MPEG compatible decoder including a dual stage data reduction network

• US 5,818,530 A
• Filed: 06/19/1996
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Consumer Electronics Incorporated (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Canfield, Barth Alan, Beyers, Billy Wesley Jr., Lam, Wai-Man
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Tommy P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US08/666,773
• Time in Patent Office: 839 Days
• Field of Search: 348/443, 348/445, 348/448, 348/458, 348/394, 348/400, 348/408, 348/424, 348/231, 386/27, 386/111-112, 386/109, 386/131
• US Class Current: 348/400.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/60 Memory management
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/105 Selection of the reference unit for prediction within a chosen coding or prediction mode, e.g. adaptive choice of position and number of pixels used for prediction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/136 Incoming video signal characteristics or properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/182 the unit being a pixel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/423 characterised by memory arrangements H04N19/433 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/428 Recompression, e.g. by spatial or temporal decimation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/59 involving spatial sub-sampling or interpolation, e.g. alteration of picture size or resolution
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/46 for receiving on more than one standard at will deflecting circuits of multi-standard receivers H04N3/27

Abstract

A television receiver with an MPEG decoder is configurable for full high definition decoding and display, or reduced cost lower definition display. The MPEG decoder (10-33) uses a controllable dual-mode data reduction network selectively employing horizontal detail reduction (29) and data re-compression (30) between the decoder and the decoder frame memory (20) from which image information to be displayed (27) is derived. The amount of data reduction is manufacturer selected in accordance with the resolution of the display device, e.g., equal to or less than high definition resolution. The frame memory size is also manufacturer selected in accordance with the resolution of the display device.

Claims

1. In a system for processing image representative information, an MPEG compatible decoder comprising:

means for decompressing an input datastream containing MPEG coded information to produce decompressed information;

means for data-reducing said decompressed information to produce data-reduced information, said data reducing means including data recompression means and data decimation means;

memory means for storing said data-reduced information;

output means for processing information stored by said memory means and

a motion compensation network coactively coupled to said memory means and to said data reducing means for processing image motion information.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said output means includes an image display device having a predetermined image resolution;

and

the amount of data reduction produced by said data reducing means is determined in accordance with said resolution of said display device.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said decimation means provides horizontally decimated image information, and processes vertical image information without decimation.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said decimation means provides horizontally decimated image information and processes vertical image information without decimation;

and

said decompressing means includes an inverse Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) processor operative without discarding DCT coefficients.

5. A system according to claim 3, wherein

said decimation means includes an even order low pass filter;

said image information is horizontally decimated by a factor of 2; and

said recompression means provides pixel block compression.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein

said decompressing means and said data reduction means are situated in an integrated circuit;

and

said memory means is located external to said integrated circuit.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said decimation means selectively enables and disables decimation of information from said decompressing means to produce decimated information;

and

said recompression means selectively recompresses said decimated information or said decompressed information.

8. In a system for processing image representative information, an MPEG compatible decoder comprising:

input means for receiving a datastream of compressed image representative MPEG coded information;

means for decompressing said image information to produce decompressed information;

motion information processing means for processing said decompressed information, said motion processing means including data reduction means comprising data recompressing means and data decimation means for data-reducing said decompressed information to produce data-reduced information;

memory means for storing data reduced information from said motion processing means; and

output image processing means for processing information stored by said memory means.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein

said data recompressing means controllably exhibits predetermined compression factors;

and p1 said data decimation means provides horizontal image decimation and is selectively enabled and disabled.

10. A system according to claim 8, wherein said decimation means decimates said decompressed information;

and

said recompressing means compresses output data from said decimation means to produce data reduced information.

11. A system according to claim 10, wherein

said data reduction means is situated in an integrated circuit;

said first path is a data bus internal to said integrated circuit; and

said memory means is located external to said integrated circuit.

12. A system according to claim 10, wherein said motion information processing means further includes

further data decompressing means for receiving data from said memory means;

and

data upsampling means for upsampling information from said further data decompressing means.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein

said memory means is a video frame memory;

said data decimation means decimates horizontal image information exclusive of vertical image information; and

said upsampling means provides horizontal image up sampling.

14. In an MPEG decoder for producing finally decoded motion compensated samples, a method of processing a digital datastream of MPEG coded image representative information comprising the steps of:

decompressing said input datastream to produce decompressed MPEG information;

data-reducing said decompressed information to produce data-reduced information, said data-reducing step including the steps of

(1) selectively enabling and disabling decimation of information from said decompression network to produce first information; and

(2) recompressing said first information to produce recompressed information;

storing said data-reduced information in a memory; and

motion compensation processing information stored by said memory.

15. In a system for processing a datastream containing MPEG coded compressed information representing image pixel data, an MPEG decoder comprising:

a decompressor for decompressing said datastream to produce decompressed data at an output;

a frame memory for providing finally decoded pixel data to a display processor; and

a motion compensation decoding network coupled to said decompressor output and to said frame memory for producing finally decoded motion compensated pixel data;

wherein

said motion compensation network further includes a data reduction network including a downsampling means and a recompression means responsive to said decompressed data for providing data-reduced information to said frame memory.

16. In an MPEG decoder system for processing a datastream of MPEG coded compressed information representing image pixel data, an MPEG compatible decoding method for producing finally decoded pixel data for processing by a display processor, said method comprising the steps of:

decompressing said datastream to produce decompressed data at an output; and

deriving finally decoded motion compensated pixel data from said decompressed data;

wherein said step of deriving motion compensated data includes the steps of downsampling and recompressing said decompressed data to produce data-reduced information for storage in a frame memory.