Digital recording and playback apparatus having MPEG CODEC and method therefor

• US 6,862,402 B2
• Filed: 10/19/1998
• Issued: 03/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet International Limited (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jae-hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Application Number:
  US09/174,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20020118953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,325 Days
• Field of Search: 386/52, 386/64, 386111-112, 386/98, 386/96, 375/240.04, 375/240.05, 375/240.21, 356/52, 356/64, 356/111, 356/112, 356/98, 356/96
• US Class Current: 386/330
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/115 Selection of the code volume for a coding unit prior to coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/124 Quantisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/14 Coding unit complexity, e.g. amount of activity or edge presence estimation H04N19/146 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/146 Data rate or code amount at the encoder output
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/152 by measuring the fullness of the transmission buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/172 the region being a picture, frame or field
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/174 the region being a slice, e.g. a line of blocks or a group of blocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/176 the region being a block, e.g. a macroblock
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/52 Systems for transmission of a pulse code modulated video signal with one or more other pulse code modulated signals, e.g. an audio signal or a synchronizing signal assembling of a multiplex stream by combining a video stream with other content or additional data, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, insertion of stuffing bits into the multiplex stream, assembling of a packetised elementary stream at server side H04N21/236; disassembling of a multiplex stream, remultiplexing of multiplex streams, extraction or processing of Service Information, disassembling of packetised elementary stream at client side H04N21/434

Abstract

A digital recording and playback apparatus adopting an MPEG encoder and decoder, and a method thereof. The digital recording and playback apparatus includes: a first encoder for coding input video data in picture units, and outputting coded video data; a second encoder for coding input audio data and outputting coded audio data; a packetized elementary stream (PES) packetizer for packetizing the coded video data and audio data and user data into each PES, and outputting a video PES, audio PES and user PES; and a transport stream (TS) packetizer for multiplexing the video PES, audio PES and user PES into a TS. The digital recording and playback apparatus can be compatible with a digital television or multimedia applications adopting the MPEG standard, and can perform editing in picture units as well as high-speed search.

Claims

1. A digital recording and playback apparatus for recording and playing back digital data, comprising:

a first encoder for coding input video data in picture units, and outputting coded video data, wherein the input video data includes data other than P-data, and at least said data other than P-data is converted using only an intra coding mode;

a second encoder for coding input audio data and outputting coded audio data;

a packetized elementary stream (PES) packetizer for packetizing the coded video data and the coded audio data and user data into each PES, and outputting a video PES, an audio PES and a user PES; and

a transport stream (TS) packetizer for multiplexing the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES into a TS.

2. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first encoder comprises:

a discrete cosine transform (DCT) unit for performing DCT on the input video data in picture units according to a DCT mode, to generate DCT coefficients;

a scanner &

quantizer for quantizing the DCT coefficients according to a quantization step size and arranging quantized data in a row;

a variable length encoder for run-length-coding the quantized data arranged in a row, and variable-length-coding the run-length-coded data, and outputting variable-length-coded data;

a buffer for accumulating a bit amount of the variable-length-coded data and outputting an accumulated bit amount;

an activity calculator for calculating activity of the video data and allocating the bit amount in slice units; and

a bit rate controller for controlling the quantization step size such that the accumulated bit amount is not over the bit amount allocated in slice units.

3. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 2, wherein the activity calculator estimates the quantization step size in slice units based on the bit amount allocated in slice units.

4. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 2, wherein the activity calculator estimates the quantization step size in macroblock units based on the bit amount allocated in slice units.

5. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 2, wherein the bit rate controller controls the quantization step size in macroblock units.

6. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a TS depacketizer for extracting the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES from the TS;

a PES depacketizer for depacketizing the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES into a video bit stream, an audio bit stream and a user bit stream, respectively;

a first decoder for restoring the video data from the video bit stream; and

a second decoder for restoring the audio data from the audio bit rate.

7. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first decoder comprises:

a variable length decoder for variable-length-decoding the video data by extracting the video data and quantization step size information from the video bit stream, run-length-decoding variable-length-decoded data, and outputting the run-length-decoded data;

an inverse scanner &

inverse quantizer for inverse-scanning the run-length-decoded data and inverse quantizing the inverse-scanned data according to the quantization step size information, and outputting the inverse quantized data; and

an inverse discrete cosine transform (IDCT) unit for performing an IDCT on the inverse quantized data and outputting IDCT data.

8. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first decoder further comprises an up-sampler for up-sampling a color signal, which has been down-sampled during a coding process, from the IDCT data.

9. The digital recording and playback apparatus of claim 1, wherein the output coded video data is only I-data.

10. A digital recording and playback apparatus for recording and playing back digital data, comprising:

a first encoder for coding input video data in picture units, and outputting coded video data;

a second encoder for coding input audio data and outputting coded audio data;

a packetized elementary stream (PES) packetizer for packetizing the coded video data and the coded audio data and user data into each PBS, and outputting a video PES, an audio PES and a user PES; and

a transport stream (TS) packetizer for multiplexing the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES into a TS,

wherein the first encoder comprises;

a discrete cosine transform (DCT) unit for performing DCT on the input video data in picture units according to a DCT mode, to generate DCT coefficients;

a scanner &

quantizer for quantizing the DCT coefficients according to a quantization step size and arranging quantized data in a row;

a variable length encoder for run-length-coding the quantized data arranged in a row, and variable-length-coding the run-length-coded data, and outputting variable-length-coded data;

a buffer for accumulating a bit amount of the variable-length-coded data and outputting an accumulated bit amount;

an activity calculator for calculating activity of the video data and allocating the bit amount in slice units;

a bit rate controller for controlling the quantization step size such that the accumulated bit amount is not over the bit amount allocated in slice units, after variable-length-coding the run-length-coded data;

a down-sampler for sub-sampling a color signal from input video data;

a frame memory for storing the video data received directly from the down-sampler; and

a DCT type estimator for estimating which compression rate is higher between when the video data stored in the frame memory is discrete-cosine-transformed in frame units or field units.

11. A digital recording and playback apparatus for recording and playing back digital data, comprising:

a first encoder for coding input video data in picture units, and outputting coded video data, wherein the video data is coded by an intra coding mode;

a second encoder for coding input audio data and outputting coded audio data;

a packetized elementary stream (PES) packetizer for packetizing the coded video data and the coded audio data and user data into each PES, and outputting a video PES, an audio PES and a user PES; and

a transport stream (TS) packetizer for multiplexing the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES into a TS,

wherein the TS packetizer multiplexes a TS having a 6-hierarchy structure including a sequence layer representing a group of pictures having the same attributes, a group of picture (GOP) layer having one picture for editing in picture units, a picture layer having only an intra picture, a slice layer having quantization information which is common information of sub-pictures obtained by dividing one picture by a predetermined length, a macroblock layer further divided from the slice layer, and a block layer having DCT coefficients.

12. A digital recording and playback method comprising the steps of:

(a) coding input video data in picture units, to generate coded video data, wherein the input video data includes data other than P-data, and at least said data other than P-data is converted using only an intra coding mode;

(b) coding input audio data to generate coded audio data;

(c) packetizing the coded video data into a packetized elementary stream (PES) to generate a video PES;

(d) packetizing the coded audio data into a PES to generate an audio PES;

(e) packetizing user data into a PES to generate a user PES; and

(f) multiplexing the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES into a transport stream (TS).

13. The digital recording and playback method of claim 12, wherein in the step (a), the coding is performed in slice units having a plurality of macroblocks, to allow playback at a multiple times speed.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the steps of:

(g) extracting a video PES, an audio PES and a user PES from the TS;

(h) depacketizing the video PES into a video bit stream;

(I) depacketizing the audio PES into an audio bit stream;

(j) depacketizing the user PES into the user data;

(k) restoring the video data from the video bit stream; and

(l) restoring the audio data from the audio bit stream.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step (k) comprises the sub-steps of:

(k1) extracting the video data and quantization step size information from the video bit stream to variable-length-decode the video data, and outputting variable-length-decoded data;

(k2) run-length-decoding the variable-length-decoded data to output the run-length-decoded data;

(k3) inverse-scanning the run-length-decoded data to output the inverse-scanned data;

(k4) inverse quantizing the inverse-scanned data according to the quantization step size information to output inverse quantized data;

(k5) performing an inverse-discrete-cosine-transform (IDCT) on the inverse quantized data, to apply the IDCT data; and

(k6) up-sampling a color signal, which has been down-sampled during a coding process, from the IDCT data, and restoring the video data.

16. The digital recording and playback method of claim 12, wherein the generated coded video data is only I-data.

17. A digital recording and playback method comprising the steps of:

(a) coding input video data in picture units for coding, to generate coded video data, wherein the video data is coded by an intra coding mode;

(b) coding input audio data to generate coded audio data;

(c) packetizing the coded video data into a packetized elementary stream (PES) to generate a video PES;

(d) packetizing the coded audio data into a PES to generate an audio PES;

(e) packetizing user data into a PES to generate a user PES; and

(f) multiplexing the video PES, the audio PES and the user PES into a transport stream (TS),

wherein the step (a) comprises the sub-steps of;

(a1) sub-sampling a color signal from the input video data in picture units;

(a2) performing a discrete cosine transform (DCT) on the input video data in picture units, according to a DCT mode, to generate DCT coefficients;

(a3) estimating which compression rate is higher between when the DCT is performed on the video data in frame units and when the DCT is performed on the video data in field units, to generate a control signal according to the DCT mode;

(a4) quantizing the DCT coefficients according to a quantization step size, to generate quantized data;

(a5) arranging the quantized data in a row;

(a6) run-length-coding the quantized data arranged in a row, to output run-length-coded data;

(a7) variable-length-coding the run-length-coded data, to output variable-length-coded data;

(a8) accumulating a bit amount of the variable-length-coded data, to output an accumulated bit amount;

(a9) calculating activity of the video data to allocate the bit amount in slice units; and

(a10) controlling the quantization step size such that the accumulated bit amount is not greater than the bit amount allocated in slice units.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the bit amount in slice units is varied and the bit amount in a picture is fixed, and if the accumulated bit amount is greater than the bit amount allocated in slice units, the remaining bit amount is transferred to the next slice to be used for data coding in the next slice.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the step (a) further comprises the sub-step of estimating the quantization step size in slice units based on the bit amount allocated in slice units.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the step (a) further comprises the sub-step of estimating the quantization step size in macroblock units based on the bit amount allocated in slice units.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein in the sub-step (a10) the quantization step size is controlled in macroblock units.