SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF AUDIO AND VIDEO SIGNALS

• US 20070276670A1
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Published: 11/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Pearlstein, Larry
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,161 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4341 Demultiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer

Abstract

Methods of processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion are described. One example includes detecting a video synchronization event in the video portion and, in response to the detecting, embedding a marker relating to the video synchronization event into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion. The serial data stream includes a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

Claims

1. A method of processing an audiovisual signal that has (A) a video portion including a series of video synchronization references and (B) an audio portion, said method comprising:

detecting a video synchronization event within the series of video synchronization references;

detecting an audio synchronization event in the audio portion; and

according to a time relation between the video and audio synchronization events, performing one among advancing and delaying one of the video and audio portions with respect to the other of the video and audio portions,

wherein each video synchronization reference in the series includes a first region and a second region, and

wherein, from the first to the last of the series of video synchronization references over time, a spatial frequency of the first region increases and a spatial frequency of the second region decreases, and

wherein the video synchronization event is a coincidence of the spatial frequency of the first region and the spatial frequency of the second region.

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21. A method of processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said method comprising:

detecting a video synchronization event in the video portion;

receiving, from an external decoder, a monitor signal based on a decoded version of the audio portion;

detecting an audio synchronization event in the monitor signal; and

according to a time relation between the video and audio synchronization events, performing one among advancing and delaying the video portion with respect to the audio portion.

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31. A method of processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said method comprising:

detecting a video synchronization event in the video portion; and

in response to said detecting, embedding a marker relating to the video synchronization event into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion,

wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

32. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 31, wherein said marker indicates a time of said video synchronization event relative to a reference time.

33. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 31, wherein said embedding comprises inserting the marker into the auxiliary data field of at least one of the packets.

34. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 33, wherein the synchronization sequence of each of the packets occurs in the first four time slots of the packet, and wherein the auxiliary data field of each of the packets occurs in the second four time slots of the packet.

35. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 33, wherein said method comprises embedding, into the at least one packet, a tag that indicates the presence of the marker in the packet and is separate from the marker.

36. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 31, wherein said detecting a video synchronization event in the video portion comprises performing, on at least one scan line of each of a plurality of frames of the video portion, at least one among a Fourier transform and a correlation with a code sequence.

37. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 31, wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of blocks, each of the series of blocks having one hundred ninety-two frames, and

wherein each of the one hundred ninety-two frames of each of the series of blocks has two of the series of packets.

38. A method of processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said method comprising:

performing a video processing operation on the video portion; and

embedding, into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion, a marker relating to the video processing operation,

wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

39. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 38, wherein said performing a video processing operation comprises performing at least one among a scaling operation, a de-interlacing operation, and a noise reduction operation on the video portion.

40. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 38, wherein the marker relates to a delay of the video processing operation and indicates one among (A) a number of video frames and (B) a number of audio samples.

41. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 38, wherein the marker relates to a delay of the video processing operation and wherein said performing a video processing operation on the video portion includes delaying the video portion by a period of at least one video frame.

42. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 38, wherein said embedding comprises inserting the marker into the auxiliary data field of at least one of the packets.

43. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 42, wherein the synchronization sequence of each of the packets occurs in the first four time slots of the packet, and wherein the auxiliary data field of each of the packets occurs in the second four time slots of the packet.

44. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 42, wherein said method comprises embedding, into the at least one packet, a tag that indicates the presence of the marker in the packet and is separate from the marker.

45. The method of processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 38, wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of blocks, each of the series of blocks having one hundred ninety-two frames, and wherein each of the one hundred ninety-two frames of each of the series of blocks has two of the series of packets.

46. An apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said apparatus comprising:

a video synchronization event detector configured to detect a video synchronization event in the video portion; and

a timing information embedder configured to embed a marker relating to the detected video synchronization event into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion,

wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

47. The apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 46, wherein said apparatus comprises an integrated circuit including said video synchronization event detector and said timing information embedder.

48. The apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 46, wherein said apparatus comprises a display panel configured to display a video signal based on the video portion.

49. An apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said apparatus comprising:

a video processor configured to perform a video processing operation on the video portion; and

a timing information embedder configured to embed, into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion, a marker relating to the video processing operation,

wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

50. The apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 49, wherein said video processing operation comprises at least one among a scaling operation, a de-interlacing operation, and a noise reduction operation.

51. The apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 49, wherein said apparatus comprises an integrated circuit including said video processor and said timing information embedder.

52. The apparatus for processing an audiovisual signal according to claim 49, wherein said apparatus comprises a display panel configured to display a video signal based on the processed video portion.

53. A computer program product for processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said product comprising a computer-readable medium, said medium comprising:

code for causing at least one computer to detect a video synchronization event in the video portion; and

code for causing at least one computer to embed, in response to said detecting, a marker relating to said video synchronization event into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion,

wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

54. A computer program product for processing an audiovisual signal that has a video portion and an audio portion, said product comprising a computer-readable medium, said medium comprising:

code for causing at least one computer to perform a video processing operation on the video portion; and

code for causing at least one computer to embed, into a serial data stream carrying the audio portion, a marker relating to the video processing operation,

wherein the serial data stream comprises a series of packets, each packet having (A) a preamble that includes a synchronization sequence, (B) an auxiliary data field, and (C) a main data field.

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