Video timing system and method

• US 6,636,269 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1999
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Baldwin, James A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Miller, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): YENKE, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US09/377,300
• Time in Patent Office: 1,525 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N.700, H04/N.964, 348/497, 348/500, 348/510-518, 348/714, 348/501, 348/536, 348/194, 375/372, 386/111, 386/112, 369/60.01
• US Class Current: 348/500
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/04 Partial updating of the display screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/02 Improving the quality of display appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/125 wherein one of the images is motion video
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/04 Synchronising for television systems using pulse code modulation H04N7/56
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/0736 using digital storage buffer techniques

Abstract

A video timing system and method. The method typically includes receiving from an input video stream an input video field in a video buffer, transmitting an output video field from the video buffer to an output video stream, measuring a time interval between a predetermined point on the input video field and a predetermined point on the output video field, and altering timing of the output video stream where the time interval is outside a predetermined range.

Claims

1. A method for producing an output video stream from an input video stream, the method comprising:

receiving from the input video stream an input video field in a video buffer,

selecting a predetermined point in the input video field;

transmitting at least a portion of an output video field from the video buffer to the output video stream;

selecting a predetermined point in the output video field that corresponds with the predetermined point selected in the input video field;

measuring a time interval between the selected predetermined points;

determining whether the time interval is outside a predetermined range; and

whenever it is determined that the time interval is outside the predetermined range, altering timing of the output video stream to compensate by skipping or repeating a portion of the output streain, such that the measured interval will thereafter fall within the predetermined range.

2. The method of claim 1, where delaying includes repeating transmission of a part of the output video field.

3. The method of claim 2, where repeating is accomplished by lowering a value in a position indicator associated with the video buffer.

4. The method of claim 3, where the position indicator includes a pixel counter, and repeating is accomplished by lowering a value in the pixel buffer.

5. The method of claim 1, where accelerating includes skipping transmission of part of the second video field.

6. The method of claim 5, where skipping is accomplished by raising a value in a position indicator associated with the video buffer.

7. The method of claim 6, where the position indicator includes a pixel counter, and skipping is accomplished by raising a value in the pixel counter.

8. The method of claim 1, where altering is accomplished within a portion of the output video field that is not viewable on a video display.

9. The method of claim 8, where altering is accomplished before a vertical sync pulse in a later output video field.

10. The method of claim 8, where altering is accomplished during a vertical blaming interval in the output video field.

11. The method of claim 8, where altering is accomplished during an overscan line in the output video field.

12. The method of claim 8, where altering is accomplished on the first line after the last viewable line of the output video field.

13. The method of claim 1, where measuring the time interval between the first predetermined point and the second predetermined point includes measuring a time interval between receiving the input video field in the video frame buffer and transmitting the output video filed in the output video stream.

14. The method of claim 1, where the first predetermined point is a vertical sync pulse.

15. The method of claim 1, where the second predetermined point is created from a vertical sync pulse.

16. The method of claim 1, where the output video field is created from the input video field.

17. The method of claim 1, where altering includes accelerating transmission of a portion of a later output video field in the output video stream.

18. The method of claim 1, where altering includes delaying transmission of a portion of a later output video field in the output video stream.

19. The method of claim 1, were the predetermined range is less than or equal to the period of a reference output video filed in the output video stream.

20. The method of claim 1, where selecting a predetermined point in the input video field comprises selecting a point that is within a static portion of a waveform.

21. The method of claim 1, where selecting a predetermined point in the input video field comprises selecting a point that is nonanalogous to the predetermined point in the output video field.

22. A system comprising:

a video buffer configured to store an input video field from an input video stream;

a video generator coupled to the video buffer, the video generator being configured to generate an output video field based on the input video field and transmit the output video field in an output video stream;

a timer associated with the video buffer, the timer being configured to measure a time interval between a fist arbitrarily selected point on the input video field and a second arbitray selected point on the output video field; and

a controller associated with the timer, the controller being configured to alter the timing of the output video stream in whenever it is determined that the time interval is outside an arbitrarily selected range.

23. The system of claim 22, where the timer is configured to measure the time interval between receipt of the input video field in the buffer and transmission of the output video field in the output video stream.

24. The system of claim 22, where at least one of the arbitrarily selected points is a vertical sync pulse.

25. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

a counter associated with the video generator, the counter being configured to hold a value, where the value indicates a portion of an input video field to transmit to the output video stream;

where the controller is configured to raise the value in the counter when be time interval is greater than the predetermined range, thereby causing the video generator to kip transmission of a portion of the input video field to the output video stream.

26. The system of claim 25, where the portion of the output video field skipped by the video generator is not viewable on a video display.

27. The system of claim 25, where the portion of the output video field skipped by the video generator is on an overscan line of the output video field.

28. The system of claim 25, where the portion of the output video field repeated by the generator is on a first line after the last viewable line in the output video field.

29. The system of claim 25, where the portion of the output video field skipped by the video generator is before a vertical sync pulse in a subsequent output video field in the output video stream.

30. The system of claim 25, where the portion of the output video field skipped by the video generator is within a vertical blanking interval in the output video field.

31. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

counter associated with the video generator, the counter being configured to hold a value, where the value indicates a portion of an input video field to transmit to the output video stream;

where the controller is configured to lower the value in the counter when the time interval is greater than predetermined range, thereby causing the video generator to repeat transmission of a portion of the input video field to the output video stream.

32. The system of claim 31, where the portion of the output video field repeated by the video generator is not viewable on a video display.

33. The system of claim 31, where the portion of the output video field repeated by the video generator is on an overscan line in the output video field.

34. The system of claim 31, where the portion of the output video field repeated by the video generator is on a first line after the last viewable line in the output video filed.

35. The system of claim 31, where the portion of the output video field repeated by the video generator is before a vertical sync pulse in a subsequent output video field in the output video stream.

36. The system of claim 31, where the portion of the output video field repeated by the video generator is within a vertical blanking interval in the output video field.

37. The system of claim 30, where the video generator is configured to skip a portion of a later output video field in the output video stream if the time interval is greater than the arbitrarily selected range.

38. The system of claim 37, where the portion of the later output field to be skipped is nonviewable.

39. The system of claim 32, where the video generator is configured to repeat a portion of a later output video field in the output video stream if the time interval is less than the arbitarily selected range.

40. The system of claim 33, where the portion of the later output field to be repeated is nonviewable.

41. A method for producing an output video stream from an input video stream, the method comprising:

receiving from the input video stream an input video field in a video buffer;

selecting a predetermined point in the input video field;

transmitting at least a portion of an output video field from the video buffer to the output video stream;

selecting a predetermined point in the output video field that corresponds with the predetermined point selected in the input video field;

measuring a time internal between the selected predetermined points;

determining whether the time interval is outside a predetermined range;

if the time interval is outside the selected range, altering timing of the output video stream to compensate by skipping or repeating a portion of the output stream, such that the measured interval will thereafter fall within the predetermined range;

selecting a second predetermined point in the input video field;

measuring a second time interval between the second predetemined point and the predetermined point of the output video field;

determning if the timing of the output video stream should be altered based on the second time interval.

42. A method for producing an output video stream from an input video stream, the method comprising:

receiving from the input video stream an input video field in a video buffer,

selecting a predetermined point in the input video field;

transmitting at least a portion of an output video field from the video buffer to the output video stream;

selecting a predetermined point in the output video field that responds with the predetermined point selected in the input video field, wherein the predetermined points in the input video field and output video field are selected from reference points other than vertical syncs and horizontal syncs;

measuring a time interval between the selected predetermined points;

determining whether the time interval is outside a predetermined range; and

if the time intenral is outside the selected range, altering timing of the output video stream to compensate by skipping or repeating a portion of the output stream, such that the measured interval will thereafter fall within the predetermined range.

43. The method of claim 42, where selecting a predetermined point in the input video field comprises selecting a point that is within a static portion of a waveform.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the predetermined points comprise nonanalogous positions within the input and output video fields.

45. The method of claim 42, where altering includes:

if the time interval is greater than an upper limit of the arbitrarily selected range, accelerating transmission of the output video field in the output video stream; and

if the time interval is less than a lower limit of the arbitrarily selected range, delaying tramsission of the output video field in the output video stream.

46. The method of claim 42, where altering occurs in a nonviewable portion of the output video stream.

47. The method of claim 42, where altering occurs on an overscan line of the output video stream.

48. The method of claim 42, where altering occurs before a vertical sync pulse of the output video stream.

49. The method of claim 42, where altering occurs in a vertical blanking interval of the output video stream.