High definition media storage structure and playback mechanism

• US 6,865,747 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2000
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Digital Video Express LP
• Inventors: Mercier, Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): BOCCIO, VINCENT F
• Application Number:
  US09/540,557
• Time in Patent Office: 1,803 Days
• Field of Search: H04/N00.7/173, 725/131, 725/132, 725/139, 725/141, 725/151, 725/153, 725/92, 725/93, 725/94, 725/31, 386/46, 386/68, 386/94, 386/83, 380/201, 380/203
• US Class Current: 725/94
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00289 wherein the key is stored as a watermark
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00884 involving a watermark, i.e. a barely perceptible transformation of the original data which can nevertheless be recognised by an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00891 embedded in audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2579 HD-DVDs [high definition DVDs]; AODs [advanced optical discs]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/005 Reproducing at a different information rate from the information rate of recording for television signals H04N5/783
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/034 on discs G11B27/036, G11B27/038 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4135 external recorder interface circuits between an apparatus for recording television signals and a television receiver H04N5/775
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42646 for reading from or writing on a non-volatile solid state storage medium, e.g. DVD, CD-ROM
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4325 by playing back content from the storage medium reproduction of recorded television signals H04N5/76; reproduction of recorded television signals H04N9/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4344 Remultiplexing of multiplex streams, e.g. by modifying time stamps or remapping the packet identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4402 involving reformatting operations of video signals for household redistribution, storage or real-time display details of conversion of video standards at pixel level H04N7/01; video transcoding H04N19/40; adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal G09G5/005; media handling at the source in data packet switching networks H04L65/764
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4405 involving video stream decryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44055 by partially decrypting, e.g. decrypting a video stream that has been partially encrypted
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4408 involving video stream encryption, e.g. re-encrypting a decrypted video stream for redistribution in a home network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4542 Blocking scenes or portions of the received content, e.g. censoring scenes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8358 involving watermark protecting executable software by watermarking G06F21/16; image watermarking in general G06T1/0021; watermarks inserted in still images for transmission purposes H04N1/32144; inserting watermarks during video coding H04N19/467

Abstract

An apparatus and method for storing and playing high definition content is disclosed. This invention provides a mechanism for storing and playing back high definition content on a medium such as DVD optical disc. One aspect of the invention is that elementary streams may be multiplexed and processed in a high definition media player instead of at authoring time. Another aspect of the invention is that it provides for extended real-time features such as inserting watermarks into the content stream, decrypting selected sections of the content stream, and performing trick playback display modes.

Claims

1. An apparatus for playing high definition content comprising:

(a) a media player for receiving the high definition content from a media source, said high definition content contained in data packets and said data packets contained in sectors;

(b) a content processor for processing said high definition content into transport packets, said content processor further includes a trick mode generator, wherein said trick mode generator can create a pause effect by iteratively inserting into the video elementary stream a sequence comprising;

 

(i) an intra-coded picture frame; and

 

(ii) a multitude of predictive frames;

(c) a transport packet modulator for modulating said transport packets; and

(d) a controller.

2. An apparatus for playing high definition content comprising:

(a) a media player for receiving the high definition content from a media source, said high definition content contained in data packets and said data packets contained in sectors;

(b) a content processor for processing said high definition content into transport packets;

(c) a transport packet modulator for modulating said transport packets;

(d) a controller; and

(e) an HD-TV comprising;

(i) a decrypter;

(ii) a demultiplexer,

(iii) a watermark buffer for receiving watermark data;

(iv) a video buffer for receiving video data; and

(v) a watermark inserter for inserting watermarks into the video data, determined by the video data and watermark data.

3. A method for playing high definition content comprising:

(a) receiving the high definition content from a media source, said high definition content contained in data packets and said data packets contained in sectors;

(b) processing said high definition content into transport packets by;

(i) buffering received watermark data;

(ii) buffering received video data;

(iii) buffering received audio data;

(iv) inserting watermarks into the video data, determined by the video data and watermark data; and

(v) generating transport packets;

(c) modulating said transport packets; and

(d) outputting the modulated transport packets.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step inserting watermarks into the video data, determined by the video data and watermark data further comprises inserting a watermark into said video data by replacing a watermark marker in said video data with a watermark determined by information in a corresponding watermark data sector in said watermark data.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said step inserting watermarks into the video data, determined by the video data and watermark data further includes inserting watermarks into specific locations in said video data determined by frame offsets, and presentation time stamps in said watermark data.

6. A method for playing high definition content comprising:

(a) receiving the high definition content from a media source, said high definition content contained in data packets and said data packets contained in sectors;

(b) processing said high definition content into transport packets by generating a pause effect by iteratively inserting into the video elementary stream a sequence comprising;

 

(i) an Intra-coded picture frame; and

 

(ii) a multitude of predictive frames;

(c) modulating said transport packets; and

(d) outputting the modulated transport packets.