METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACHIEVING SELECTED AUDIO/VIDEO AND OTHER FUNCTIONS

• US 20090322953A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Universal Secure Registry LLC
• Original Assignee: Universal Secure Registry LLC
• Inventors: Weiss, Kenneth P.
• Application Number:
  US12/484,777
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322953A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/660
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/16 Arrangements for broadcast or for distribution of identical information repeatedly
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/18 Arrangements characterised by circuits or components specially adapted for receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/12 wherein another information is substituted for the portion of broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for reproducing an audio, video or data signal. The signal may be a digital input with each segment of the signal being broadcast at least two times, which broadcast transmissions are at time spaced intervals. The time spaced transmissions are stored in at least one RAM, and the multiple transmissions are processed to obtain an enhanced output for each segment, which is applied to a receiver for reproduction. For example, the multiple transmissions for each segment may be compared, and the best transmission for the segment selected as the enhanced output for the segment.

Claims

1. A digital video receiver including:

an input for receiving digital video signals;

a RAM adapted to receive the digital video signals from the input and to store the digital video signals;

a controller operable to read the digital video signals from RAM, to process the digital video inputs stored in said RAM to provide an enhanced form of the digital video signals to said digital video receiver;

wherein each digital video signal comprises at least a first segment and a second segment, the first segment of each digital video signal being transmitted during at least two time-spaced intervals and the second segment of each digital video signal being transmitted during at least two time-spaced intervals, said time-spaced transmissions being received at said input and stored in said RAM; and

wherein said controller reads out the stored transmissions and processes the stored transmissions to obtain the enhanced video input for applying to said digital video receiver.

2. The digital video receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein said controller is adapted to compare said time-spaced transmissions and select a best transmission for each video input segment as the enhanced video input applied to said digital video receiver for the segment.

3. The digital video receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein said time-spaced transmissions include multiple versions of a same digital signal.

4. The digital video receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital video signals are digital audio-video signals.

5. The digital video receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital video signals are transmitted by a terrestrial television broadcast system.

6. The digital video receiver as claimed in claim 1, wherein the digital video signals are transmitted by a satellite television system.

7. A method for providing a digital video signal including:

digitally transmitting a segment of the digital video signal at least two times, which broadcast transmissions of the segment are at time-spaced intervals;

storing said time-spaced transmissions;

processing the stored transmissions to obtain an enhanced video for the segment; and

applying the enhanced video to a digital video receiver.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said processing step includes comparing said multiple transmissions for each segment, and selecting the best transmission for the segment as the enhanced video for the segment.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein transmitting the segment of the digital video signal at least two times includes transmitting at least two versions of the segment of the digital video signal.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein digitally transmitting the segment of the digital video signal includes digitally transmitting the segment from a terrestrial television broadcast system.

11. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein digitally transmitting the segment of the digital video signal includes digitally transmitting the segment from a satellite television broadcast system.

12. A method for providing enhanced digital audio-video, including:

digitally transmitting every segment of a digital audio-video signal at least twice, at time-spaced intervals, to provide time-spaced digital transmissions;

storing said time-spaced digital transmissions to provide stored time-spaced digital transmissions;

processing the stored time-spaced digital transmissions by at least removing any gaps from the stored time-spaced digital transmissions to obtain an enhanced output for each segment; and

applying the enhanced output to an audio/video receiver for utilization.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said processing step further includes comparing said multiple time-spaced digital transmissions for each segment, and selecting the best transmission for the segment as the enhanced output for the segment.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein digitally transmitting every segment of the digital audio-video signal at least twice includes digitally transmitting multiple versions of every segment of the digital audio-video signal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein digitally transmitting every segment of the digital audio-video signal includes digitally transmitting the digital audio-video signal from a terrestrial television broadcast system.

16. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein digitally transmitting every segment of the digital audio-video signal includes digitally transmitting the digital audio-video signal from a satellite television broadcast system.

17. An apparatus for providing an enhanced audio-video signal, comprising:

a digital audio-video receiver configured to receive at least two time-spaced versions of a digital audio-video signal;

a RAM coupled to the digital audio-video receiver and adapted to store the at least two time-spaced versions of the digital audio-video signal;

a controller adapted to process the at least two time-spaced versions of the digital audio-video signal by at least removing any gaps from the at least two time-spaced versions of the digital audio-video transmission to obtain the enhanced output signal.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the at least two time-spaced versions of the digital audio-video signal includes multiple versions of the digital audio-video signal.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the digital audio-video receiver is a digital television.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the controller is further adapted to compare the at least two time-spaced versions of the digital audio-video signal and select a first one of the time-spaced versions having better signal characteristics than a second one of the time-spaced versions.

21. A system for reception and playback of a digital video signal, comprising:

a video receiver that is adapted to receive at least two time-spaced digital transmissions of a same digital video signal;

a RAM coupled to the receiver and adapted to store the at least two time-spaced digital transmissions; and

a controller, coupled to the RAM and to the receiver, that is adapted to read out the stored at least two time-spaced digital transmissions from the RAM and to process the received at least two time-spaced digital transmissions by at least removing any gaps from the at least two time-spaced digital transmissions to provide the digital video signal having enhanced video properties, and to apply the digital video signal having enhanced properties for playback by the video receiver.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the video receiver is a satellite video receiver.

23. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the video receiver is a terrestrial broadcast television receiver.