Image processing apparatus and method for reproducing at least an image from a digital data sequence

• US 6,377,309 B1
• Filed: 01/10/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Takahashi, Koji, Ito, Masamichi
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIA, SHERRIE Y
• Application Number:
  US09/480,179
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.544, H04/N.327, H04/N.546, H04/N.5445, H04/N.545, 348/553, 348/554, 348/555, 348/558, 348/563, 348/564, 348/565, 348/584
• US Class Current: 348/554
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/20 using video object coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream

Abstract

Upon implementing multi-functional TV broadcast and the like, it is desired to obtain information that pertains to a main image or that the user wants occasionally, if it does not pertain to the main image, in the form of an image as sub data with a small information size which is appended to the main image. For this purpose, MPEG4 data of sub TV information multiplexed in an MPEG2 datastream of the received and selected digital TV broadcast program is detected, and it is checked based on that detection result if MPEG4 data is included in the MPEG2 datastream. If MPEG4 data is included, an MPEG4 datastream is demultiplexed from the MPEG2 datastream, MPEG2 and MPEG4 data are respectively demultiplexed into sound, image, and system data, the demultiplexed data are decoded, and the output formats of MPEG2 image and sound data and MPEG4 scene and sound data are set.

Claims

1. An image processing apparatus comprising:

inputting means for inputting a data stream of MPEG 2;

detecting means for detecting a data stream of MPEG 4 inserted into the data stream of MPEG 2;

separating means for separating the data stream of MPEG2 and/or the data stream of MPEG 4 to a plurality of data;

decoding means for decoding the separated data; and

controlling means for controlling at least reproduction of image data decoded by said decoding means based on a result of said detecting means.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inputting means inputs the data stream of MPEG 2 which is broadcasted as a digital television broadcast.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said inputting means inputs the data stream of MPEG 2 which is reproduced from a data storage medium.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising instruction inputting means for manualy inputting a instruction to be supplied to said controlling means so as to instruct a reproduction method of at least decoded image data.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data stream of MPEG 4 includes sound data and system data, and said controlling means controls reproduction of the decoded image data and/or decoded sound data in accordance with decoded system data.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the data stream of MPEG 4 is inserted into an adaptation field of the data stream of MPEG 2.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the data stream of MPEG 4 is ignored by an apparatus which has no decoder for MPEG 4.

8. An image processing method comprising the steps of:

inputting a data stream of MPEG 2;

detecting a data stream of MPEG 4 inserted into the data stream of MPEG 2;

separating the data stream of MPEG2 and/or the data stream of MPEG 4 to a plurality of data;

decoding the separated data; and

controlling at least reproduction of image data decoded by said decoding means based on a result of the detection.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said inputting step inputs the data stream of MPEG 2 which is broadcasted as a digital television broadcast.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said inputting step inputs the data stream of MPEG 2 which is reproduced from a data storage medium.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of manualy inputting a instruction to be supplied to said controlling step so as to instruct a reproduction method of at least decoded image data.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the data stream of MPEG 4 includes sound data and system data, and said controlling step controls reproduction of the decoded image data and/or decoded sound data in accordance with decoded system data.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the data stream of MPEG 4 is inserted into an adaptation field of the data stream of MPEG 2.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the data stream of MPEG 4 is ignored by an apparatus which has no decoder for MPEG 4.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer program code, for an image processing, said product comprising:

input process procedure code for inputting a data stream of MPEG 2;

detection process procedure code for detecting a data stream of MPEG 4 inserted into the data stream of MPEG 2;

separation process procedure code for separating the data stream of MPEG2 and/or the data stream of MPEG 4 to a plurality of data;

decoding process procedure code for decoding the separated data; and

control process procedure code for controlling at least reproduction of image data decoded by said decoding process procedure code based on a result of the detection.