Apparatus for processing a control command sequence as well as a method for generating a control command sequence, and a storage medium for storing a control command sequence

• US 6,636,691 B2
• Filed: 03/19/1998
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deutsche Thomson-Brandt Gmbh (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Winter, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US09/044,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20030133698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,042 Days
• Field of Search: 386/83, 386/46, 386/95, 386/1, 386/45, 386/125-126, 369/47, 369/48, 369/54, 369/58, 369/59, 712/229, 712/231, 712/234, 712/233, 712/208, 712/300, 712/214, 712/200, 712/36, 712/245, 709/100, 709/106, 717/1-5, 708/3, 348/461, 348/465, 348/467, 348/468, 348/473, 348/476, 348/477-479
• US Class Current: 386/230
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/02 Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/1251 for continuous data, e.g. digitised analog information signals, pulse code modulated [PCM] data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded
• 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 27/36 Monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing for digital recording G11B20/00 and s.gr.; for monitoring, testing or measuring of TV recorders of the type covered by H04N5/76 and subgroups, see H04N17/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/9205 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

Control command processing apparatus has first decoding means which decodes a predetermined set of control commands. When a first end command is processed, the address of the end command is compared with an address information item with regard to the beginning of the next control command sequence and, from the difference between the addresses it is identified whether the end command is additionally followed by further control commands of a second set of control commands. These commands are then processed by further decoding means. Undefined states are thereby prevented.

Claims

1. Apparatus for processing display control command sequences of a sub-picture unit in a video stream for displaying additional information on a display device, said apparatus having decoding means for the display control commands, the decoding means being designed to decode a set of basic display control commands, as well as a set of additional display control commands, in a display control command sequence, the display control commands of the set of basic display control commands being positioned at the beginning and the display control commands of the set of additional display control commands being positioned at the end of the display control command sequence separated by an end command, a display control command sequence having an address information item, which specifies the start address of the next display control command sequence;

the decoding means being designed to decode the display control commands of the set of basic display control commands in a display control command sequence one after the other and being designed in such a way that when an end command is processed, they carry out a comparison of the address of the end command with the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence and identify, from the difference between addresses, whether the end command is additionally followed by at least one further display control command from the set of additional display control commands, and in that

the decoding means are designed in such a way that they process the at least one further display control command of the set of additional display control commands if it has been identified that at least one further display control command additionally follows.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, in which the decoding means are designed in such a way that when a further end command is processed after the processing of the at least one further display control command they begin the processing of the next display control command sequence at the address which is specified by the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, in which, for the case where no other display control command sequence is provided as the next display control command sequence, the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence specifies the beginning of the last display control command sequence, and in which, when the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence is decoded following the decoding of the last end command, the control of the unit to be controlled is set or the last display control command sequence is repeated.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, in which the decoding means are designed in such a way that, for the case where the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence points to the beginning of the last display control command sequence, in addition or as an alternative to the comparison of the addresses of the end command and the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence, the decoding means check whether the address of the first end command is the last or penultimate address of the sub-picture unit, and in which, if that is not the case, it is identified that the first end command is additionally followed by at least one further display control command which is selected from the set of additional display control commands.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the apparatus has a memory unit in which the display control commands of the display control command sequence can be stored.

6. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the display unit is a television set and the decoding means are integrated in a film playback device.

7. Method for generating a display control command sequence for a display unit, which is provided for an instruction decoding apparatus for processing a display control command sequence according to one of claims 1 to 6 or 8, the display control command sequence having first display control commands which are selected from a set of basic display control commands being known to a first version of decoding units, characterized in that:

a number of second display control commands which are selected from a set of additional display control commands are provided in the display control command sequence, the set of basic and additional display control commands being known to a second version of decoding units, and in that;

the number of second display control commands are arranged in combination after the display control commands of the basic set, the second display control commands being separated from the first display control commands by an end commande.

8. Method according to claim 7, in which the display control command sequence is stored on a storage medium, in particular a storage disk or a magnetic tape.

9. Storage medium for storing a display control commands sequence of a sub-picture unit in a video stream for displaying additional information on a display device, the display control commands being stored sequentially on the storage medium, the display control command sequence having first display control commands which are selected from a set of basic display control commands, being known to a first version of decoding units, wherein the display control command sequence comprises an address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence, characterized in that:

the sequence furthermore has a number of second display control commands which are selected from a set of additional display control commands, the set of basic and the set of additional display control commands being known to a second version of decoding units, the display control commands of the set of additional display control commands being stored in such a way that they are arranged after the display control commands of the basic set, so that they are read out only after the display control commands of the basic set, the second display control commands being separated from the first display control commands by an end command.

10. Storage medium according to claim 9, in which said storage medium is designed as a magnetic tape or as a storage disk.

11. Method for processing display control command sequences of a sub-picture unit in a video stream for displaying additional information on a display device, the display control commands being partitioned in a set of basic display control commands, as well as a set of additional display control commands, in a display control command sequence, the basic display control commands being positioned at the beginning and the additional display control commands being positioned at the end of the display control command sequence separated by an end command, a display control command sequence having an address information item, which specifies the start address of the next display control command sequence, comprising the steps of:

decoding the display control commands of the set of basic display control commands in a display control command sequence one after the other and when an end command is processed,

comparing the address of the end command with the address information item regarding the start address of the next display control command sequence and

identifying, from the difference between the addresses, whether the end command is additionally followed by at least one further display control command from the set of additional display control commands, and

processing the at least one further display control command of the set of additional display control commands if it has been identified that at least one further display control command additionally follows.