Receiving apparatus and method

• US 8,081,870 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Masamichi, Takahashi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William
• Assistant Examiner(s): TEKLE, DANIEL T
• Application Number:
  US11/466,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20060282865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,945 Days
• Field of Search: 386/46
• US Class Current: 386/278
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234318 by decomposing into objects, e.g. MPEG-4 objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/426 Internal components of the client ; Characteristics thereof H04N5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• 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 21/44012 involving rendering scenes according to scene graphs, e.g. MPEG-4 scene graphs
• 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 21/47205 for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4858 for modifying screen layout parameters, e.g. fonts, size of the windows
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

Upon reproducing a TV program, it is a common practice to display video data sent from a broadcast station as it is, and the display pattern (layout) is not effectively changed (e.g., an object in video data is erased, or the object size is changed). A program ID from additional data contained in received TV information is detected, and when layout setting data corresponding to the detected program ID is stored in a memory, the corresponding layout setting data is read out from the memory to display program video data in the set layout. When a new layout is set, the user selects an object for which a layout is to be adjusted from objects that form image data in TV information, and adjusts movement, upscaling/downscaling, display ON/OFF of the selected object.

Claims

1. A video program receiving apparatus comprising:

a receiver, arranged to receive a digital data sequence related to a video program,

wherein the digital data sequence is in a television broadcast, which broadcasts image data and sound data encoded by a predetermined encoding method for encoding the image data and the sound data, respectively, as an object;

a decoder, arranged to decode image data and system data from the received digital data sequence, and to reproduce the decoded image including an image object according to the decoded system data;

a layout setting section, arranged to perform a layout setting mode in response to a user instruction, and to change a reproduction pattern of the image object according to a user operation inputted in the layout setting mode by modifying scene description information contained in the decoded system data;

a storage section, arranged to store, in a memory, layout setting data regarding the scene description information modified for the image object of which the reproduction pattern is changed in the layout setting mode, wherein the layout setting data contains object information to discriminate the image object and category information indicating a category of the video program which uses the image object; and

a setting section, arranged to discriminate the image object included in the decoded image data according to the layout setting data stored in the memory, and to set the reproduction pattern of the discriminated image object according to the layout setting data, in a case that the video program, whose category is already stored in the memory as the layout setting data, is received.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image data and sound data are encoded by MPEG 4.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the setting section obtains, from the decoded system data, the category information indicating the category of the video program.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an operating section arranged to allow a user to (a) manually select a predetermined image object included in the decoded image data, and (b) manually move and/or manually resize the selected image object.

5. A method of receiving a video program, the method using a processor to perform the steps of:

receiving a digital data sequence related to a video program,

wherein the digital data sequence is in a television broadcast, which broadcasts image data and sound data encoded by a predetermined encoding method for encoding the image data and the sound data, respectively, as an object;

decoding image data and system data from the received digital data sequence;

reproducing the decoded image including an image object according to the decoded system data;

performing a layout setting mode in response to a user instruction;

changing a reproduction pattern of the image object according to a user operation inputted in the layout setting mode by modifying scene description information contained in the decoded system data;

storing, in a memory, layout setting data regarding the scene description information modified for the image object of which the reproduction pattern is changed in the layout setting mode, wherein the layout setting data contains object information to discriminate the image object, and category information indicating a category of the video program which uses the image object;

discriminating the image object included in the decoded image data according to the layout setting data stored in the memory; and

setting the reproduction pattern of the discriminated image object according to the layout setting data, in a case that the video program, whose category is already stored in the memory as the layout setting data, is received.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the image data and sound data are encoded by MPEG 4.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein in the setting step, the category information indicating the category of the video program is obtained from the decoded system data.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

manually selecting, by a user, of a predetermined image object included in the decoded image; and

manually moving, by the user, and/or manually resizing, by the user, of the selected image object.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer-executable program for causing a computer to perform a method of receiving a video program, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a digital data sequence related to a video program,

wherein the digital data sequence is in a television broadcast, which broadcasts image data and sound data encoded by a predetermined encoding method for encoding the image data and the sound data, respectively, as an object;

decoding image data and system data from the received digital data sequence;

reproducing the decoded image including an image object according to the decoded system data;

performing a layout setting mode in response to a user instruction;

changing a reproduction pattern of the image object according to a user operation inputted in the layout setting mode by modifying scene description information contained in the decoded system data;

storing, in a memory, layout setting data regarding the modified scene description information for the image object of which the reproduction pattern is changed in the layout setting mode, wherein the layout setting data contains object information to discriminate the image object, and category information indicating a category of the video program which uses the image object;

discriminating the image object included in the decoded image data according to the layout setting data stored in the memory; and

setting the reproduction pattern of the discriminated image object according to the layout setting data, in a case that the video program, whose category is already stored in the memory as the layout setting data, is received.