Video transmitting apparatus, video data receiving apparatus, and video data transmitting and receiving system

• US 5,953,484 A
• Filed: 02/22/1996
• Issued: 09/14/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kojima, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/605,614
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/109, 386/112, 386/124, 386/68, 386/67, 386/52, 386/65, 386/45, 348/6, 348/7, 348/12, 348/13
• US Class Current: 386/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/238 Interfacing the downstream path of the transmission network, e.g. adapting the transmission rate of a video stream to network bandwidth; Processing of multiplex streams hybrid fiber coaxial [HFC] networks for downstream channel allocation for video distribution H04L12/2801; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2383 Channel coding or modulation of digital bit-stream, e.g. QPSK modulation arrangements for detecting or preventing errors in the information received by adapting the channel coding H04L1/0009; analogue front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4382 Demodulation or channel decoding, e.g. QPSK demodulation analog front ends or means for connecting modulators, demodulators or transceivers to a transmission line H04L27/0002
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate

Abstract

A video data transmitting and receiving system which compresses an amount of information of a video signal at a compression rate in accordance with a transmission mode, directly modulates the video signal after compression in accordance with the transmission mode or once records the video signal by a recording and reproducing apparatus and then reproduces the same with a different rate from that at the recording, detects the transmission mode at a reception side, directly decodes this in accordance with the detected transmission mode or once records the same, reproduces this at a different rate from that at the recording and then decodes the resultant data.

Claims

1. A video data transmitting apparatus for transmitting a video signal over a transmission channel at the transmission channel rate, comprising:

a control means for outputting a control signal indicating a transmission mode of a video signal;

a compression means for receiving as its input the video signal and compressing an amount of information of the video signal at a compression rate in accordance with the transmission mode indicated by the control signal;

a recording and reproducing means for selectively recording the compressed video signal at a recording rate, said recording rate being different from the transmission channel rate, and for reproducing the recorded video signal at the transmission channel rate, the recorded video signal being reproduced at the transmission channel rate regardless of the recording rate, said recording and reproducing means being operable to perform the recording and reproducing operations simultaneously;

a selection means for selecting an output video signal of the compression means or the output video signal of the recording and reproducing means in accordance with the transmission mode indicated by the control signal and outputting the selected output video signal; and

a transmission means for modulating the output video signal supplied from the selection means and transmitting the resultant signal.

2. A video data transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said transmission mode is selected from among a first mode for a high quality transmission, a second mode for a real time transmission, and a third mode for a short time transmission.

3. A video data transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said compression means compresses the amount of information of said video signal at a first compression rate in accordance with the transmission rate of said transmission means when said second mode is selected as said transmission mode, compresses the amount of information of said video signal at a second compression rate lower than said first compression rate when said first mode is selected as said transmission mode, and compresses the amount of information of said video signal at a third compression rate higher than said first compression rate when said third mode is selected as said transmission mode.

4. A video data transmitting apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said selection means selects the output video signal of said compression means when said second mode is selected as said transmission mode and selects the output video signal of said recording and reproducing means when said first mode or said third mode is selected as said transmission mode.

5. A video data transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said transmission means has an addition means for adding data indicating said transmission mode to said output video signal supplied from said selection means.

6. A video data transmitting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said transmission means has an error correction code addition circuit which adds the error correction code to said output video signal supplied from said selection means.

7. A video data receiving apparatus for receiving a video signal over a transmission channel at the transmission channel rate, comprising:

a reception means for receiving a compressed digital video signal including a transmission mode;

a detection means for detecting the transmission mode of the signal received at the reception means;

a recording and reproducing means for selectively recording the compressed video signal at the transmission channel rate and for reproducing the recorded video signal at a reproduction rate in accordance with the detected transmission mode, wherein the reproduction rate is different from the transmission channel rate and the recorded video signal is reproduced at the reproduction rate regardless of the transmission channel rate, said recording and reproducing means being operable to perform the recording and reproducing operations simultaneously;

a selection means for selecting the output signal of the reception means or the output signal of the recording and reproducing means in accordance with the detected transmission mode and outputting the selected signal; and

a decompression means for decompressing the signal output from the selection means.

8. A video data receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said detection means has an extraction means for extracting the data indicating said transmission mode from among signals received by said reception means.

9. A video data receiving apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said transmission mode is selected from among a first mode for a high quality transmission, a second mode for a real time transmission, and a third mode for a short time transmission;

and

said selection means selects the output signal of said reception means when said second mode is detected as said transmission mode and selects the output signal of said recording and reproducing means when said first mode or said third mode is detected as said transmission mode.

10. A video data transmitting and receiving system for transmitting and/or receiving a video signal over a transmission channel at the transmission channel rate, comprising:

a control means for outputting a control signal indicating a transmission mode of a video signal;

a compression means for receiving as its input the video signal and compressing the amount of information of the video signal at a compression rate in accordance with the transmission mode indicated by the control signal;

a first recording and reproducing means for selectively recording the compressed video signal at a recording rate, said recording rate being different from the transmission channel rate and for reproducing the recorded video signal at the transmission channel rate, the recorded video signal being reproduced at the transmission channel rate regardless of the recording rate, said first recording and reproducing means being operable to perform the recording and reproducing operations simultaneously;

a first selection means for selecting an output video signal of the compression means or the output video signal of the first recording and reproducing means in accordance with the transmission mode indicated by the control signal and outputting the selected output video signal;

a transmission means for transmitting the output video signal supplied from the selection means to the transmission channel;

a reception means for receiving the transmitted signal from the transmission channel;

a detection means for detecting the transmission mode of the signal received at the reception means;

a second recording and reproducing means for selectively recording the signal received by the reception means in accordance with the transmission mode detected by the detection means and reproducing the recorded video signal at a rate in accordance with the detected transmission mode, said second recording and reproducing means being operable to perform the recording and reproducing operations simultaneously;

a second selection means for selecting the output signal of the reception means or the output signal of the second recording and reproducing means in accordance with the detected transmission mode and outputting the selected signal; and

a decompression means for decompressing the signal output from the second selection means.