Recording medium and method and apparatus for decoding text subtitle streams

• US 7,587,405 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2005
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Seung Hoon, Park, Sung Wan, Yoo, Jea Yong, Kim, Byung Jin, Seo, Kang Soo, Shim, Young Sun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US11/033,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198560A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 707/101, 707/102, 707/6
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2541 Blu-ray discs; Blue laser DVR discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/3027 used signal is digitally coded

Abstract

At least one text subtitle stream is recorded on a recording medium. Each text subtitle stream includes a dialog style segment defining a set of region styles and at least one dialog presentation segment. Each dialog presentation segment contains at least one region of dialog text and being linked to at least one of the set of region styles. The dialog style segment includes a player style flag which indicates whether a player is permitted to generate its own set of player styles. Then each dialog presentation segment is decoded using the set of player styles if the permission is indicated by the player style flag.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium storing at least one text subtitle stream, the at least one text subtitle stream comprising:

a stream area for storing at least one text subtitle stream including a style segment defining styles and at least one presentation segment,

each presentation segment containing at most two regions of text,

each region being linked to at least one of the styles defined in the style segment by a region style identifier identifying the styles defined in the style segment,

wherein the style segment includes a player style flag which indicates whether a player is permitted to generate its own player styles for decoding the at least one text subtitle stream,

wherein each player style represents a region style specifying an independent set of region presentation properties for a region of text.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the styles defined in the style segment includes at least one region style and a data field indicating a number of region styles.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the number of region styles included in styles is less than or equal to 60.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a value of the player style flag is 1 to indicate that the player is permitted to generate its own player styles.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein a value of the player style flag is 0 to indicate that the player is prohibited from generating its own player styles.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the player styles are stored in a local data storage included in the player.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein each player style is configured to redefine at least one of region presentation properties specified by the linked style.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein each player style is configured to change at least one of region presentation properties specified by the linked style.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein each player style specifies a direction and a magnitude of a change in the at least one of region presentation properties.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the player style flag cannot be set by the player.

11. A method for decoding a text subtitle stream recorded on a computer-readable medium, the method comprising:

loading the text subtitle stream into a subtitle loading buffer, the loaded text subtitle stream including a style segment defining styles and at least one presentation segment,

wherein each presentation segment contains at most two regions of text,

each region being linked to at least one of the styles defined in the style segment by a region style identifier identifying the styles defined in the style segment;

reading a player style flag included in the style segment to determine whether a player is permitted to generate its own player styles; and

decoding the text subtitle stream using the player styles if the permission is indicated as allowed by the player style flag,

wherein each player style represents a region style specifying an independent set of region presentation properties for a region of text.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the styles defined in the style segment include at least one region style.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each player style represents a region style specifying an independent set of region presentation properties for a region of dialog text.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each player style is configured to redefine at least one of region presentation properties specified by the linked style.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein each player style is configured to change at least one of region presentation properties specified by the linked style.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each player style specifies a direction and a magnitude of a change in the at least one of region presentation properties.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining whether to use player styles if the permission is indicated as allowed by the player style flag.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

storing player styles in a local data storage.

19. An apparatus for decoding a text subtitle stream recorded on a computer-readable medium, the apparatus comprising:

a microprocessor;

a data storage unit;

a subtitle loading buffer configured to load the text subtitle stream,

the loaded text subtitle stream including a style segment defining styles and at least one presentation segment,

each presentation segment containing at most two regions of text,

each region being linked to at least one of the styles defined in the style segment by a region style identifier identifying the styles defined in the style segment; and

a text subtitle decoder configured to read a player style flag included in the style segment to determine whether a player is permitted to generate its own player styles,

wherein if the permission is indicated as allowed by the player style flag,

the text subtitle decoder decodes the text subtitle stream using the player styles generated by the player,

wherein each player style represents a region style specifying an independent set of region presentation properties for a region of text.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the subtitle loading buffer is configured to load the text subtitle stream, the text subtitle stream including the style segment defining the styles which are a user-defined region styles.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a local data storage configured to store the player styles.