Contents Generator and Method

• US 20080270799A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Akihiro, Terada, Yoshihisa, Kagemoto, Hideki, Yamaguchi, Koichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/178
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/18 Arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23617 by inserting additional data into a data carousel, e.g. inserting software modules into a DVB carousel arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/242 Synchronization processes, e.g. processing of PCR [Program Clock References] arrangements for synchronising broadcast or distribution via plural systems in broadcast distribution systems H04H20/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 involving data reduction

Abstract

Time stamped streams respectively generated by an AV stream generating means and data stream generating means are combined by a time-stamped contents generating means. Consequently, a time-stamped contents stream is generated which synchronizes the processing of an AV stream and multimedia data.

Claims

1. A contents generator for generating a time-stamped AV stream from an AV stream which is a packet stream including packetized video and/or audio data, the contents generator comprising:

a packetizing unit for packetizing at least one multimedia data file;

a time-stamp generating unit for generating a time stamp indicating the presentation timing of each packet which has been packetized by the packetizing unit based on the multimedia data file transmission time, data transmission bit rate, and the AV stream time stamp and/or based on the multimedia data file transmission clock and AV stream time stamp;

a multimedia data stream generating unit for generating a time-stamped multimedia data stream sharing the time base of the time-stamped AV stream by providing a time stamp generated by the time-stamp generating unit to each packet corresponding to that time stamp; and

a time-stamped content stream generating unit for generating a time-stamped content stream by combining the time-stamped AV stream and the time-stamped multimedia data stream based on the time stamps of the time-stamped AV stream and the time-stamped multimedia data stream.

2. The contents generator of claim 1, wherein the multimedia data stream generating unit receives transmission sequence settings of the multimedia data files when there are a plurality of multimedia data files.

3. The contents generator of claim 1, wherein the multimedia data stream generating unit determines the transmission sequence of multimedia data files when there are a plurality of multimedia data files for which a transmission time has been specified, and determines whether or not the time indicated by the packet time stamp generated from each multimedia data file is within the transmission time of that multimedia data file when a time-stamped multimedia data stream has been generated in that transmission sequence.

4. The contents generator of claim 1, wherein clock information indicating the presentation timing of packets is recorded for a plurality of packets among all packets of the AV data stream, and the AV stream time stamp is generated based on the clock information;

and

wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit compares the time-stamp value provided for the packet P1n of the time-stamped AV stream and the time-stamp value provided for the packet P2m of the time-stamped multimedia data stream, and, when both values are equal, changes the clock information and the time-stamp value T1n of the packet P1n of the time-stamped AV stream.

5. The contents generator of claim 4, wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit changes the clock information and the time-stamp value T1n of the packet P1n of the time-stamped AV stream only relative to the same time base of the content stream.

6. The contents generator of claim 4, wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit extracts the time-stamp values Ta and Tb of the packet Pa directly before and the packet Pb directly after the packet Pn of the time-stamped AV stream, and changes the time-stamp value Tn of the packet Pn based on the time-stamp values Ta and Tb.

7. The contents generator of claim 6, wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit changes the time-stamp value Tn of the packet Pn so as to reduce the difference between the difference Δ

Ta (Δ

Ta=Tn−

Ta) between the time-stamp values of the packets Pa and Pn of the time-stamped AV stream and the difference Δ

Tb (Δ

Tb=Tb−

Tn) of the time-stamp values of the packets Pn and Pb.

8. The contents generator of claim 4, wherein the AV stream conforms to the MPEG2 standard, and the clock information is a PCR (program clock reference).

9. The contents generator of claim 1, wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit compares the time-stamp value provided for the packet Pn of the time-stamped AV stream and the time-stamp value provided for the packet Pm of the time-stamped multimedia data stream, and, when both values are equal, changes the clock information and the time-stamp value Tm of the packet Pm of the time-stamped multimedia data stream.

10. The contents generator of claim 9, wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit extracts the time-stamp values Tc and Td of the packet Pc directly before and the pact Pd directly after the packet Pm of the time-stamped multimedia data stream, and changes the time-stamp value Tm of the packet Pm based on the time-stamp values Tc and Td.

11. The contents generator of claim 10, wherein the time-stamped content stream generating unit changes the time-stamp value Tm of the packet Pm so as to reduce the difference between the difference Δ

Tc (Δ

Tc=Tm−

Tc) of the time-stamp values of the packets Pa and Pm of the time-stamped multimedia data stream and the difference Δ

Td (Δ

Td=Td−

Tm) of the time-stamp values of the packets Pn and Pd.

12. The contents generator of claim 1, wherein the multimedia data files include a data module which specifies a transmission time, and an event message which specifies a transmission clock;

and

wherein, when the data module and event message are allocated the same transmission identifier, the multimedia data stream generating unit streams the data module in section units of predetermined length which form one or more packets, and, when the transmission clock of the event message is included in the transmission time of any section, changes the time stamp of the event message or the time stamp of all packets of the section such that the transmission clock of the event message is then outside the transmission time of that section.

13. A content generating method for generating a time-stamped AV stream from an AV stream which is a packet stream of packetized video and/or audio data, the content generating method comprising the steps of:

(a) packetizing at least one multimedia data file;

(b) generating a time stamp indicating the presentation timing of each packet which has been packetized in step (a) based on the multimedia data file transmission time, data transmission bit rate, and the AV stream time stamp and/or based on the multimedia data file transmission clock and AV stream time stamp;

generating a time-stamped multimedia data stream sharing time base of the time-stamped AV stream by providing a time stamp generated in step (b) for each packet corresponding to the time stamp; and

generating a time-stamped content stream by combining the time-stamped AV stream and the time-stamped multimedia data stream based on the time stamps of the time-stamped AV stream and the time-stamped multimedia data stream.