System and method for video processing

• US 20060221231A1
• Filed: 03/29/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Grass Valley USA Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Snell Limited (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Palgrave-Moore, Edward, Hammond, Keith Steward
• Granted Patent: US 7,903,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/441
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/265 Mixing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/01 Conversion of standards , e.g. involving analogue television standards or digital television standards processed at pixel level

Abstract

A video processing apparatus can receive video at two different rates, which may be High Definition video and Standard Definition Video. The input video is stored and read into a processor at a fixed internal rate for processing at that rate. Processed video is output to a further store from which it can be read at either of the input rates.

Claims

1. Video processing apparatus for processing video conforming to one of a plurality of video standards at an internal rate independent of a standards data rate associated with the video data, the apparatus comprising:

input storage for storing video data, capable of being written to in each of a plurality of video standards; and

a video processor for reading stored video data from the input storage and processing the video data at said internal rate independent of the standards data rate.

2. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 comprising a plurality of video processors, each video processor having input storage associated therewith, further comprising a cascade router coupled to the video processors and to the input storage, for routing internal video data output from one video processor to input storage associated with another video processor at the internal rate.

3. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cascade router is a serial router, and further comprising a serialiser coupled between the output of a video processor and the cascade router, and a deserialiser coupled between the cascade router and the input to the video processor.

4. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the cascade router routes all internal data routed using a data format substantially similar to HD serial data format SMPTE 292M.

5. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the video processor reads and processes video data from the input storage line-by-line in dependence on a reference signal.

6. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the input storage is a FIFO memory.

7. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

output storage for storing processed video data generated by the video processor at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate; and

output means for reading video data out of the output storage at an output data rate.

8. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein the output data rate is different from the standards data rate of the data and/or the internal rate.

9. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein the output storage is a FIFO memory.

10. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the internal rate is different from the standards data rate and/or the output data rate.

11. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the internal rate is sufficiently high that the processing time for the active line portion of a line of video data is shorter than the time interval between lines for all video data standards accepted by the video processing apparatus.

13. A video mixer comprising a video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 1.

12. Video processing apparatus for processing video data conforming to one of a plurality of video standards, the apparatus comprising:

input storage for storing video data;

video processor for reading stored video data from the input storage and processing the video data at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate; and

output storage for storing processed video data generated by the video processor at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate.

14. A method of processing video data conforming to one of a plurality of video standards at an internal rate independent of a standards data rate associated with the video data, the method comprising:

storing video data in video data storage in each of a plurality of video standards;

reading stored video data; and

processing in a video data processor the read video data at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein storing video data in video data storage comprises storing video data at the standards data rate associated with the video data.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising:

routing video data output by the video data processor to a second video processor at the internal rate.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the video data is routed to the second video processor in a serial data format.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the video data is routed using a data format substantially similar to HD serial data format SMPTE 292M.

19. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the video processor reads and processes video data from the video data storage line by line in dependence on a reference signal.

20. The method as claimed in claim 14 comprising:

storing processed video data generated by the video processor in output video data storage at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate; and

reading video data out of the output storage at an output data rate.

21. The method as claimed in claim 20 wherein the internal rate is different from the standards data rate and/or the output data rate.

22. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the internal rate is sufficiently high that the processing time for the active line portion of a line of video data is shorter than the time interval between lines for all video data standards accepted by the video processing apparatus.

23. A method of processing video data conforming to one of a plurality of video standards, the method comprising:

storing video data in input video data storage;

reading stored video data from the input video data storage;

processing the video data at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate; and

storing processed video data in output video data storage at an internal rate independent of the standards data rate.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23 where the step of storing processed video data in the output video data storage comprises the step of storing video data at the standards data rate associated with the video data.

25. Video processing apparatus comprising:

a plurality of video processors for processing video data; and

a router for routing video data between a first and at least a second of said plurality of video processors at an internal rate independent of a standards data rate associated with the video data.

26. Video processing apparatus comprising:

an input adapted to receive input video data at a first rate and input video data at a second rate, different to said first rate;

an input store, adapted to read input video data at both said first and second rates from said input;

a processor adapted to read video data from said input store at a common fixed rate, and to process said read data at said common fixed rate;

an output store adapted to store video data output from the processor; and

an output capable of reading from said output store at both said first and said second rates.

27. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said common fixed rate is different from both said first and said second rates.

28. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 26 wherein the common fixed rate is greater than or equal to the rate at which the processing time in said processor for the active line portion of a line of video data is equal to the time interval between lines of video data, for the highest of said first and second rates.

29. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 26 wherein said first rate is 74.25 Mpixels/s.

30. Video processing apparatus as claimed in claim 29 wherein said second rate is 13.5 Mpixels/s.

31. A method of processing video data, the method comprising:

receiving input video data at a first rate and input video data at a second rate, different to said first rate;

writing, at both said first and second rates, input video data to an input video store;

reading video data from said input store at a common fixed rate;

processing said data read from said input store at said common fixed rate;

writing said processed video data to an output video store at said common fixed rate; and

reading video data from said output store at either or both of said first and said second rates