Burst transmission apparatus and method for audio/video information

• US 5,995,705 A
• Filed: 07/18/1997
• Issued: 11/30/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Burstcom Incorporated (Burst.com)
• Original Assignee: Instant Water Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Lang, Richard A.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUY THANH
• Application Number:
  US08/896,727
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46, 386/52, 386/101, 386/109, 386/96, 386/106, 386/112, 348/384
• US Class Current: 386/328
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/20 Disc-shaped record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/41 Flat as opposed to hierarchical combination, e.g. library of tapes or discs, CD changer, or groups of record carriers that together store one title
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/455 said record carriers being in one device and being used as primary and secondary/backup media, e.g. HDD-DVD combo device, or as source and target media, e.g. PC and portable player
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/61 wherein solid state memory is used for storing A/V content
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/026 on discs G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/032 on tapes G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/036 Insert-editing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/86 Re-recording, i.e. transcribing information from one magnetisable record carrier on to one or more similar or dissimilar record carriers by varying the order of the information G11B27/029, G11B27/036
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/00 Methods or arrangements for coding, decoding, compressing or decompressing digital video signals
• 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 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/91 Television signal processing therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/04 : Systems for the transmission of one television signal, i.e. both picture and sound, by a single carrier H04N7/084, H04N7/087 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/7921 : for more than one processing mode

Abstract

An improved video recorder/transceiver with expanded functionality ("VCR-ET") including a capability for storing video and video programs in digital format, editing such programs, transferring such programs onto a hard copy magnetic media, and transmitting such programs to a remote location using a second VCR-ET. The increased functionality is realized through the use of analog to digital conversion, signal compression and intermediate storage in an integrated circuit, random access memory. The recorder/transmitter has capabilities to transmit and receive program information in either a compressed or decompressed format over fiber optic lines, conventional phone lines or microwaves.

Claims

1. An audio/video transceiver apparatus comprising:

input means for receiving audio/video source information, said audio/video source information comprising a multiplicity of video frames collectively representing at least one full motion video program;

compression means, coupled to said input means, for compressing said audio/video source information into a digital time compressed representation thereof, wherein said digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information is capable of being transmitted in a burst transmission time period that is substantially shorter than a time period associated with real time viewing by a receiver of said audio/video source information;

storage means, coupled to said compression means, for storing said digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information; and

transmission means, coupled to said storage means, for transmitting said digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information away from said audio/video transceiver apparatus in said burst transmission time period.

2. The audio/video transceiver apparatus of claim 1, further comprising editing means, coupled to said storage means, for editing the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information stored in said storage means and for storing the edited digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information in said storage means.

3. The audio/video transceiver apparatus of claim 2, wherein said transmission means is configured to receive the edited digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information and to transmit the edited digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information away from said audio/video transceiver apparatus in said burst transmission time period.

4. The audio/video transceiver apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

decompression means, coupled to said storage means, for selectively decompressing the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information stored in said storage means; and

editing means, coupled to said decompression means and said storage means, for editing the decompressed digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information, and for then storing the edited decompressed digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information in said storage means.

5. The audio/video transceiver apparatus of claim 1, wherein said input means comprise analog to digital converter means for converting analog audio/video source information received at said input means to corresponding digital audio/video source information.

6. An audio/video information transfer network comprising a plurality of audio/video transceivers coupled via at least one communication link, each of the audio/video transceivers comprising:

input means for receiving audio/video source information, said audio/video source information comprising a multiplicity of video frames collectively representing at least one full motion video program;

compression means, coupled to said input means, for compressing said audio/video source information into a digital time compressed representation thereof, wherein said digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information is capable of being transmitted in a burst transmission time period that is substantially shorter than a time period associated with real time viewing by a receiver of said audio/video source information;

storage means, coupled to said compression means, for storing said digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information; and

transmission means, coupled to said storage means, for transmitting said digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information away from said audio/video transceiver apparatus in said burst transmission time period.

7. The audio/video transfer network of claim 6, wherein:

said input means of at least one of said plurality of audio/video transceivers includes a fiber optic input port;

said transmission means of at least one other of said plurality of audio/video transceivers includes a fiber optic output port; and

said at least one communication link includes a fiber optic transmission line coupling in communication said fiber optic input port with said fiber optic output port.

8. The audio/video transfer network of claim 6, wherein said transmission means of at least one of said plurality of audio/video transceivers includes a modem, and said at least one communication link includes a telephone transmission line.

9. The audio/video transfer network of claim 6, wherein at least one of said audio/video transceivers further comprises editing means, coupled to said storage means, for editing the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information stored in said storage means and for storing the edited digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information in said storage means.

10. The audio/video transfer network of claim 6, wherein at least one of said audio/video transceivers further comprises:

decompression means, coupled to said storage means, for selectively decompressing the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information stored in said storage means; and

editing means, coupled to said decompression means and said storage means, for editing the decompressed digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information, and for then storing the edited decompressed digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information in said storage means.

11. The audio/video transceiver network of claim 6, wherein at least one of said plurality of audio/video transceivers further comprises analog to digital converter means for converting analog audio/video source information received at said input means to corresponding digital audio/video source information.

12. A method for handling audio/video source information, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving audio/video source information, said audio/video source information comprising a multiplicity of video frames collectively constituting at least one full motion video program;

compressing the received audio/video source information into a digital time compressed representation thereof, the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information having an associated burst transmission time period that is substantially shorter than a time period associated with real time viewing by a receiver of said audio/video source information;

storing the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information; and

transmitting, in said burst transmission time period, the stored digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information to a selected destination.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

editing the stored time compressed representation of said audio/video source information; and

storing the edited time compressed representation of said audio/video source information.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of converting the received audio/video information from an analog format to a digital format.

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the step of transmitting the stored digital time compressed video information further comprises sending said time compressed data to one of a plurality of audio/video transceivers connected over at least one communications link.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein said at least one communications link comprises an optical channel.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said at least one communications link comprises a telephone transmission channel.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of providing a network that includes a plurality of audio/video transceivers, coupled via at least one communications link, said selected destination comprising at least one of said plurality of audio/video transceivers.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said at least one communications link comprises an optical channel.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said at least one communications link comprises a telephone transmission channel.

21. A method for handling audio/video source information, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving audio/video source information as a digital time compressed representation thereof, said audio/video source information comprising a multiplicity of video frames collectively constituting at least one full motion video program selected from a video library storing a plurality of video programs in a digital time compressed representation thereof for selective retrieval;

said at least one video program being received by a receiver in a burst transmission time period that is substantially shorter than a time period associated with real-time viewing by a receiver of said at least one video program;

storing the digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information; and

transmitting, in said burst transmission time period, the stored digital time compressed representation of said audio/video source information to a selected destination.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of providing a network that includes a plurality of audio/video transceivers, coupled via at least one communications link, said selected destination comprising at least one of said plurality of audio/video transceivers.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said at least one communications link comprises an optical channel.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said at least one communications link comprises a telephone transmission channel.