Method and system for real-time displaying of MPEG-2 compressed video data within an electronic test equipment

• US 5,901,289 A
• Filed: 04/11/1997
• Issued: 05/04/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ma, Peter Wai-Wah, Leonard, Mark A., Dyck, Trevor S. R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B.
• Application Number:
  US08/838,842
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 345/349, 345/346, 345/511, 345/340, 395/330, 395/200.34, 395/888, 395/200.54, 395/200.63, 348/8
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 17/004 for digital television systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/431 Generation of visual interfaces for content selection or interaction; Content or additional data rendering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4345 Extraction or processing of SI, e.g. extracting service information from an MPEG stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A system and method for displaying MPEG-2 packets as a hierarchy of tables within a window of a graphical display. This hierarchial display is updated continuously as new packets are received, thus providing a real time display. When a packet is received, and the location of that packet has not been identified, the packet is placed at the top of the hierarchy. Once a subsequent packet is received wherein the subsequent packet identifies the location of the earlier received packet, the earlier received packet is moved to its correct location within the hierarchy. When a user of the system clicks one of the tables within the hierarchy, the system saves the next data packet or packets containing data for the table into a display table buffer. The system then displays a second window and formats the data from the display table buffer into the second window.

Claims

1. A method for displaying data in real time, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving at least one data packet for display, wherein the at least one data packet represents a table or partial table;

(b) displaying a graphical image representing the table in a first window of a graphical display device;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until a stop command in received from a user of the method;

(d) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c) accepting input from a user of the method to select, from the first window, one of the graphical images being displayed;

(e) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), storing, as a display table, a copy of the at least one packet containing the table represented by the graphical image selected in step (d);

(f) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), creating a second window of the graphical display device for displaying the display table;

(g) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), displaying the display table in the second window;

(h) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), accepting input from the user to refresh the second window;

(i) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), storing a copy of the at least one packet containing data most recently received in the test instrument for the table being displayed in the second window, as a replacement for the display table; and

(j) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), displaying the replacement display table.

2. A method for displaying data in real time, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving at least one data packet for display, wherein the at least one data packet represents a table or partial table;

(b) displaying a graphical image representing the table in a first window of a graphical display device, said displaying comprising the steps of

(b1) when the location within the hierarchy of the packet received in step (a) is known, displaying the packet at the known location,

(b2) when the location within the hierarchy of the packet received in step (a) is not known, displaying the packet at a top location within the hierarchy, and

(b3) when a second packet is received that identifies the location of the packet displayed in step (b2), adjusting a location of the packet displayed in step (b2) to a location identified in the second packet;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until a stop command is received from a user of the method;

(d) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), accepting input from a user of the method to select, from the first window, one of the graphical images being displayed;

(e) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), storing, as a display table, a copy of the at least one packet containing the table represented by the graphical image selected in step (d);

(f) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), creating a second window of the graphical display device for displaying the display table; and

(g) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), displaying the display table in the second window.

3. A test instrument for displaying data in real time, said system comprising:

a line interface for receiving at least one data packet for display, wherein the at least one data packet represents a table or partial table;

a viewing system for displaying a graphical image representing the table in a first window of a graphical display device;

a graphical input device for accepting input from a user of the test instrument to select, from the first window, one of the graphical images;

a memory for storing, as a display table, a copy of the table represented by the graphical image selected by the graphical input device;

means contained within the viewing system for displaying data from the display table in a second window of the graphical display device;

means contained within the viewing system for accepting input from the user to refresh the second window;

means for storing a copy of the at least one packet containing data most recently received in the test instrument for the table being displayed in the second window, as a replacement for the display table; and

means for displaying the replacement display table.

4. A test instrument for displaying data in real time, said system comprising:

a line interface for receiving at least one data packet for display, wherein the at least one data packet represents a table or partial table;

a viewing system for displaying a graphical image representing the table in a first window of a graphical display device;

a graphical input device for accepting input from a user of the test instrument to select, from the first window, one of the graphical images;

a memory for storing, as a display table, a copy of the table represented by the graphical image selected by the graphical input device;

means contained within the viewing system for displaying data from the display table in a second window of the graphical display device;

means for displaying the at least one packet received by the line interface at a predetermined location within the hierarchy when the location of the at least one packet received is known;

means for displaying the at least one packet at a top location within the hierarchy, when the location within the hierarchy of the at least one packet received by the line interface is not known; and

means for adjusting a location of the packet stored by the means for displaying the at least one packet at a top location within the hierarchy, when the line interface receives a second packet that identifies the location of the at least one packet stored by the means for displaying the at least one packet at a top location within the hierarchy.

5. A method for displaying data in real time, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving at least one data packet for display, wherein the at least one data packet represents a table or partial table;

(b) displaying a graphical image representing the table in a first window of a graphical display device, comprising the steps of

(b1) when the location within the hierarchy of the packet received in step (a) is known, displaying the packet at the known location,

(b2) when the location within the hierarchy of the packet received in step (a) is not known, displaying the packet at a top location within the hierarchy, and

(b3) when a second packet is received that identifies the location of the packet displayed in step (b2), adjusting a location of the packet displayed in step (b2) to a location identified in the second packet;

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until a stop command is received from a user of the method;

(d) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), accepting input from a user of the method to select, from the first window, one of the graphical images being displayed;

(e) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), storing, as a display table, a copy of the at least one packet containing the table represented by the graphical image selected in step (d);

(f) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), creating a second window of the graphical display device for displaying the display table;

(g) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), displaying the display table in the second window;

(h) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), accepting input from the user to refresh the second window;

(i) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), storing a copy of the at least one packet containing data most recently received in the test instrument for the table being displayed in the second window, as a replacement for the display table; and

(j) while continuing to perform steps (a) through (c), displaying the replacement display table.