated PIDs so they can be transported between communicatively linked locations. This is achieved by generating a PID alias table with plural PID aliases for each input data stream; by removing at least one PID from each input data stream to thereby produce filtered data streams; by determining target destination(s) for each of the filtered data streams; and by buffering the filtered data streams so the filtered data streams can then be read and transported to respective target destination(s).

Aliasing and routing of plural MPEG data streams

A system for processing a sequence of video or other data frames at a data encoder during a sync loss. During a sync loss of input data at a video or other data encoder, substitute data such as black video is used to provide complete &ldquo;clean&rdquo; data frames to a compressor at the encoder. Artifacts due to compression and encoding of partial frames are avoided. If a sync loss is detected in the middle of a particular data frame that is input to the encoder, the remainder of the frame is completed with substitute data which is in sync with the earlier data in the frame. Additional complete frames of the substitute data are provided to the compressor following the particular data frame, still in sync with the particular frame, until such time that a sync recovery is detected, and a field or frame check is performed on the new, post-sync loss, data to gain confidence of the sync recovery. A null signal may be provided to the compressor after the last substitute frame, and prior to the post-sync loss frame after the frame in which the field or frame check occurs. Different frame and video clock rates in the post-versus pre-sync loss frames are automatically accounted for.

HDTV video frame synchronizer that provides clean digital video without variable delay

A method and apparatus for efficient motion estimation of a digital video image wherein memory capacity and processing requirements are reduced by 50% or more, and image quality is maintained. Only a portion of the pixel data of a search window is used to perform motion estimation. Specifically, a portion of the pixel data of a previous image is retrieved and stored in a memory according to a search window pattern such as a fixed checkerboard pattern. Pixel data from the current image is alternated between first and second inverse checkerboard patterns for successive comparison regions of the search window. The scheme is compatible with frame or field mode video sequences.

Growing community of inventors

San Diego, CA, United States of America

Vicky B Kaku