Video apparatus

• US 7,920,207 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2003
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Thomson Licensing SA (Vantiva SA)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Zhou, Qing Jin, Cai, Li Bin, Tan, Chee Lam, Dumont, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): YENKE, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/521,385
• Publication Number:
  US 20050248686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,828 Days
• Field of Search: 348/465, 348/572, 348/563, 348/564, 348/500, 348/705, 348/706
• US Class Current: 348/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• 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 21/42661 for reading from or writing on a magnetic storage medium, e.g. hard disk drive
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43072 of multiple content streams on the same device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43632 involving a wired protocol, e.g. IEEE 1394 high-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus H04L12/40052
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44016 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for substituting a video clip
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440218 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 conversion of standards in analogue television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4888 for displaying teletext characters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/088 the inserted signal being digital

Abstract

A video apparatus has a digital encoder which receives a first analogue video signal with ancillary information in a given time window and generates on an output a digital stream based on the first analogue video signal. A digital decoder is connectable to this output to generate a second analogue video signal. A switch selects between the first analogue video signal and the second analogue video signal as an output depending on a control signal based on the occurrence of said time window.

Claims

1. Video apparatus comprising:

an MPEG encoder receiving a first analogue video signal with ancillary information in a given time window and generating, exclusively from said first analogue video signal, on an output a digital video stream based at least partly on said first analogue video signal;

an MPEG decoder at least connectable to the output and generating a second analogue video signal exclusively from said digital video stream at least when being connected to said output;

control means for determining the occurrence of said time window and correspondingly generating a control signal;

selecting means for selectively outputting, based on said control signal, the first analogue video signal, when said time window occurs, and otherwise, the second analogue video signal,

wherein the MPEG decoder includes means for synchronising the second analogue video signal to the first analogue video signal;

wherein the control means uses a first signal which is high only during periodical predetermined time intervals corresponding to said time window,

wherein the control signal is generated by a combination of the first signal and of a second periodical signal corresponding to active parts of the first analogue video signal, and

wherein the first analogue video signal is a CVBS signal, wherein said first signal is high during predetermined lines of the first analogue video signal and wherein said second periodical signal is high during a determined part of each line.

2. Video apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the means for synchronising the second analogue video signal to the first analogue video signal are coupled to a synchronisation separator receiving the first analogue video signal on an input.

3. Video apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the MPEG encoder and the MPEG decoder are coupled via a selector coupled to a medium interface.

4. Video apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the selecting means are coupled to an output of the video apparatus connectable to a display.

5. Video apparatus comprising:

a digital MPEG encoder receiving a first analogue signal with ancillary information in a given time window and generating, exclusively from said first analogue signal, on an output a digital stream based at least partly on said first analogue signal;

a digital MPEG decoder at least connectable to the output and generating a second analogue signal exclusively from said digital stream at least when being connected to said output;

control means for determining the occurrence of said time window and correspondingly generating a control signal;

selecting means for selectively outputting, based on said control signal, the first analogue signal, when said time window occurs, and otherwise, the second analogue signal,

wherein the digital MPEG decoder includes means for synchronising the second analogue signal to the first analogue signal,

the control means uses a first signal which is high only during periodical predetermined time intervals corresponding to said time window,

the control signal is generated by a combination of the first signal and of a second periodical signal corresponding to active parts of the first analogue signal, and

the first analogue signal is a CVBS signal, wherein said first signal is high during predetermined lines of the first analogue signal and wherein said second periodical signal is high during a determined part of each line.