Video compression/expansion system
First Claim
1. A system for the transmission of broad band information over a narrow band transmission medium comprising a sending station and a receiving station, wherein each of the sending and receiving stations comprises means for compressing broad band information in a low resolution phase of at least one cycle;
- means for generating error codes for the compressed broad band information in a high resolution phase;
means for transmitting the compressed broad band information and the error codes over the narrow band transmission medium;
means for receiving compressed broad band information and error codes from the narrow band transmission medium;
means for expanding the received compressed broad band information;
means for updating the compressed and subsequently expanded broad band information in response to the received error codes; and
means for display the compressed and subsequently expanded broad band information and the updated broad band information.
8 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved apparatus for rapidly compressing, expanding, and displaying broad band information which is transmitted over a narrow band communications channel. In the preferred embodiment, a video image is cyclically assembled in low resolution and high resolution phases from digitized data representing gray level intensity for individual pixels which have been grouped into pixel. During the initial cycle of the low resolution phase, a representative sample of cell intensity values is transmitted by a sending station to a receiving station according to a video compression routine. The receiving station then uses a video expansion routine to calculate an intensity value for those pixels whose intensity values were not transmitted and displays an initial image. This image is refined during subsequent low-resolution cycles by additional transmissions from the sending station which replace the calculated cell intensity values with an actual or better approximation value for that pixel. During the high resolution phase, an error determination routine or external input from a viewer selects those pixels containing the greatest deviation in intensity levels from the input video image. The error compression and expansion routines substitute a plurality of individual pixel intensity values for previously calculated intensity values. The present invention also discloses an apparatus for allowing color capable stations to send or receive color transmissions while retaining the capability to interact with noncolor stations. Color data is compressed and interleaved with black and white data by a color capable sending station and subsequently separated and expanded by a color capable receiving station.
-
Citations
64 Claims
-
1. A system for the transmission of broad band information over a narrow band transmission medium comprising a sending station and a receiving station, wherein each of the sending and receiving stations comprises means for compressing broad band information in a low resolution phase of at least one cycle;
- means for generating error codes for the compressed broad band information in a high resolution phase;
means for transmitting the compressed broad band information and the error codes over the narrow band transmission medium;
means for receiving compressed broad band information and error codes from the narrow band transmission medium;
means for expanding the received compressed broad band information;
means for updating the compressed and subsequently expanded broad band information in response to the received error codes; and
means for display the compressed and subsequently expanded broad band information and the updated broad band information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
- means for generating error codes for the compressed broad band information in a high resolution phase;
- 11. A method for transmitting broad band information comprising a low resolution phase of at least one cycle and a high resolution phase where error codes derived during the low resolution phase are transmitted to increase the resolution.
-
39. A method for transmitting broad band information over a narrow band transmission medium, comprising the steps of:
-
digitizing the broad band information into a plurality of digital words, wherein each digital word consists of a predetermined number of digital bits of information; dividing the digitized broad band information into a plurality of cells, wherein each cell consists of a predetermined number of digital words; deriving a reference cell value for each cell, wherein each reference cell value is derived from the digital words within that cell; generating a low resolution representation of the broad band information, comprising the steps of; transmitting a set of reference cell values over the narrow band transmission medium, wherein the set of reference cell values comprises the reference cell values from each of a preselected set of cells; receiving the set of reference cell values from the narrow band transmission medium; expanding the received set of reference cell values to obtain a set of approximated digital words, wherein the set of approximated digital words consists of approximated digital words for all digital words for all cells; display information derived from the set of approximated digital words, whereby a low resolution representation of the broad band information is obtained. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
-
52. An apparatus for transmitting broad band information over a narrow band transmission medium, comprising:
-
means for digitizing the broad band information into a plurality of digital words, wherein each digital word consists of a predetermined number of digital bits of information; means for dividing the digitized broad band information into a plurality of cells, wherein each cell consists of a predetermined number of the digital words; means for deriving a reference cell value for each cell, wherein each reference cell value is derived from the digital words within that cell; means for generating a low resolution representation of the broad band information, comprising; means at one station for transmitting a set of reference cell values over the narrow band transmission medium, wherein the set of reference cell values comprises the reference cell values from each of a preselected set of cells; means at another station for receiving the set of reference cell values from the narrow band transmission medium; means for expanding the received set of reference cell values to obtain a set of approximated digital words, wherein the set of approximated digital words consists of approximated digital words for all digital words for all cells; means for displaying information derived from the set of approximated digital words, whereby a low resolution representation of the broad band information is obtained. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64)
-
Specification