Multi-video receiving method and apparatus

• US 20050050575A1
• Filed: 05/22/2002
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FanVision Entertainment, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kangaroo Media Incorporated (Game Day Entertainment LLC)
• Inventors: Arseneau, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 7,966,636 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440254 by altering signal-to-noise parameters, e.g. requantization
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/607 for more than one sound signal, e.g. stereo, multilanguages H04N5/602 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0806 the signals being two or more video signals H04N7/0803, H04N7/081 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/12 Systems in which the television signal is transmitted via one channel or a plurality of parallel channels, the bandwidth of each channel being less than the bandwidth of the television signal H04N7/24 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and apparatus is disclosed for receiving a plurality of video signals using a single video signal transmitted using a point-to-multipoint connection; the plurality of video signals originate from various locations of an event. Information received using a reception unit comprises at least one of the plurality of video signals, at least one of the plurality of sound track signals related to the at least one of the plurality of video signals, data transmitted using the vertical blanking interval (VBI) of the single video signal and graphics.

Claims

1. A method for providing a plurality of video programs to a plurality of video program receivers having a first resolution using a single frequency band enabling transmission of a video program having a second resolution substantially higher than the first resolution, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of video programs from a plurality of video program sources, the plurality of video programs having a resolution substantially equal to the second resolution;

formatting each of the plurality of video programs received from the plurality of video program sources to have a resolution substantially equal to the first resolution;

inserting each of the formatted video programs at a specific location in a main video signal having a resolution substantially equal to the second resolution;

transmitting the main video signal to each of the plurality of video program receivers.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the main video signal comprises a data signal provided by a data signal source.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein four video programs are received, the main video signal being a NTSC signal.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a plurality of sound tracks from a plurality of sound track sources, each of the plurality of sound tracks being attached to one of the plurality of video programs, the method further comprising the step of formatting each of the plurality of sound tracks in order to have a sound resolution compatible with a sound resolution of the video program receivers, the sound resolution of the video program receivers being substantially lower than the main video signal sound resolution, the method further comprising the step of inserting the formatted plurality of sound tracks in the main video signal.

5. The method as claimed in claims 1-4, further comprising the step of encoding the main video signal prior said transmitting.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the encoding is performed by switching at least two lines in the main video signal.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the video program sources are live video signals of specific locations of a common event.

8. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the video program sources are live video signals of specific locations of a common event.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the common event is a live event.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the data signal source provides data related to said event or to a participant of said event.

11. An apparatus for displaying at least one of a plurality of video program signals inserted in a main video signal, the at least one of a plurality of video program signals having a first resolution, the main signal having a second resolution substantially higher than the first resolution, the apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit receiving the main video signal;

a user interface for enabling a user to select at least one of the plurality of video programs contained in said main video signal for a display, the user interface providing a command signal representative of the selected at least one of the plurality of video programs to display;

a display screen, receiving the selected video signal for display;

a processing unit receiving the main video signal and selecting at least one part of the main video signal provided by the receiving unit according to said command signal provided by the user interface, the selected one of the plurality of video programs to display being displayed on said display screen.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the receiving unit is receiving a plurality of main video signals, the user interface further enabling the user to select one of the plurality of main video signals.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising an audio unit, receiving an audio signal from said receiving unit, wherein the main video signal comprises a plurality of sound tracks signals, each of the plurality of sound tracks signals being related to one of the plurality of video program signals.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the main video signal is encoded using a code, the apparatus further comprising a configuration storing unit storing said code, the processing unit further decoding the received main video signal according to said code stored in said storing unit.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising a remote control interface unit, the remote control interface unit being connected to said processing unit and receiving a remote control signal from a remote computer.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said first resolution is substantially 360×

240.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said second resolution is 720×

480.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein said remote control interface unit is a serial compatible port unit.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said display screen is a LCD active matrix screen.

20. An apparatus for broadcasting at least one of a plurality of video program signals inserted in a main video signal to a plurality of receiving units, each receiving unit having a first resolution, the main signal having a second resolution substantially higher than the first resolution, the apparatus comprising:

a formatting unit receiving the at least one of a plurality of video programs signals, the formatting unit formatting the at least one of a plurality of video program signals to have a resolution substantially equal to a resolution of a receiving unit, the resolution of the receiving unit being substantially lower than the resolution of the main video signal;

a combining unit, receiving the formatted at least one of a plurality of video signals and incorporating each of the formatted at least one of a plurality of video signals into a specific location in the main video signal;

a transmitter, receiving the main video signal and transmitting the main video signal to the plurality of receiving units.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20, wherein the formatting unit further comprises a sound track formatting unit, receiving a plurality of sound tracks signals from a plurality of sound tracks sources having a first sound resolution, each of the plurality of sound track sources being related to one of the plurality of video programs, and providing a plurality of converted sound track sources having a second sound resolution substantially lower that the first sound resolution, the combining unit further receiving said converted sound tracks and incorporating said converted sound tracks into said main video signal.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20 , further comprising an encoding unit, the encoding unit receiving main video signal and providing an encoded main video signal to said transmitter.

23. A method for transmitting a video program to a plurality of video program receivers having a first resolution using a single frequency band enabling transmission of a video program having a second resolution substantially higher than the first resolution, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving said video program from a video program source, the video program having a resolution substantially equal to the second resolution;

formatting the video program received from the video program source to have a resolution substantially equal to the first resolution;

inserting the formatted video program at a specific location in a main video signal having a resolution substantially equal to the second resolution;

encoding the main video signal using an encoding scheme;

transmitting the main video signal to each of the plurality of video program receivers.