Method and apparatus for the display of still images from image files

• US 7,202,893 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Schick, Darryl R., Zlotnik, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Natnael; Paulos M.
• Application Number:
  US11/028,996
• Publication Number:
  US 20050163463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 348/220, 348/207, 348/3, 348/9, 348503-508, 348/522, 386/46
• US Class Current: 348/239
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00132 in a digital photofinishing system, i.e. a system where digital photographic images undergo typical photofinishing processing, e.g. printing ordering
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00161 Viewing or previewing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00167 Processing or editing H04N1/00196 - H04N1/00201 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00196 Creation of a photo-montage, e.g. photoalbum H04N1/0019 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00297 with a television signal recorder, e.g. for recording facsimile images on a VCR motion video recording combined with still video recording in a still video camera H04N1/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/2158 using a detachable storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0041 Point to point H04N2201/0039 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0049 By wire, cable or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset

Abstract

An apparatus for displaying digital image files on a standard display device such as a television set is provided in the form of a set-top box. The box includes an integrated circuit and memory buffer for computing an image from a file, a second memory buffer for storing computed images, and a video output for delivering the images to the display device. Preferably, the set-top box also includes an infrared receiver for remote operation. The set-top box receives the image files from standard storage media such as floppy disks.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying an image corresponding to a digital image file, comprising:

a) an image processing memory portion, the image processing memory portion including an image buffer for the computation of an image from a digital image file;

b) an integrated circuit in communication with the image processing memory portion, the circuit including integrated processing capability for the computation of the image from the digital image file; and

c) a video memory portion in communication with the circuit, the video memory portion being capable of storing the computed image and a plurality of other computed images that are computed by the circuit;

wherein the integrated processing capability includes converting the digital image file into a viewable bitmapped image and filtering the viewable bitmapped image to reduce the seventy of at least one television display artifact selected from the group consisting of cross-luminance, cross-chrominance, and video flicker.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control processing unit that is capable of providing one or more of:

a) file system processing operations directed to a storage device or interface that provides the digital image file;

b) parsing, interpretation, and validation of compressed image file headers;

c) interpretation and execution of user commands; and

d) coordination of image processing operations of the integrated circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a non-volatile memory portion that contains executable program code defining one or more operational characteristics of the apparatus or of a device into which the apparatus is incorporated, and that also contains one or more images used for informational or background display purposes.

4. The-apparatus of claim 1, further comprising one or more SDRAM controllers that provide control memory initialization, read and write cycles, and refresh operations.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one bus arbitration and multiplexing logic device that allows the image processing memory portion, the video memory portion, the integrated circuit, and file storage media to share one or more common signals.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the integrated processing capability further includes rescaling the viewable bitmapped image to fit an available viewing area of a television display.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the integrated processing capability further includes converting the viewable bitmapped image into a television video signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising an output that is capable of delivering any of the computed images to a display device without performing further digital computation.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the integrated circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit or a field programmable gate array.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuit is further capable of providing one or more of picture-in-picture video insertion, split-image display, and image transition effects.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the circuit is further capable of providing an image navigation function, whereby the circuit increments or decrements an image index counter in response to user commands.

12. A method of processing a digital image file, comprising:

a) receiving a first compressed image file corresponding to a first still picture;

b) creating, using a processor and an image processor memory buffer, a first decompressed image file corresponding to the first compressed image file;

c) convening the first decompressed image file to a first composite video signal, wherein the converting includes at least one of;

(i) rescaling the first decompressed image file in a horizontal dimension to correspond to a number of visible horizontal pixels on a television display,

(ii) filtering the first decompressed image file in the horizontal dimension to reduce chrominance bandwidth and associated video cross-luminance artifacts,

(iii) filtering the first decompressed image file in the horizontal dimension to reduce luminance bandwidth and associated video cross-chrominance artifacts,

(iv) rescaling the first decompressed image file in a vertical dimension to correspond to a number of visible scanlines on a television display,

(v) filtering the first decompressed image file in the vertical dimension to reduce inter-frame flicker,

(vi) rotating the picture associated with first decompressed image file in response to a user command, and

(vii) converting the first decompressed image file into a first chrominance-modulated video signal using digital computation methods including luminance gain scaling, luminance level offset, chrominance gain scaling, and chrominance quadrature modulation;

d) transferring the first composite video signal to a video memory buffer; and

e) delivering the first composite video signal to a display device or video output.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the converting step comprises converting the first decompressed image file to a corresponding analog signal using a digital-to-analog converter circuit and lowpass filter.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

a) receiving at least one additional compressed image file corresponding to at least one additional still picture; and

b) creating, using the processor and the image processor memory buffer, at least one additional decompressed image file corresponding to the at least one additional compressed image file.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

a) a digital media reader capable of reading a plurality of compressed image files;

b) an image processor and image processing memory portion capable of, in combination, computing an image corresponding to each of the compressed image files;

c) a video memory portion that is separate from the image processing memory portion and capable of storing computed images; and

d) an infrared or wireless remote control device, wherein the remote control device contains one or more of;

(i) a button that, when activated, causes a next image in sequence to be displayed,

(ii) a button that, when activated, causes a previous image in sequence to be displayed,

(iii) a button that, when activated, causes the device to be enabled or disabled,

(iv) a button that, when activated, causes the device to enter an automatic slideshow mode, and

(v) a button that, when activated, causes the current displayed image to be rotated.

16. The device of claim 15, further comprising one or more control switches for controlling operational aspects of the device.

17. The device of claim 15, further comprising visual indicators for alerting a user of an operational status of the device.

18. The device of claim 15, further comprising a video bypass circuit capable of passing a video signal to the display device.