Random access audio/video processor with multiple outputs
First Claim
1. An apparatus for storing and retrieving video data comprising:
- video receiving means for receiving video signals and formatting said video signals into digital video data;
video processing means coupled to said video receiving means for receiving said digital video data, said video processing means including;
compression means for selectively compressing said video data;
buffer means coupled to said compression means for temporarily storing said compressed video data, said buffer means comprising a first triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer;
decompression means coupled to said compression means and said buffer means for decompressing said video data stored in said buffer means said video data provided to a first output channel;
memory control means coupled to said buffer means over a bus for storing and retrieving said video data on a storage device coupled to said memory control means over said bus;
user control means coupled to said memory control means for providing instructions to said memory control means for storing and retrieving video data from said storage device.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A random access audio/video processor having multiple outputs is disclosed. The random access audio/video processor includes a main control unit having an analog video back panel, an analog audio back panel, an analog input/output (I/O) board. An audio processing board, a video processing board, a video effects board, a syncronization board, and a system board (containing the main CPU). The video processing board includes a compressor for compressing input video signals, and a triple transfer buffer, for intermediate storage of digital video path. The video processing board further includes decompression circuits coupled to each of two triple transfer buffers for decompressing compressed stored video, and providing the decompressed video channels to an effects board for the addition of special effects. The audio processing board contains four digital signal processors for audio compression, decompression, and effects processor. It also contains triple transfer buffers for intermediate storage of digital audio data. The system board contains the main CPU, DMA controllers and SCSI interfaces required to perform high speed audio-video data transfers to/from disk. The triple transfer buffers of the present invention include a present buffer, a past buffer and a future buffer, the purpose of which is to ensure that there is sufficient video and audio material in the present buffers to minimize any discontinuities in either the audio or the video channel outputs. The invention provides an E to C mode to allow the user to view video which has been compressed and decompressed to verify that no unwanted system artifacts exist or are being created by the compression process. The viewing of the compressed and decompressed material is done in real-time while the material is being compressed and stored. Under software control, a user may bypass the compression circuit and capture uncompressed still frames directly in the triple transfer buffer, and store the uncompressed still frames, thereby permitting the independent display of still and motion video in each respective output channel.
148 Citations
84 Claims
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1. An apparatus for storing and retrieving video data comprising:
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video receiving means for receiving video signals and formatting said video signals into digital video data; video processing means coupled to said video receiving means for receiving said digital video data, said video processing means including; compression means for selectively compressing said video data; buffer means coupled to said compression means for temporarily storing said compressed video data, said buffer means comprising a first triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer; decompression means coupled to said compression means and said buffer means for decompressing said video data stored in said buffer means said video data provided to a first output channel; memory control means coupled to said buffer means over a bus for storing and retrieving said video data on a storage device coupled to said memory control means over said bus; user control means coupled to said memory control means for providing instructions to said memory control means for storing and retrieving video data from said storage device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An apparatus for storing and retrieving audio data comprising:
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audio receiving means for receiving audio signals and formatting said audio signals into digital audio data; audio processing means coupled to said audio receiving means for receiving said digital audio data, said audio processing means including; digital signal processing (DSP) means coupled to receive said digital audio data; triple transfer buffer means coupled to said DSP means for temporarily storing said audio data, said triple transfer buffer means comprising a first triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer; memory control means coupled to said buffer means over a bus for storing and retrieving said digital audio data on a storage device coupled to said memory control means over said bus; user control means coupled to said memory control means for providing instructions to said memory control means for storing and retrieving said digital audio data from said storage device. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. In an apparatus for storing and retrieving video data, a method for storing and retrieving said video data comprising the steps of:
receiving video signals and formatting said video signals into digital video data; receiving said digital video data using video processing means, said video processing means; selectively compressing said video data using compression means; temporarily storing said compressed video data in buffer means coupled to said compression means, said buffer means comprising a first triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer; decompressing said video data stored in said buffer means using decompression means coupled to said compression means and said buffer means, said video data provided to a first output channel; storing and retrieving said video data on a storage device using memory control means coupled to said buffer means over a bus; providing instructions to said memory control means using user control means coupled to said memory control means for storing and retrieving video data from said storage device. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)
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69. In an apparatus for storing and retrieving audio data, a method for storing and retrieving said audio data compressing the steps of:
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receiving audio signals using audio receiving means and formatting said audio signals into digital audio data; receiving said digital audio data using audio processing means coupled to said audio receiving means, wherein said audio processing means; receives said digital audio data using digital signal processing (DSP) means; temporarily stores said audio data using triple transfer buffer means coupled to said DSP means, said triple transfer buffer means comprising a first triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer; stores and retrieves said digital audio data on a storage device coupled to said memory control means over said bus using memory control means coupled to said buffer means; provides instructions to said memory control means for storing and retrieving said digital audio data from said storage device using user control means coupled to said memory control means. - View Dependent Claims (70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83)
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84. An apparatus for storing and retrieving audio and video data comprising:
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video receiving means for receiving video signal and formatting said video signals into digital video data; audio receiving means for receiving audio signals and formatting said audio signals into digital audio signals; video processing means coupled to said video receiving means for receiving said digital video data, said video processing means including; compression means for selectively compressing said video data; first buffer means coupled to said compression means for temporarily storing said compressed video data, said first buffer means comprising a first triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer; decompression means coupled to said compression means and said first buffer means for decompressing said video data stored in said first buffer means said video data provided to a first output channel; first memory controls means coupled to said buffer means over a first bus for storing and retrieving said video data on a storage device coupled to said first memory control means over said first bus; first user control means coupled to said memory control means for providing instructions to said first memory control means for storing and retrieving video data from said storage device; audio processing means coupled to said audio receiving means for receiving said digital auto data, said audio processing, means including; digital signal processing (DSP) means coupled to receive said digital audio data; second buffer means coupled to said DSP means for temporarily storing said audio data, said second buffer means comprising a second triple transfer buffer including a present buffer, a future buffer and a past buffer; second memory control means coupled to said second buffer means over a second bus for storing and retrieving said digital audio data on said mass storage device coupled to said second memory control means over said second bus; second user control means coupled to said second memory control means for providing instructions to said second memory control means for storing and retrieving said digital audio data from said storage device.
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Specification