METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE DATASTREAM INCLUDING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR REPRODUCING 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE, AND METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR RECEIVING THE 3-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE DATASTREAM

• US 20110023066A1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JANG, Moon-seok, KIM, Yong-tae, JOO, Seong-sin, LEE, Jae-jun, KIM, Jae-seung
• Granted Patent: US 9,392,256 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/128 Adjusting depth or disparity
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/133 Equalising the characteristics of different image components, e.g. their average brightness or colour balance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/144 for flicker reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/178 Metadata, e.g. disparity information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2362 Generation or processing of Service Information [SI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2389 Multiplex stream processing, e.g. multiplex stream encrypting
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73

Abstract

A method of generating a 3-dimensional (3D) image datastream is provided. The method includes generating an elementary stream including an encoded bit string of 3D image data; generating at least one packetized elementary stream by packetizing the elementary stream; generating at least one section including service related information of the 3D image data; inserting 3D image reproduction information for reproducing the 3D image data into a program guide information section from among the at least one section; generating at least one transport stream packet for each of the at least one section and the at least one packetized elementary stream; and generating a transport stream by multiplexing the at least one transport stream packet.

Claims

1. A method of generating a three-dimensional (3D) image datastream, the method comprising:

generating an elementary stream comprising an encoded bit string of 3D image data;

generating at least one packetized elementary stream by packetizing the elementary stream;

generating at least one section comprising service related information of the 3D image data;

inserting 3D image reproduction information for reproducing the 3D image data, into a program guide information section from among the at least one section;

generating at least one transport stream packet for each of the at least one section and the at least one packetized elementary stream; and

generating a transport stream by multiplexing the at least one transport stream packet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the inserting the 3D image reproduction information comprises:

generating at least one 3D image reproduction descriptor comprising the 3D image reproduction information; and

inserting the 3D image reproduction descriptor into a descriptor area of an event information table section from among the program guide information section.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the 3D image reproduction descriptor further comprises a 3D information start descriptor indicating that the 3D image datastream is included in a corresponding program.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the 3D image reproduction descriptor further comprises at least one of an interval 3D reproduction descriptor that indicates temporal intervals or spatial intervals that are reproduced in 3D from among entire image data, a 3D camera descriptor which describes cameras that obtained the 3D image, a low fatigue descriptor that lessens viewing awkwardness generated while reproducing the 3D image, and a right and left imbalance descriptor that indicates an imbalance state of a left view image and a right view image.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the 3D information start descriptor is elementary information for smoothly reproducing the 3D image data, and comprises 3D image format information, which indicates formats of a left view image and a right view image of the 3D image, right and left arrangement information, which indicates an arrangement order of the right view image and the left view image, and full resolution information, which indicates resolution of the left view image and the right view image forming the 3D image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the interval 3D reproduction descriptor, the 3D camera descriptor, the low fatigue descriptor, and the right and left imbalance descriptor from among the 3D image reproduction descriptor are additional information for smoothly reproducing the 3D image data, in addition to the elementary information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the right and left imbalance descriptor is expressed by one of an offset between a left view image pixel value and a right view image pixel value, a linear function between the left view image pixel value and the right view image pixel value, and a look-up table between the left view image pixel value and the right view image pixel value.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional information comprises an indicator indicating whether each piece of the additional information is defined.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting the transport stream.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing the transport stream.

24. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program;

which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute the method of claim 1.

11. A method of receiving a three-dimensional (3D) image datastream, the method comprising:

separating at least one transport stream packet by demultiplexing a received transport stream;

restoring at least one packetized elementary stream comprising 3D image data, and at least one section comprising service related information of the 3D image data, by depacketizing the at least one transport stream packet;

restoring an elementary stream by depacketizing the at least one packetized elementary stream;

extracting 3D image reproduction information for reproducing the 3D image data from a program guide information section from among the at least one section; and

restoring the 3D image data by decoding data of the elementary stream.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the extracting the 3D image reproduction information, a 3D image reproduction descriptor is extracted from a descriptor area of an event information table section from among the program guide information section.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, in the extracting the 3D image reproduction information, a 3D information start descriptor, which indicates a start of the 3D image reproduction descriptor, is extracted from the 3D image reproduction descriptor, and the 3D image reproduction descriptor is extracted based on the 3D information start descriptor.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the 3D image reproduction descriptor further comprises at least one of an interval 3D reproduction descriptor that indicates temporal intervals or spatial intervals that are reproduced in 3D from among entire image data, a 3D camera descriptor which describes cameras that obtained the 3D image, a low fatigue descriptor that lessens viewing awkwardness generated while reproducing the 3D image, and a right and left imbalance descriptor that indicates an imbalance state of a left view image and a right view image.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein 3D image format information, which indicates formats of a left view image and a right view image of the 3D image, right and left arrangement information, which indicates an arrangement order of the right view image and the left view image, and full resolution information, which indicates resolution of the left view image and the right view image forming the 3D image, are extracted from the 3D image reproduction descriptor as elementary information for smoothly reproducing the 3D image data.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the interval 3D reproduction descriptor, the 3D camera descriptor which describes cameras that obtained the 3D image, the low fatigue descriptor, and the right and left imbalance descriptor, are extracted from the 3D image reproduction descriptor as additional information for smoothly reproducing the 3D image data, in addition to the elementary information.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the right and left imbalance descriptor uses one of an offset between a left view image pixel value and a right view image pixel value, a linear function between the left view image pixel value and the right view image pixel value, and a look-up table between the left view image pixel value and the right view image pixel value.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the additional information includes an indicator which indicates whether each piece of the additional information is defined.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising reproducing the restored 3D image data by using the 3D image reproduction information.

25. A computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program;

which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to execute the method of claim 11.

20. An apparatus for generating a three-dimensional (3D) image datastream, the apparatus comprising:

an elementary stream generator which generates an elementary stream comprising an encoded bit string of 3D image data;

a packetized elementary stream generator which generates at least one packetized elementary stream by packetizing the elementary stream;

a section generator which generates at least one section comprising service related information of the 3D image data;

a 3D image reproduction information inserter which inserts 3D image reproduction information for reproducing the 3D image data into a program guide information section from among the at least one section;

a transport stream packet generator which generates at least one transport stream packet for each of the at least one section and the at least one packetized elementary stream; and

a transport stream generator which generates a transport stream by multiplexing the at least one transport stream packet.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a transport stream transmitter which transmits the transport stream.

22. An apparatus for receiving a three-dimensional (3D) image datastream, the apparatus comprising:

a transport stream demultiplexer which separates at least one transport packet by demultiplexing a received transport stream;

a transport stream packet depacketizer which restores at least one packetized elementary stream comprising 3D image data, and at least one section comprising service related information of the 3D image data, by depacketizing the at least one transport stream packet;

a packetized elementary stream depacketizer which restores an elementary stream by depacketizing the at least one packetized elementary stream;

a 3D image reproduction information extractor which extracts 3D image reproduction information for reproducing the 3D image data, from a program guide information section from among the at least one section; and

a 3D image restorer which restores the 3D image data by decoding data of the elementary stream.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a 3D image reproducer which reproduces the restored 3D image data by using the 3D image reproduction information.