APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DECODING DIGITAL IMAGE AND AUDIO SIGNALS

• US 20070245386A1
• Filed: 01/16/2007
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Ratzel, John, Faus, Juan, Morley, Steven, Ratzel, Diane
• Granted Patent: US 8,813,137 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/78
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00007 Time or data compression or expansion audio compression based on psychoacoustics G10L19/00; data processing for reproducing audio data at different playback speeds G10L21/04; video compression H04N19/00; data compression per se H03M7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00507 wherein consecutive physical data units of the record carrier are encrypted with separate encryption keys, e.g. the key changes on a cluster or sector basis
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00673 wherein the erased or nullified data include a cryptographic key
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10537 Audio or video recording
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10638 First-in-first-out memories [FIFO] buffers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2516 Hard disks
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2005/91364 the video signal being scrambled
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2143 located in a single building, e.g. hotel, hospital or museum arrangements specially adapted for plural spots in a confined site in broadcast systems H04H20/63; adaptations for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution in television systems H04N7/106
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/222 Secondary servers, e.g. proxy server, cable television Head-end provisioning of proxy services in data packet switching networks H04L67/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2265 Server identification by a unique number or address, e.g. serial number network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming H04L61/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23116 involving data replication, e.g. over plural servers synchronization of replicated data G06F11/1658; error detection or correction by means of data replication G06F11/2053; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/10; replication in distributed file systems G06F16/27; replication or mirroring of data in data networks H04L67/1095
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26613 for generating or managing keys in general key distribution for secret or secure communication involving central third party, e.g. key distribution center [KDC] or trusted third party [TTP] H04L9/083; network support of key management H04L63/06; key management for network security in communication control or processing H04W12/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4131 home appliance, e.g. lighting, air conditioning system, metering devices home automation data switching networks exchanging configuration information on appliance services H04L12/2807
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41415 involving a public display, viewable by several users in a public space outside their home, e.g. movie theatre, information kiosk
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4181 for conditional access
• 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 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44204 : Monitoring of content usage, e.g. the number of times a movie has been viewed, copied or the amount which has been watched monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; protecting generic digital content where the protection is independent of the precise nature of the content G06F21/10; arrangements for monitoring the use made of the broadcast services in broadcast systems H04H60/31
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4623 : Processing of entitlement messages, e.g. ECM [Entitlement Control Message] or EMM [Entitlement Management Message] arrangements for conditional access to broadcast information or to broadcast-related services H04H60/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 : Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/913 : for scrambling ; for copy protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/165 : Centralised control of user terminal subsequent to an upstream request signal H04N7/17345; Registering at central by two-way working H04N7/17309
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/167 : Systems rendering the television signal unintelligible and subsequently intelligible
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/1675 : Providing digital key or authorisation information for generation or regeneration of the scrambling sequence pseudo-random number generators in general G06F7/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/31 : Projection devices for colour picture display , e.g. using electronic spatial light modulators [ESLM]

Abstract

An apparatus and method for decoding of encoded signals representing at least image information from a storage medium is claimed. A storage device is configured to receive the storage medium. A decoder is configured receive the compressed encrypted encoded signals from the storage medium, and send the signals to a decryptor. The decryptor is configured to decrypt the compressed encrypted encoded signals, and send the signals to a decompressor. The decompressor is configured to receive the compressed encoded signals from the decryptor and to decompress the compressed encoded signals to enable display of the image.

Claims

1. An apparatus in which encoded signals representing an image and conveyed thereto in compressed and encrypted form on a storage medium are processed to enable display of the image, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device configured to receive the storage medium; and

a decoder configured receive the compressed encrypted encoded signals from the storage medium, the decoder comprising;

a decryptor configured to decrypt the compressed encrypted encoded signals; and

a decompressor configured to receive the compressed encoded signals from the decryptor and to decompress the compressed encoded signals to enable display of the image.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the encoded signals further comprises encoded signals representing at least one audio program,

wherein the storage device is further configured to receive the storage medium, the storage medium further comprising encrypted compressed encoded audio signals representing at least one audio program;

wherein the decryptor is further configured to receive the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals from the storage medium and decrypt the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals; and

wherein the decompressor is further configured to receive the compressed encoded audio signals from the decryptor and decompress the compressed encoded audio signals to enable play of the at least one audio program.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the decoder is configured to decrypt and decompress the encoded image signals and audio program in a non-contiguous manner independent of each other.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the decompressor is configured to decompress the compressed encoded signals using an inverse adaptive block sized discrete cosine transform compression technique.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the decompressor is configured to decompress the compressed encoded audio program at a variable rate.

6. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the encoded image signals form at least one image program, and further comprising an identifier, wherein the decompressor links the identifier to one or more audio programs with at least one image program.

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the encoded image signals and the audio program is conveyed onto the storage medium as data packets, the decompressor further comprising a depacketizer configured to extract the encoded image signals and the audio program from the data packets.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the storage device is further configured to receive an apparatus specific key, wherein the decryptor is further configured to decrypt the compressed encrypted encoded signals under conditions determined by the apparatus specific key.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus specific key is stored on a key storage medium separate from the image or audio encoded signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the key storage medium is a smart card.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the key storage medium is a magnetic disk.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus specific key is transmitted.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising means for indicating a time interval over which the apparatus specific key is valid and for assuring that the apparatus specific key is only used during that interval.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus specific key is overwritten from the key storage medium after the time interval expires.

15. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the encoded signals further comprise at least one watermark, wherein the watermark is perceptually unnoticeable during presentation of decompressed image signals or the audio encoded program at a predefined normal rate of transfer, but is detectable when the decompressed image signals or audio encoded program is presented at a rate substantially different from the normal rate.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the watermark is configured to identify presentation time and location information associated with the encoded image signals or audio program after decompression.

17. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a theater manager, wherein the theater manager is configured to send control information to and receives status information from the storage device and the decoder.

18. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the apparatus is configured to establish a link, wherein the link is configured to send and receive information external from the apparatus.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the information comprises control and status information.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the information comprises updates to the encoded image signals and audio programs.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the link comprises a dedicated telephone data link.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the link comprises a dialup telephone data link.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the link comprises a packet type data link.

24. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the link comprises an Internet based link.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the link comprises a wireless data link.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the link comprises a satellite based data link.

27. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the storage medium comprises at least one optical storage medium.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the storage medium comprises multiple optical storage media, and wherein encoded image signals and the encoded audio program are stored non-sequentially on the multiple optical storage media.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the encoded audio program is stored on a separate optical storage medium than the encoded image signals.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising encoded signals representing promotional information, and wherein the encoded signals representing promotional information is stored on a separate optical storage medium than the encoded image signals and the encoded audio program.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the optical storage media comprises at least one DVD disk.

32. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the storage medium comprises at least one magnetic storage medium.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the storage medium comprises multiple magnetic storage media, and wherein the encoded image signals and encoded audio program are stored non-sequentially on the multiple magnetic storage media.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the encoded audio program is stored on a separate magnetic storage medium than the encoded image signals.

35. The apparatus of claim 32, further comprising encoded signals representing promotional information, wherein the encoded signals representing promotional information are stored on a separate magnetic storage medium than the encoded image signals or the encoded audio program.

36. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the magnetic storage medium comprises at least one removable hard drive.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the magnetic storage medium comprises at least one JBOD module, wherein the JBOD module comprises at least one storage component.

38. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a buffer to synchronize the playback of encoded image signals and audio programs.

39. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the storage device comprises means for using identifier information to link different preselected portions of encoded image signals or encoded audio program to different ones of the storage mediums.

40. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the storage device further comprises means for providing parallel striping information such that encoded image signals or the encoded audio program may be accessed at a desired data transfer rate and to provide error protection redundancy.

41. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least the storage device, the decryptor, and the decompressor are interconnected by at least one local area network interface.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the network interface comprises an Ethernet network.

43. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the encoded image signals are provided in the form of at least one image program, wherein the image program is in the form of either a single still frame or series of frames shown as motion pictures of varying length.

44. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the encoded image signals and audio programs stored on the storage medium are copied onto at least a second storage medium, such that multiple presentations of the encoded image signals and audio programs are facilitated.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein updates to the encoded image signals and audio programs are stored onto the at least one second storage medium.

46. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the at least one second storage medium is an internal hard drive.

47. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising means for archiving and maintaining a history of the playback of the encoded image signals and the encoded audio program.

48. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the encoded signals further comprise encoded signals representing a cue track, wherein the cue track indicates a specific portion of a program where information may be linked.

49. The apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a player, wherein the player is configured to distribute the encoded signals at preselected programmable offsets in time relative to each other.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the preselected programmable offsets are substantially zero such that the encoded image signals are processed to enable multiple displays of the image at substantially the same time.

51. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a projector configured to enable display of the image represented by the encoded signals.

52. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising an audio player configured to play the audio program in synchronization with display of the image.

96. The method of claim 52, further comprising the step of indicating a specific portion of the encoded signals or audio program where information may be linked.

53. A method in which encoded signals representing an image and conveyed thereto in compressed and encrypted form on a storage medium are processed to enable display of the image, the method comprising the steps of:

retrieving compressed encrypted encoded signals from the storage medium;

decrypting the compressed encrypted encoded signals to produce compressed encoded signals; and

decompressing the compressed encoded signals to enable display of the image.

54. The method of claim 53, wherein the encoded signals further comprise encoded signals representing at least one audio program, wherein:

the step of retrieving further comprises retrieving compressed encrypted encoded signals representing at least one audio program;

the step of decrypting further comprises decrypting the compressed encrypted encoded signals representing at least one audio program to produce compressed encoded signals representing at least one audio program; and

the step of decompressing further comprises decompressing the compressed encoded signals representing at least one audio program to enable display of the image.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the steps of decrypting and decompressing the encoded image signals and audio program occur in a non-contiguous manner independent of each other.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the step of decompressing uses an inverse adaptive block sized discrete cosine transform compression technique.

57. The method of claim 54, wherein the step of decompressing occurs at a variable rate.

58. The method of claim 54, further comprising the steps of:

grouping the encoded image signals to form at least one image program; and

linking one or more audio programs with the at least one image program.

59. The method of claim 54, wherein the encoded image signals and the audio program are stored on the storage medium as data packets, and wherein the step of decompressing further comprises the step of extracting the encoded image signals and the audio program from the data packets.

60. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of retrieving a specific key, and wherein the step of decrypting occurs under conditions determined by the specific key.

61. The method of claim 60, wherein the specific key is stored on a key storage medium separate from the image encoded signals or the audio program.

62. The method of claim 61, wherein the key storage medium comprises a smart card.

63. The method of claim 61, wherein the key storage medium comprises a magnetic storage medium.

64. The method of claim 61, wherein the key storage medium comprises an optical storage medium.

65. The method of claim 60, wherein the specific key is transmitted.

66. The method of claim 60, further comprising the step of indicating a time interval over which the specific key is valid and for assuring that the specific key is used only during that time interval.

67. The method of claim 66, further comprising the step of overwriting the specific key is from the key storage medium after the time interval expires.

68. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of providing at least one watermark, wherein the watermark is perceptually unnoticeable during presentation of decompressed image signals or the audio encoded program at a predefined normal rate of transfer, but is detectable when the decompressed image signals or audio encoded program is presented at a rate substantially different from the normal rate.

69. The method of claim 68, wherein the watermark identifies presentation time and location information associated with the decompressed image signals or the audio encoded program after the step of decompressing.

70. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of providing a theater manager, wherein the theater manager sends and receives status and control information regarding the steps of storing, decrypting and decompressing.

71. The method of claim 67, further comprising the step of establishing a link to send and receive information.

72. The method of claim 71, wherein the information comprises status and control information.

73. The method of claim 71, wherein the information comprises updates to the encoded image signals and audio programs.

74. The method of claim 71, wherein the link comprises a dedicated telephone data link.

75. The method of claim 71, wherein the link comprises a dialup telephone data link.

76. The method of claim 71, wherein the link comprises a packet type data link.

77. The method of claim 71, wherein the link comprises an Internet based link.

78. The method of claim 71, wherein the link comprises a wireless data link.

79. The method of claim 71, wherein the link comprises a satellite based data link.

80. The method of claim 54, wherein the storage medium comprises at least one magnetic storage medium.

81. The method of claim 80, wherein the storage medium comprises multiple magnetic storage media, and wherein encoded image signals and the encoded audio program are stored non-sequentially on the multiple magnetic storage media.

82. The method of claim 80, wherein the encoded audio program is stored on a separate magnetic storage medium than the encoded image signals.

83. The method of claim 80, further comprising retrieving encoded signals representing promotional information, and wherein the encoded signals representing promotional information is stored on a separate magnetic storage medium than the encoded image signals and the encoded audio program.

84. The method of claim 80, wherein the storage medium comprises at least one DVD disk.

85. The method of claim 80, wherein the storage medium comprises at least one removable hard drive.

86. The method of claim 80, wherein the storage medium comprises at least one JBOD module.

87. The method of claim 80, further comprising the step of buffering the encoded image signals and audio programs to synchronize the encoded image signals and audio programs during playback.

88. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of linking different preselected portions of encoded image signals or encoded audio programs to different ones of the storage mediums.

89. The method of claim 54, further comprising providing parallel striping information such that encoded image signals or the encoded audio program may be accessed at a desired data transfer rate and to provide error protection redundancy.

90. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of providing at least one local area network interface.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein the network interface comprises an Ethernet network.

92. The method of claim 90, wherein the encoded image signals are provided in the form of at least one image program, wherein the image program is in the form of either a single still frame or series of frames shown as motion pictures of varying length.

93. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step of copying the encoded image signals and audio programs onto at least one second storage medium such that multiple presentations of the encoded image signals and audio programs is facilitated.

94. The method of claim 93, further comprising the step of storing updates to the encoded image signals and audio programs onto the at least one second storage medium.

95. The method of claim 54, further comprising the steps of archiving and maintaining a history of the playback of the encoded image signals and the encoded audio programs.

97. The method of claim 54 further comprising the step of displaying the encoded signals representing an image.

98. The method of claim 54, further comprising the step distributing the encoded signals at preselected programmable offsets in time relative to each other.

99. The method of claim 98, wherein the preselected programmable offsets are substantially zero such that the encoded image signals are processed to enable multiple displays of the image at substantially the same time.

100. The method of claim 97, further comprising the step of playing the audio program in synchronization with display of the image.

101. An apparatus in which encoded signals representing an image and conveyed thereto in compressed and encrypted form on a storage medium are processed to enable display of the image, the apparatus comprising:

means to receive the storage medium; and

means to receive the compressed encrypted encoded signals from the storage medium;

means to decrypt the compressed encrypted encoded signals; and

means to receive the compressed encoded signals from the decryptor and to decompress the compressed encoded signals to enable display of the image.

102. The apparatus of claim 101, wherein the encoded signals further comprises encoded signals representing at least one audio program, further comprising:

means to receive encrypted compressed encoded audio signals representing at least one audio program;

means to decrypt the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals; and

means to decompress the compressed encoded audio signals to enable play of the at least one audio program.

103. The apparatus of claim 102, wherein the means to decompress the uses an inverse adaptive block sized discrete cosine transform compression technique.

104. The apparatus of claim 102, wherein the means for decompressing is configured to decompress the compressed encoded audio program at a variable rate.

105. The apparatus of claim 102, wherein the encoded image signals and the audio program is conveyed onto the storage medium as data packets, wherein the means for decompressing further comprises means for depacketizing the encoded image signals and the audio program from the data packets.

106. An apparatus in which encoded signals representing an image and conveyed thereto in compressed and encrypted form on a storage medium are processed to enable display of the image, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device configured to receive the storage medium; and

a decoder configured receive the compressed encrypted encoded signals from the storage medium, the decoder comprising;

a decryptor configured to decrypt the compressed encrypted encoded signals; and

a decompressor configured to receive the compressed encoded signals from the decryptor and to decompress the compressed encoded signals to enable display of the image, the decompressor inverse adaptive block sized discrete cosine transform compression technique.

107. The apparatus of claim 106, wherein the encoded signals further comprises encoded signals representing at least one audio program,

wherein the storage device is further configured to receive the storage medium, the storage medium further comprising encrypted compressed encoded audio signals representing at least one audio program;

wherein the decryptor is further configured to receive the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals from the storage medium and decrypt the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals; and

wherein the decompressor is further configured to receive the compressed encoded audio signals from the decryptor and decompress the compressed encoded audio signals to enable play of the at least one audio program.

108. An apparatus in which encoded signals representing an image and conveyed thereto in compressed and encrypted form on a storage medium are processed to enable display of the image, the apparatus comprising:

a storage device configured to receive the storage medium and configured to receive an apparatus specific key; and

a decoder configured receive the compressed encrypted encoded signals from the storage medium, the decoder comprising;

a decryptor configured to decrypt the compressed encrypted encoded signals under conditions determined by the apparatus specific key; and

a decompressor configured to receive the compressed encoded signals from the decryptor and to decompress the compressed encoded signals to enable display of the image.

109. The apparatus of claim 108, wherein the encoded signals further comprises encoded signals representing at least one audio program,

wherein the storage device is further configured to receive the storage medium, the storage medium further comprising encrypted compressed encoded audio signals representing at least one audio program;

wherein the decryptor is further configured to receive the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals from the storage medium and decrypt the encrypted compressed encoded audio signals; and

wherein the decompressor is further configured to receive the compressed encoded audio signals from the decryptor and decompress the compressed encoded audio signals to enable play of the at least one audio program.