Multimedia Computer System and Method

• US 20060200573A1
• Filed: 11/22/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: VIA Technologies Incorporated (VIA Technologies)
• Original Assignee: VIA Technologies Incorporated (VIA Technologies)
• Inventors: Lin, Li-Cheng
• Application Number:
  US11/164,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20060200573A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3293 by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1407 General aspects irrespective of display type, e.g. determination of decimal point position, display with fixed or driving decimal point, suppression of non-significant zeros
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4436 Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver power management in computer systems G06F1/3203; hibernate or awake process in computer systems G06F9/4418
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/641 Multi-purpose receivers, e.g. for auxiliary information H04N9/642 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A multimedia computer system and method is disclosed. A medium device of the computer system, like an optical disc loader, has a built-in function of multimedia decoding for supporting the computer system to work under a normal mode and a playback mode. In the normal mode, the medium device does not decode, and north/south bridges of the computer arrange data exchange and access between the medium device, a CPU, and a memory of the computer system. In the playback mode, the medium device performs multimedia decoding itself for obtaining video data from the medium, and the video data are sent to a display of the computer system by the north bridge. Therefore, in this playback mode, other circuits like the south bridge, CPU and memory can be powered down to an idle status, and a low power consumption multimedia broadcast is realized.

Claims

1. A computer system capable of broadcasting multimedia data, the computer system comprising:

a medium device comprises a front-end and a back-end, wherein the front-end is utilized for accessing multimedia data from a storage medium, and the back-end is utilized for decoding a corresponding image data from the multimedia data if the multimedia data from the storage medium accessed by the front-end is compliant to a preset multimedia format; and

a chipset coupled to the medium device for transmitting the image data obtained from decoding by the back-end to a display unit for displaying when the computer system operates in a default playback mode.

2. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) for controlling operations of the computer, when the computer operates in the default playback mode, the CPU stops operating.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein if the computer is not operating in the default playback mode, the back-end stops operating and stops decoding the multimedia data.

4. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a loudspeaker coupled to the chipset for broadcasting a corresponding audio data decoded from the multimedia data by the back-end, when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the back-end decodes the multimedia data into the corresponding audio data, and the chipset transmits the audio data to the loudspeaker to be broadcast.

5. The computer system of claim 1 further comprising:

a primary bridge coupled with the display unit, a CPU and a memory; and

a secondary bridge coupled to the primary bridge and the medium device;

wherein when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the primary bridge receives and transmits the image data decoded by the back-end to the loudspeaker to be broadcast.

6. The computer system of claim 5 further comprising:

a control interface for receiving control operation of a user; and

a micro-controller coupled to the control interface for providing a corresponding control signal according to the control operation received by the control interface, wherein when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the micro-controller transmits the control signal to the medium device so that the front-end and the back-end of the medium device are being controlled by the control signal.

7. The computer system of claim 5 wherein the computer system further comprises the medium device coupled the chipset through an IDE bus, wherein when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the primary bridge receives the image data decoded by the back-end via the IDE bus.

8. The computer system of claim 1 wherein the computer system further comprises a connecting port coupled with the medium device and the chipset, when the medium device is not operating in the default playback mode, the connecting port outputs the multimedia data accessed by the front-end, and when the medium device is operating in the default playback mode, the back-end decodes to obtain the image data.

9. A medium device capable of connecting to a computer system, the medium device comprising:

a medium module for loading a storage medium;

a front-end for controlling the medium module and accessing a multimedia data of the storage medium; and

a back-end for decoding the multimedia data to obtain a corresponding image data when the medium device is operating in a default playback mode, a primary bridge of the computer system for displaying the image data within the computer system.

10. The medium device of claim 9 wherein the medium device further comprises a connecting port coupled with the medium device and the primary bridge, when the medium device is not operating in the default playback mode, the connecting port outputs the multimedia data accesses by the front-end, and when the medium device is operating in the default playback mode, the back-end decodes to obtain the image data.

11. The medium device of claim 9 wherein the medium device is capable of coupling to a loudspeaker, when the medium device is operating in the preset multimedia mode, an audio data obtained after decoding by the back-end is transmitted to the loudspeaker.

12. The medium device of claim 9 wherein the medium device is not operating in the default playback mode, the back-end is capable of stopping operation to stop decoding the multimedia data.

13. The medium device of claim 9 wherein the medium device is a compact disc, a flash memory or a hard disk.

14. The medium device of claim 9 wherein the preset multimedia format is an MPEG1, MPEG2 or MPEG4 format.

15. The medium device of claim 9 wherein the computer system is a laptop computer.

16. A computer system capable of performing multimedia broadcast, coupled to a medium device, the computer system comprising:

a display unit for broadcasting an image data decoded by a back-end within the medium device; and

a primary bridge coupled to the display unit for transmitting the image data decoded by the back-end of the medium device to the display unit.

17. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the computer system further comprises a connecting port coupled with the back-end of the medium device and the primary bridge, the connecting port outputs the image data decoded by the back-end to the primary circuit.

18. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the primary bridge transmits a sound data decoded by the back-end of the medium device to a loudspeaker for broadcasting sound.

19. A computer system capable of broadcasting multimedia data, coupled to a medium device, the computer system comprising:

a display unit for displaying an image data;

a primary bridge coupled to the medium device and the display unit for transmitting the image data decoded by a back-end of the medium device to the display unit to be displayed when the computer system is operating in a default playback mode;

a secondary bridge coupled to the medium device and the primary bridge for transmitting the image data decoded by a front-end of the medium device to the primary bridge when the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode, and the primary bridge transmits the image data to the display unit; and

a CPU coupled to the primary circuit for controlling operations of the computer system, when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the CPU stops operating, and when the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode, the CPU operates.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein when the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode, the back-end stops operating and stops decoding the multimedia data.

21. The computer system of claim 19 further comprising:

a loudspeaker coupled to the secondary bridge and the primary bridge for broadcasting a corresponding audio data decoded by the back-end, when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the back-end decodes the multimedia data to obtain the corresponding sound data and the audio data is transmitted to the loudspeaker to be broadcast.

22. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the computer system further comprises a memory coupled to the primary bridge for temporarily storing the image data.

23. The computer system of claim 19 further comprising:

a control interface for receiving control operation of a user; and

a micro-controller coupled to the control interface for providing a corresponding control signal according to the control operation received by the control interface, wherein when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the micro-controller transmits the control signal to the medium device so that the front-end and the back-end of the medium device are being controlled by the control signal.

24. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the computer system further comprises the medium device coupled to the primary bridge through an IDE bus, wherein when the computer system is not operating in the preset multimedia mode, the secondary bridge transmits the image data accessed by the front-end via the IDE bus, and when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, the primary bridge receives the image data decoded by the back-end via the IDE bus.

25. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the computer system further comprises a connecting port coupled with the medium device, the primary bridge and the secondary bridge, when the medium device is not operating in the default playback mode, the connecting port outputs the multimedia data accessed by the front-end, and when the medium device is operating in the default playback mode, the back-end decodes to obtains the image data.

26. A method of broadcasting multimedia data on a computer system, the computer system comprising a medium device and a computer, the medium device being coupled to the computer through a connecting port, wherein the medium device comprises a back-end and a front-end, and the computer comprises a primary bridge, a secondary bridge, a CPU and a display unit, the method comprising:

determining whether the computer system is operating in a default playback mode;

the back-end within the medium device decoding the multimedia data if the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, and the primary bridge of the computer transmitting the decoded multimedia data to the display unit of the computer to be displayed; and

the front-end within the medium device transmitting the multimedia data from the secondary bridge of the computer to the primary bridge if the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode, and the front-end transmitting the multimedia data to the display unit of the computer via the CPU to be displayed.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode, the back-end stops operating and stops decoding the multimedia data.

28. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

decoding the multimedia data corresponding to an audio data and outputting the audio data to a loudspeaker to be broadcast if the computer system is operating in the default playback mode.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the secondary bridge transmits the multimedia data accessed by the front-end to the primary bridge when the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode, and the primary bridge is a transmission medium among the CPU, the memory and the secondary bridge for transmitting the multimedia data to the memory or the CPU.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein the primary bridge is not a transmission medium among the CPU, the memory and the secondary bridge when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode, and the primary bridge receives and transmits the image data decoded by the back-end to the display unit to be displayed.

31. The method of claim 26 further comprising:

the secondary bridge receiving the multimedia data accessed by the front-end through an IDE bus when the computer system is not operating in the default playback mode; and

the primary bridge receiving the image data decoded by the back-end through the IDE bus when the computer system is operating in the default playback mode.

32. A method of broadcasting multimedia data on a computer system, the computer system comprising a medium device and a computer, the medium device being coupled to the computer through a connecting port, wherein the medium device comprises a back-end and a front-end, and the computer comprises a primary bridge and a display unit, the method comprising:

the back-end of the medium device decoding the multimedia data; and

the primary bridge of the computer transmitting the decoded multimedia data to the display unit of the computer to be displayed.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

decoding the multimedia data corresponding to an audio data and outputting the audio data to a loudspeaker to be broadcast if the computer system is operating in the default playback mode.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

the primary bridge receiving an image data decoded by the back-end through an IDE bus.