Separating device and method and signal receiving device and method

• US 7,529,277 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2005
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Adachi, Hiroshi, Yamamoto, Yosuke, Noda, Tatsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAN, MAN U
• Application Number:
  US11/060,155
• Publication Number:
  US 20050163165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 348/E5.005, 348/E7.071, 348/E7.094, 348/432.1, 348473-474, 348 93- 94, 370468-486, 370535-542, 375/E7.019, 375/E7.022, 375/E7.222, 375/E7.268, 375/E7.275, 380212-215, 725 71-135
• US Class Current: 370/535
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2365 Multiplexing of several video streams
• 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 21/4263 involving specific tuning arrangements, e.g. two tuners
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/434 Disassembling of a multiplex stream, e.g. demultiplexing audio and video streams, extraction of additional data from a video stream; Remultiplexing of multiplex streams; Extraction or processing of SI; Disassembling of packetised elementary stream demultiplexing of data packets for data networks, e.g. RTP/UDP H04L65/00
• 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 21/4347 Demultiplexing of several video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052

Abstract

A separating device and method and a signal receiving device and method are presented. The separating device and method receive plural data streams and then separate and extract at least a portion of data from the received data streams. The signal receiving device and method receive plural data streams and then select, separate and extract at least a portion of the data from the data streams. Then the signal receiving device and method apply signal processing to the portion of the data that has been selected, separated and extracted.

Claims

1. An apparatus for receiving, separating and decoding a plurality of data streams, comprising:

a receiver operable to produce an initial data stream containing multiplexed data packets representing a plurality of data programs from a plurality of transmitted data streams received over a communication channel;

a separating device operable to produce an intermediate data stream containing multiplexed data packets representing one or more selected ones of the data programs chosen from the initial data stream and to output the intermediate data stream as packetized data, the separating device including a multiplexer operable to produce a multiplexed data stream including the initial data stream and a separator operable to extract the selected data programs from the multiplexed data stream;

an interchange unit operable to change a first packet identifier of a first data packet of the intermediate data stream produced by the separating device to a unique packet identifier in the event that the first packet identifier is the same as a second packet identifier of a second data packet of the produced data stream, and to output resultant data; and

a decode processor operable to decode the resultant data such that the multiplexed data packets representing the selected data programs are associated with one another, the decode processor including a video decode processor operable to decode a video portion of the resultant data corresponding to the selected data programs and to generate decoded video data, an audio decode processor operable to decode an audio portion of the resultant data corresponding to one of the selected data programs and to generate decoded audio data, a display generator operable to process the decoded video data for multi-screen displaying, and an audio generator operable to process the decoded audio data for playing.

2. An apparatus for receiving, separating and decoding a plurality of data streams, comprising:

a receiver operable to produce an initial data stream containing multiplexed data packets representing a plurality of data programs from a plurality of transmitted data streams received over a communication channel;

a separating device operable to produce an intermediate data stream containing multiplexed data packets representing one or more selected ones of the data programs chosen from the initial data stream and to output the intermediate data stream as packetized data, the separating device including a separator operable to extract the selected data programs from the initial data stream and a multiplexer operable to produce a multiplexed data stream including each of the selected data programs extracted by the separator;

an interchange unit operable to change a first packet identifier of a first data packet of the intermediate data stream produced by the separating device to a unique packet identifier in the event that the first packet identifier is the same as a second packet identifier of a second data packet of the produced data stream, and to output resultant data; and

a decode processor operable to decode the resultant data such that the multiplexed data packets representing the selected data programs are associated with one another, the decode processor including a video decode processor operable to decode a video portion of the resultant data corresponding to the selected data programs and to generate decoded video data, an audio decode processor operable to decode an audio portion of the resultant data corresponding to one of the selected data programs and to generate decoded audio data, a display generator operable to process the decoded video data for multi-screen displaying, and an audio generator operable to process the decoded audio data for playing.

3. A method for decoding packet data, comprising the steps of:

producing at least one initial data stream containing multiplexed data packets, the multiplexed data packets representing a plurality of data programs from a plurality of distinct signals received over at least one communication channel;

producing at least one intermediate data stream containing selected multiplexed data packets representing one or more selected ones of the data programs chosen from the at least one initial data stream and outputting the at least one intermediate data stream as packetized data, the step of producing the at least one intermediate data stream including multiplexing each of the initial data streams onto a multiplexed data stream and separating each of the selected data programs from the multiplexed data stream;

changing a first packet identifier of a first data packet of the at least one intermediate data stream to a unique packet identifier in the event that the first packet identifier is the same as a second packet identifier of a second data packet of the at least one intermediate data stream, and outputting resultant data; and

decoding the resultant data such that the selected multiplexed data packets representing each of the one or more selected data programs are associated with one another, the step of decoding the resultant data including decoding a video portion of the resultant data corresponding to the one or more selected data programs and decoding an audio portion of the resultant data corresponding to the one or more selected data programs.

4. A method for decoding packet data, comprising the steps of:

producing at least one initial data stream containing multiplexed data packets, the multiplexed data packets representing a plurality of data programs from a plurality of distinct signals received over at least one communication channel;

producing at least one intermediate data stream containing selected multiplexed data packets representing one or more selected ones of the data programs chosen from the at least one initial data stream and outputting the at least one intermediate data stream as packetized data, the step of producing the at least one intermediate data stream including separating each of the selected data programs from the at least one initial data stream and multiplexing each of the selected data programs onto a multiplexed data stream;

changing a first packet identifier of a first data packet of the at least one intermediate data stream to a unique packet identifier in the event that the first packet identifier is the same as a second packet identifier of a second data packet of the at least one intermediate data stream, and outputting resultant data; and

decoding the resultant data such that the selected multiplexed data packets representing each of the one or more selected data programs are associated with one another, the step of decoding the resultant data including decoding a video portion of the resultant data corresponding to the one or more selected data programs and decoding an audio portion of the resultant data corresponding to the one or more selected data programs.