Audio and video data transmitting apparatus, system, and method thereof

• US 6,157,674 A
• Filed: 03/19/1997
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Oda, Tsuyoshi, Miyazawa, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rao, Andy
• Assistant Examiner(s): An, Shawn S.
• Application Number:
  US08/825,702
• Time in Patent Office: 1,357 Days
• Field of Search: 348/423, 348/845.1, 348/845.2, 348/845.3, 348/385, 348/386, 348/419, 348/461, 348/462, 348/721, 348/464, 348/474, 370/17
• US Class Current: 375/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23611 Insertion of stuffing data into a multiplex stream, e.g. to obtain a constant bitrate synchronisation arrangements in time-division multiplex systems using bit stuffing for systems with different or fluctuating information rates H04J3/073
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2368 Multiplexing of audio and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2401 Monitoring of the client buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64307 ATM

Abstract

An apparatus, system, and method for compressing and coding audio and/or video data by the MPEG2 system or the like, multiplexing the same, and transmitting the resultant data via a digital line. When generating a transport stream for transmitting a PES packet of the MPEG2 system, the amounts of the compressed video data and the compressed audio data are defined as whole multiples of the amount of the transport packet (188 bytes) of the MPEG2 system, thereby to bring the boundary of the frame cycle of the audio and/or video data and the boundary of the transport packet into coincidence. Where the amount of data is arbitrary, calculation etc. of the offset value which becomes necessary at the scheduling is made unnecessary.

Claims

1. A transmitting apparatus for transmitting a video signal and an audio signal, comprising:

means for accommodating said video signal and audio signal in a plurality of transport packets;

means for transmitting said transport packets including said video signal and said audio signal; and

wherein an amount of data transmitted in a video frame cycle is a whole multiple of a size of said transport packet minus a size of the header of said transport packet such that the boundary of the transport packets are aligned with the boundary of the frame cycle.

2. A transmitting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said transmitting apparatus comprises:

a video buffer for receiving said video signal;

an audio buffer for receiving said audio signal;

a means for selectively taking out the video signal or audio signal from said video buffer or audio buffer;

an accommodating means for accommodating said taken out video signal or audio signal in a payload area of said transport packet; and

a means for controlling said selective taking out means and said accommodating means;

said control means controlling said selective taking out means and said accommodating means so that the amount of data output from said transmitting apparatus in a video frame cycle becomes a whole multiple of said transport packet.

3. A transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control device supervises an empty size of said video buffer and controls said selective taking out means and said accommodating means so that the amount of said video signal to be multiplexed in said video cycle is adjusted in accordance with said detected empty size.

4. A transmitting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said selective taking out means and said accommodating means take out said audio signal from said audio buffer and accommodate the same so that the audio signal from said audio buffer is accommodated in the transport packet of a period determined in advance in said video frame cycle.

5. A transmitting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said selective taking out means and said accommodating means take out said video signal from said video buffer and accommodate the same so that said video signal is accommodated in a payload part of the transport packet in which said audio signal is not accommodated.

6. A transmitting system comprising:

a video encoder for encoding the video signal;

an audio encoder for encoding the audio signal;

a video buffer for receiving said encoded video signal;

an audio buffer for receiving said encoded audio signal;

a means for selectively taking out the video signal or audio signal from said video buffer or audio buffer;

an accommodating means for accommodating said taken out video signal or audio signal in a payload area of said transport packet; and

said control means controlling said selective taking out means and said accommodating means so that the amount of data output from said transmitting system in the video frame cycle becomes a whole multiple of a size of said transport packet in said video frame cycle minus a size of the header of said transport packet such that the boundary of the transport packets are aligned with the boundary of the frame cycle.

7. A transmitting method including the steps of:

multiplexing a video signal and an audio signal;

accommodating the video signal or audio signal in a transport packet;

transmitting the same; and

wherein the amount of data transmitted in a video frame cycle is a whole multiple of a size of said transport packet in said video frame cycle minus a size of the header of said transport packet such that the boundary of the transport packets are aligned with the boundary of the frame cycle.

8. A transmitting method according to claim 7, comprising the steps of:

receiving said video signal at a video buffer;

receiving said audio signal at an audio buffer;

selectively taking out the video signal or audio signal from said video buffer or audio buffer;

accommodating said taken out video signal or audio signal in a payload area of said transport packet; and

controlling said selective take out operation and said accommodating operation, wherein

said control operation controls said selectively take out operation and said accommodating operation so that the amount of data output by said transmitting method in a video frame cycle becomes a whole multiple of said transport packet.

9. A transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein said control operation supervises an empty size of said video buffer and controls said selectively take out operation and said accommodating operation so that the amount of said video signal to be multiplexed in said video cycle is adjusted in accordance with said detected empty size.

10. A transmitting method according to claim 8, wherein said selective take out operation and said accommodating operation take out said audio signal from said audio buffer and accommodate the same so that the audio signal from said audio buffer is accommodated in the transport packet of a period determined in advance in said video frame cycle.

11. A transmitting method according to claim 10, wherein said selective take out operation and said accommodating operation take out said video signal from said video buffer and accommodate the same so that said video signal is accommodated in a payload part of the transport packet in which said audio signal is not accommodated.

12. Stream processing apparatus for processing a video stream encoded by a video encoder and an audio stream encoded by an audio encoder, comprising:

multiplexing means for multiplexing said video stream and said audio stream to generate a multiplexed stream;

packetizing means for packetizing said multiplexed stream into a plurality of transport packets;

means for controlling a multiplexing schedule of said multiplexing means and a packetizing schedule of said packetizing means so that a number of bits of said multiplexed stream to be packetized into said transport packets correspond to an integral multiple of a number of bits of a payload area of said transport packets.

13. A method for processing a video stream encoded by a video encoder and an audio stream encoded by an audio encoder, comprising the steps of:

multiplexing the video stream and the audio stream to generate a multiplexed stream;

packetizing the multiplexed stream into a plurality of transport packets;

controlling the multiplexing and packetizing so that a number of bits of the multiplexed stream to be packetized into the transport packets corresponds to an integral multiple of a number of bits of a payload area of the transport packets.

14. A method for processing a video stream encoded by a video encoder and an audio stream encoded by an audio encoder, comprising the steps of:

multiplexing the video stream and the audio stream to generate a multiplexed stream;

packetizing the multiplexed stream into a plurality of transport packets;

controlling the multiplexing and packetizing so that a boundary of a frame period of said video stream is aligned with a boundary of the transport packets.

15. Stream processing apparatus for processing a video stream encoded by a video encoder and an audio stream encoded by an audio encoder, the apparatus comprising:

multiplexing means for multiplexing said video stream and said audio stream to generate a multiplexed stream;

packetizing means for packetizing said multiplexed stream into a plurality of transport packets;

means for controlling the multiplexing and packetizing so that a boundary of a frame period of said video stream is aligned with a boundary of said transport packets.

16. Stream processing apparatus for processing a video stream encoded by a video encoder and an audio stream encoded by an audio encoder, the apparatus comprising:

multiplexing means for multiplexing said video stream and said audio stream based on a multiplexing schedule to generate a multiplexed stream;

packetizing means for packetizing said multiplexed stream into a plurality of transport packets based on a packetizing schedule;

transmitting means to transport said packets including said video stream and said audio stream; and

scheduling means for generating said multiplexing schedule and said packetizing schedule every video frame period based on bit remaining capacities of system target decoder buffers for buffering a transmitted video stream and transmitted audio stream so as to prevent overflowing and underflowing of said system target decoder buffers, wherein said multiplexing schedule defines at least a number of bits of said audio stream to be transmitted within said video frame period and a number of bits of said video stream to be transmitted within said video frame period.

17. A method for processing a video stream encoded by a video encoder and an audio stream encoded by an audio encoder, comprising the steps of:

multiplexing said video stream and said audio stream based on a multiplexing schedule to generate a multiplexed stream;

packetizing the multiplexed stream into a plurality of transport packets based on a packetizing schedule;

transporting the packets including the video stream and the audio stream;

generating the multiplexing schedule and the packetizing schedule every video frame period based on bit remaining capacities of system target decoder buffers for buffering a transmitted video stream and transmitted audio stream so as to prevent overflowing and underflowing of the system target decoder buffers, wherein the multiplexing schedule defines at least a number of bits of the audio stream to be transmitted within the video frame period and a number of bits of the video stream to be transmitted within the video frame period.