Electronic video processing system

• US 6,144,391 A
• Filed: 02/27/1998
• Issued: 11/07/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Quantel Limited (Belden Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Quantel Limited (Belden Inc.)
• Inventors: Beckwith, Timothy John, Stewart, Ian Malcolm, Hinson, Neil Roy, Catlow, George William, Wrey, Colin John
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc-Coleman, Marthe Y.
• Application Number:
  US09/032,108
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 345/113, 345/114, 345/115, 345/116, 345/173, 345/179, 345/507, 345/508, 345/509, 345/511, 345/512, 348/584, 348/585, 348/586, 348/588
• US Class Current: 345/540
• 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 2220/90 Tape-like record carriers
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/024 on tapes G11B27/028, G11B27/029 take precedence
• 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 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/262 Studio circuits, e.g. for mixing, switching-over, change of character of image, other special effects ; Cameras specially adapted for the electronic generation of special effects

Abstract

The system comprises a store 11 having several disc drives for storing multiple video frames in random access order. The store 11 also has at least two ports 15, 16 each capable of transferring data relating to a respective video clip at video rate. The system further comprises processors 27, 28 for processing frame data associated with at least two video clips and a monitor for displaying selected ones of said multiple video frames. In a preview mode of operation video clips can be read from the store 11, combined and displayed on the monitor at video rate, and changes can be made to the clips and the manner in which they are combined without committing the combination to the store.

Claims

1. An electronic video store comprising:

at least one disc storing unit for storing digital video data representing a multiplicity of video frames;

an access circuit connected to said storing unit for providing random access input to and output from said storing unit of video frames; and

two ports connected to the access circuit and each capable, independently or simultaneously with the other, of transferring by way of said access circuit to or from said storing unit a video frame at video rate.

2. A store as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one storing unit comprises at least two separate storing units each connected to the said two ports via the access circuit and data representing each video frame is distributed between the storing units.

3. A store as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of said at least two storing units comprises at least two disc drives which together are capable of transferring video data at video rate.

4. A store as claimed in claim 3, wherein each frame comprises two interleaved fields, and the access circuit is arranged for transfer of data stored or to be stored in the storing units and arranged therein such that each video frame data representing one field is stored in one storing unit and data representing the other field is stored in the other storing unit.

5. A store as claimed in claim 4, wherein the access circuit is arranged for transfer of data to or from each said storing unit, said data being arranged such that each field is divided into chrominance and luminance data groups which are stored respectively in the disc drive of the storing unit.

6. A store as claimed in claim 2, wherein the access circuit comprises two buffers respectively associated with the two storing units for buffering data in transfer between each of the storing units and the two ports.

7. A store as claimed in claim 6, wherein the two buffers each comprise a cache store for accumulating a multiplicity of frames of data to facilitate the transfer of data between the two ports and the storing units.

8. A video processing apparatus comprising:

at least one storing unit for storing digital video data representing a multiplicity of video frames;

an access circuit connected to said storing unit for providing random access input to and output from said storing unit of video frames;

two ports connected to the access circuit and each capable, independently or simultaneously with the other, of transferring by way of said access circuit to or from said storing unit a video frame at video rate;

a frame store for storing data representing at least one video frame and corresponding control image;

a user operable input device; and

a processor responsive to the user operable input device, the processor comprising a selecting circuit for selecting at least one initial video frame and corresponding initial control image to be processed and for writing data representing the selected at least one video frame and corresponding control image to the frame store, a circuit for processing control image data in the frame store to produce data representing a modified control image for producing further identifying data which enables the modified control image to be uniquely identified and indicates that the modified control image is associated with the selected at least one initial video frame and corresponding control image, and a writing circuit for writing the thus produced modified control image data to the storing unit for storage therein in association with the selected at least one initial video frame and corresponding control image.

9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one storing unit comprises a bulk store for storing the video clip, the bulk store being arranged so that data for the multiplicity of video frames and corresponding control image can be accessed in a frame random access order.

10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, which further comprises storing the identifying data and the further identifying data in a data store.

11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising displaying an image representing both the video frame and the control image data in the frame store on a monitor.

12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one storing unit comprises a data store for storing the identifying data and the further identifying data.

13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a monitor for displaying an image representing both the at least one video frame and the corresponding control image data in the frame store.

14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the processor comprises a circuit for generating data representing a control menu for display on a portion of a monitor, the control menu including a first indicator bar having an associated first indicator for indicating the position in the clip of the at least one storing unit, a frame of whose data together with corresponding control data has been written to the frame store.

15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the menu includes a second indicator bar comprising a plurality of portions each representing a respective video clip stored in the at least one storing unit including the video clip containing the video frame whose data is stored in the frame store, the second bar having an associated second indicator for indicating the position in the video clip of the frame whose data is stored in the frame store.

16. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control image comprises a monochrome image derived from one or more user selected features of the corresponding initial video frame.

17. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the user selected features are selected by identifying a characteristic of the image.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 16, wherein the user selected features are selected by identifying areas of the image.

19. An electronic video store method comprising steps of:

storing digital video data representing a multiplicity of video frames in at least one storing unit;

providing an access circuit connected to said storing circuit for providing random access input to and output from said storing unit of video frames; and

providing two ports connected to the access circuit and each capable, independently of simultaneously with the other, transferring by way of said access circuit to or from said storing unit a video frame at video rate.

20. A video processing method comprising steps of:

storing digital video data representing a multiplicity of video frames in at least one store unit;

providing an access circuit connected to said storing unit for providing random access input to and output from said storing unit of video frames;

providing two ports connected to the access circuit and each capable, independently or simultaneously with the other, of transferring by way of said access circuit to or from said storing unit a video frame at video rate;

storing in a frame store data representing at least one video frame and corresponding control image; and

providing a processor responsive to user input, the processor comprising a selecting circuit for selecting at least one initial video frame and corresponding initial control image to be processed and for writing data representing the selected at least one video frame and corresponding control image to the frame store, a circuit for processing control image data in the frame store to produce data representing a modified control image and for producing further identifying data which enables the modified control image to be uniquely identified and indicates that the modified control image is associated with the selected at least one initial video frame and corresponding control image, and a writing circuit for writing the thus produced modified control image data to the storing unit for storage therein in association with the selected at least one initial video frame and corresponding control image.