Method and an optical disc for generating a bitstream containing a plurality of video objects including video and audio data

• US 5,884,004 A
• Filed: 09/27/1996
• Issued: 03/16/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Akihiro, Hasebe, Takumi, Tsuga, Kazuhiro, Hamasaka, Hiroshi, Mori, Yoshihiro, Horiike, Kazuyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US08/721,943
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 386/112, 386/104, 386/105, 386/124, 386/125, 386/126, 386/109, 386/46, 386/27, 386/33, 386/34, 386/40, 386/39, 386/45, 386/96, 386/98, 360/32
• US Class Current: 386/337
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/235 Multilayer discs, i.e. multiple recording layers accessed from the same side
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/329 on a disc [VTOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/21805 enabling multiple viewpoints, e.g. using a plurality of cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• 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 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8541 involving branching, e.g. to different story endings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/06 Generation of synchronising signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9262 using predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9267 using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 : Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8042 : involving data reduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8063 : using time division multiplex of the PCM audio and PCM video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 : the additional signal being at least another television signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/877 : by assembling picture element blocks in an intermediate memory

Abstract

An interleaving method for the presentation of a bitstream that is reproduced by selecting two or more data units from a bitstream comprising three or more data units contiguous on the same time-base. The bitstream is generated by arranging the selected data units in a particular sequence on the same time-base based on the presentation time of each data unit so that it is possible to sequentially access all data units and present only the selected data units without time-base intermittence, and is characterized by dividing the data units into shortest-read-time data units. The bitstream is generated by arranging the shortest-read-time data units in a particular sequence on the same time-base based on the shortest read time in each shortest-read-time data unit so that it is possible to sequentially access all shortest-read-time data units and present only the shortest-read-time data units of the selected data units without time-base intermittence. The presentation time of each shortest-read-time data unit is the same.

Claims

1. A bit stream generating method for generating a bit stream containing a plurality of video objects (VOB) including video data and audio data stored on an optical disc (M), wherein said video object (VOB) enables one video object (VOB) to be alternatively reproduced from among m video objects (VOB), said method comprising:

selecting m video objects (VOB) each having a same video data presentation period and same audio data,

segmenting each of the selected m video objects (VOB) into a same v number of interleave units (ILVU), and

generating a bit stream wherein the segmented video object interleave units (ILVU_ij) are interleaved in a sequence

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ILVU.sub.11 . . . ILVU.sub.21 . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)1 . . . ILVU.sub.M1 . .ILVU.sub.12 . . . ILVU.sub.22 . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)2 . . . ILVU.sub.M2 . ... . .ILVU.sub.1(V-1) . . . ILVU.sub.2(V-1) . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)(V-1) . . .ILVU.sub.M(V-1) . . .ILVU.sub.1V . . . ILVU.sub.2V . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)V . . . ILVU.sub.MV . ..______________________________________

where i is a sequential index ranging from 1 to m indicative of a video object (VOB), j is a sequential index ranging from 1 to v indicative of an interleave unit (ILVU), and all m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j have a same video presentation period.

2. A bit stream generating method according to claim 1, wherein an interleave unit (ILVU_ij) contains video data according to the MPEG standard, and a group-of-pictures (GOP) structure is the same for m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j.

3. A bit stream generating method according to claim 1, wherein the location of an I-frame, a P-frame, and a B-frame in a GOP is the same for m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j.

4. A bit stream generating method according to claim 2, wherein a GOP structure for a first video data contained in each interleave unit (ILVU) is a closed GOP according to the MPEG standard.

5. A bit stream generating method according to claim 1, wherein a same number of audio packets is contained in each of m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j.

6. An optical disc (M) for storing two or more video objects (VOB), said optical disc (M) comprising:

a management information storage area (NV) for storing reproduction sequence information indicative of the video object (VOB) reproduction sequence, and group information indicative of what video object (VOB) and what other alternatively reproducible video object (VOB) are associated with a same group, and

a video object (VOB) storage area for storing one or a plurality of video objects (VOB) including video data and audio data, wherein

each of m video objects (VOB) (where m is an integer value of two or greater) associated with a same group contains video data with a same presentation period and same audio data,

each of said m video objects (VOB) is segmented into v interleave units (ILVU_ij),

said interleave units (ILVU_ij) are interleaved in the sequence

space="preserve" listing-type="tabular">______________________________________ILVU.sub.11 . . . ILVU.sub.21 . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)1 . . . ILVU.sub.M1 . .ILVU.sub.12 . . . ILVU.sub.22 . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)2 . . . ILVU.sub.M2 . ... . .ILVU.sub.1(V-1) . . . ILVU.sub.2(V-1) . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)(V-1) . . .ILVU.sub.M(V-1) . . .ILVU.sub.1V . . . ILVU.sub.2V . . . ILVU.sub.(M-1)V . . . ILVU.sub.MV . ..______________________________________

where i is a sequential index ranging from 1 to m indicative of a video object (VOB), j is a sequential index ranging from 1 to v indicative of an interleave unit (ILVU), and all m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j have a same video presentation period, and

said interleave units comprise one or a plurality of sub regions (VOBU) to which video data and management information (NV) are stored,

said management information (NV) comprising end address information (ILVU_-- EA) indicative of an end address of an associated interleave unit (ILVU) in the optical disc information, and linking information (NT_-- ILVU_-- SA) indicative of a position on the optical disc of a next interleave unit (ILVU) to be reproduced.

7. An optical disc (M) according to claim 6, wherein said management information (NV) also includes

angle-specific linking information (SML_-- AGL_-- C#1-9_-- DSTA) indicative of a position on the optical disc (M) of a next interleave unit (ILVU) to be reproduced for each video object (VOB) during alternative reproduction.

8. An optical disc (M) according to claim 7, wherein an interleave unit (ILVU_ij) contains video data according to the MPEG standard, and a group-of-pictures (GOP) structure is the same for m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j.

9. An optical disc (M) according to claim 8, wherein the location of an I-frame, a P-frame, and a B-frame in a GOP is the same for m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j.

10. An optical disc (M) according to claim 9, wherein a GOP structure for a first video data contained in each interleave unit (ILVU) is a closed GOP according to the MPEG standard.

11. An optical disc (M) according to claim 6, wherein said interleave unit (ILVU) comprises one or a plurality of video packets containing video data, and one or a plurality of audio packets containing audio data, and

a same number of audio packets is contained in each of m interleave units (ILVU_ij) having a same index j.