VIDEO OUTPUT DEVICE AND VIDEO DISPLAY SYSTEM

• US 20110285905A1
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Published: 11/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Muikaichi, Masahiro, Kuroda, Toyoharu
• Granted Patent: US 8,687,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/464
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/158 Switching image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/183 On-screen display [OSD] information, e.g. subtitles or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/354 for displaying sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2013/405 the images being stereoscopic or three dimensional

Abstract

To aim to provide a video output device that is capable of output a plurality of video streams with use of shutter glasses, and is capable of dynamically switching between different videos such that in the case where a plurality of viewers are viewing a video output by the video output device, only a viewer who is operating a remote control can view a video stream different from a video stream other viewers are viewing. Operation signals each instructing to start or terminate an operation mode are received. In an operation mode, time-sharing output of a first video stream and a second video stream is performed, and synchronizing signals each in synchronization with a time-sharing timing are transmitted. In a normal mode, images that are each generated based on any of images constituting the first video stream are output, and images constituting the second video stream are not output.

Claims

1. A video output device that performs time-sharing output of a plurality of video streams, the video output device comprising:

an operation signal reception unit operable to receive operation signals each instructing to start or terminate a predetermined operation;

a video output unit operable,

(i) in an operation mode, to alternately output first image sets each composed of two or more of first images constituting a first video stream and second image sets each composed of two or more of second images constituting a second video stream, the operation mode starting with reception of an operation signal instructing to start the predetermined operation and ending with reception of an operation signal instructing to terminate the predetermined operation, and

(ii) in a normal mode that is other than the operation mode, to output images each generated based on any of the first images, without outputting the second images; and

a synchronizing signal transmission unit operable, in the operation mode, to transmit a synchronizing signal indicating a timing of switching output intervals between the first image sets and the second image sets.

2. The video output device of claim 1, wherein

the second images are each generated by overlaying, on one of the first images that is output immediately before the second image is to be output, an image that is not included in the first images.

3. The video output device of claim 2, wherein

the images output in the normal mode include complementary images that are each generated based on any of the first images, and

at a time when each of the complementary images is output in the normal mode, a different one of the second images is output in the operation mode.

4. The video output device of claim 2, wherein

at a time when each of the second images is output in the operation mode, a different predetermined one of the first images is output in the normal mode.

5. The video output device of claim 1, wherein

the second images are each generated by overlaying, on an image that is other than one of the first images that is output immediately before the second image is to be output, the output first image whose size is reduced.

6. A video display system that includes a video display device that performs time-sharing display of a plurality of video streams and shutter glasses for use in viewing a video displayed by the video display device, the video display device comprising:

an operation signal reception unit operable to receive operation signals each instructing to start or terminate a predetermined operation;

a video output unit operable,

(i) in an operation mode, to alternately output first image sets each composed of two or more of first images constituting a first video stream and second image sets each composed of two or more of second images constituting a second video stream, the operation mode starting with reception of an operation signal instructing to start the predetermined operation and ending with reception of an operation signal instructing to terminate the predetermined operation, and

(ii) in a normal mode that is other than the operation mode, to output images each generated based on any of the first images, without outputting the second images; and

a synchronizing signal transmission unit operable, in the operation mode, to transmit a synchronizing signal indicating a timing of switching output intervals between the first image sets and the second image sets; and

a video display unit operable to display the video output by the video output unit, and

the shutter glasses comprising;

a selection unit operable to select viewing of the first video stream or viewing of the second video stream in the operation mode;

a synchronizing signal reception unit operable to receive the synchronizing signal; and

a shutter control unit operable to perform shutter control in the operation mode based on the synchronizing signal, such that (i) when viewing of the first video stream is selected, shutters are opened in an output interval of the first image set and the shutters are closed in an output interval of the second image set, and (ii) when viewing of the second video stream is selected, the shutters are closed in the output interval of the first image set and the shutters are opened in the output interval of the second image set.

7. The video display system of claim 6, wherein

the shutter glasses include

a detection unit operable to detect whether a viewer wearing the shutter glasses is holding an operation device for instructing to start and terminate the predetermined operation, and

when the detection unit detects that the viewer is holding the operation device, the selection unit selects viewing of the second video stream, and

when the detection unit detects that the viewer is not holding the operation device, the selection unit selects viewing of the first video stream.