Storage medium storing interactive graphics stream activated in response to user's command, and reproducing apparatus for reproducing from the same

• US 20060204228A1
• Filed: 05/10/2006
• Published: 09/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Kil-soo, Park, Sung-wook, Kang, Man-seok
• Granted Patent: US 8,538,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 386/243
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/10 Mixing of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of an operation, e.g. adding, on the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4221 Dedicated function buttons, e.g. for the control of an EPG, subtitles, aspect ratio, picture-in-picture or teletext
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43074 of additional data with content streams on the same device, e.g. of EPG data or interactive icon with a TV program
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9201 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8205 involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A storage medium storing: video data; and graphics data for displaying a menu. The graphics data includes first graphics data displayed on the screen when an activation command is generated by a user and may also include second graphics data displayed on the screen at a designated time.

Claims

1. A reproducing apparatus for reproducing from a storage medium video data and graphics data for displaying a menu, comprising:

a reading unit which reads an interactive graphics stream from the storage medium;

a demultiplexer which separates from the interactive graphics stream the video data and the graphics data;

a video decoder which decodes the video data; and

a graphics decoder which decodes the graphics data,

wherein the graphics decoder decodes first graphics data displayed when the graphics data is of a specified type and an activation command is received, and

wherein second graphics data is displayed at a designated time when the graphics data is not of the first type.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a blender overlaying the decoded video data and the decoded graphics data; and

an interface transmitting a user command to the graphics decoder.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphics decoder decodes the first graphics data and the second graphics data using a buffer and decodes only one of the first graphics data and the second graphics data at a specified time.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the graphics decoder has a buffer for the first graphics data and a second buffer for the second graphics data, and the first graphics data and the second graphics data are simultaneously decoded by the graphics decoder,

wherein, when only the first graphics data is displayed on the screen, a focus is set to an interface for the first graphics data, and

wherein, when only the second graphics data is displayed on the screen, the focus is set to an interface for the second graphics data.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface transmits an activation command from the user within a specified period when the video data and graphics data are multiplexed and recorded as a single stream, and

wherein the graphics decoder deletes information stored in all buffers in the graphics decoder when the specified period elapses.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the specified period begins at a presentation time indicated by packet header information if the graphics data is an MPEG standard transport stream and ends at an output finish time indicated by the first graphics data or the second graphics data, or at a start time of a subsequent display set included in the first graphics data or the second graphics data.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the video data and graphics data are multiplexed and recorded as separate streams, the graphics data is pre-loaded in a buffer of the graphics decoder.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphics decoder includes:

a status register which stores a stream number of the first graphics data or the second graphics data that is being reproduced or will be reproduced, the status register having a flag discriminating the first graphics data and the second graphics data and a flag indicating whether decoded first graphics data is to be displayed.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the graphics decoder includes:

status registers which store stream numbers of the first graphics data and the second graphics data that are being reproduced or will be reproduced, respectively, and

wherein the status register for the first graphics data includes a flag indicating whether decoded first graphics data is to be displayed on the screen.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the graphics decoder displays an initial menu page indicating that the first graphics data is decoded and ready to be displayed according to a value of the flag indicating whether the first graphics data is to be displayed, and does not display any menu screen even when the first graphics data is decoded and ready to be displayed.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein, when an activation command is input by the user when the flag is set so that the first graphics data is not to be displayed, the graphics decoder ignores the activation command from the user or displays the initial menu page.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the interface comprises:

a system menu turning on/off a value of the flag indicating whether the first graphics data is displayed on the screen.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the interface includes a remote control having a button for turning on/off a value of the flag indicating whether the first graphics data is displayed on the screen.