Interface for sending synchronized audio and video data

• US 20040255338A1
• Filed: 12/23/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Agnoli, Giovanni M., Dillon, Jeffrey C., Delwiche, James A., Abt, John O., Yanowitz, Andrew, Bowman, Samuel R.
• Application Number:
  US10/746,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255338A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/136
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23602 Multiplexing isochronously with the video sync, e.g. according to bit-parallel or bit-serial interface formats, as SDI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4143 embedded in a Personal Computer [PC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4342 Demultiplexing isochronously with video sync, e.g. according to bit-parallel or bit-serial interface formats, as SDI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/54 the signals being synchronous H04N21/23602, H04N21/23614, H04N21/2365, H04N21/2368, H04N21/4341, H04N21/4342, H04N21/4347, H04N21/4348 take precedence

Abstract

A data stream format for transmission of data frames between a computer and a video client via an interface, the data stream being a plurality of data frames transmitted sequentially, each data frame comprising: a frame header; video data, the video data following the frame header; and audio data, the audio data following the video data.

Claims

1. A data stream format for transmission of data frames between a computer and a video client, the computer and video client in communication with each other through an interface connected between the computer and the video client, the data stream being a plurality of data frames transmitted sequentially, each data frame comprising:

a frame header;

video data, the video data following the frame header; and

audio data, the audio data following the video data.

2. The data frame of claim 1, further comprising an audio header, the audio header presented between the video data and the audio data.

3. The data frame of claim 2, wherein the frame count synchronization bit is synchronized with the vertical blanking portion.

4. The data frame of claim 2, wherein the audio header comprises an audio cycle count.

5. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the audio data is sampled with respect to the video data.

6. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the audio data comprises an audio sample count per frame, the audio sample count per frame

7. The data frame of claim 6, wherein the audio sample count indicates a number of bytes per sample.

8. The data frame of claim 6, wherein the audio sample count varies in accordance with an ANSI/SMPTE 272M specification.

9. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises format flags, the format flags indicating a number of bits per sample of video data.

10. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises an SMPTE time code.

11. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises an incrementing frame counter.

12. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises an audio cycle count where cycle count indicates the position in the audio cadence specified by the ANSI/SMPTE 272M specification.

13. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises an audio channel count.

14. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises a block size byte count.

15. The data frame of claim 14, wherein the block size byte count indicates how many bytes of audio are contained in the audio data.

16. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises audio format flags.

17. The data frame of claim 1, wherein the frame header comprises video format flags.

18. A method of data transmission, the method comprising

attaching a header to an SDTI-compliant frame;

and

transmitting the header and SDTI-compliant frame between a video client and a computer over a IEEE 1394b-compliant interface.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising dividing the SDTI-compliant frame into first and second portions and sending the header and a portion over a first channel, and sending the header and second portion over a second channel.