Image display apparatus, signal processing apparatus, image display method, and computer program product

• US 8,373,797 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2007
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ishii, Mikio, Kosuge, Shoji, Higuchi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): YENKE, BRIAN P
• Application Number:
  US11/807,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,090 Days
• Field of Search: 348/441, 348/445, 348/448, 348/790, 348/797
• US Class Current: 348/448
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/112 according to a given display mode, e.g. for interlaced or progressive display mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/16 for a given display mode, e.g. for interlaced or progressive display mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/44 Decoders specially adapted therefor, e.g. video decoders which are asymmetric with respect to the encoder
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/577 Motion compensation with bidirectional frame interpolation, i.e. using B-pictures

Abstract

An image display apparatus includes an active-period interlaced-to-progressive (IP) converter configured to convert active periods (video periods) included in interlaced signals into progressive signals; a blanking-period IP converter configured to convert blanking periods included in the interlaced signals into progressive signals; a multiplexer configured to generate and output display data including both the progressive signals associated with the active periods and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods; and a display unit configured to display the data output from the multiplexer. The blanking-period IP converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing IP conversion in which values copied from data included in the interlaced signals or values corresponding to black pixels are set as pixel values of an interpolated field not included in field data of the interlaced signals.

Claims

1. A frame-holding image display apparatus that displays blanking-period data included in interlaced signals, the blanking-period data being auxiliary data of at least one of audio data and metadata superimposed in a blanking period, the image display apparatus comprising:

an active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter configured to convert active periods included in interlaced signals into progressive signals, the active periods being periods in which video data is recorded;

a blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter configured to convert blanking periods included in the interlaced signals into progressive signals;

a multiplexer configured to receive input of the progressive signals associated with the active periods, generated by the active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods, generated by the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and to generate and output display data including both the progressive signals associated with the active periods and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods; and

a display unit configured to display the data output from the multiplexer including display of blanking-period data;

wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals for the blanking periods by executing interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which (1) interpolation based on pixel values is not executed and (2) lines not existing in the interlaced signal are generated by at least one of (a) original interlaced values copied from the auxiliary data superposed in the blanking periods of the interlaced signals and (b) values corresponding to black pixels are the only values set as pixel values of an interpolated field which is not included in field data of the blanking periods of the interlaced signals.

2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion according to a line repeat method in which a current field is repeatedly set to an interpolated field adjacent to the current field.

3. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion according to a pseudo-interlace method in which black pixels are set in an interpolated field adjacent to a current field.

4. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which data of a preceding field is set to an interpolated field adjacent to a current field.

5. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which data of a field included in the same frame as a current field but different from the current field is set to an interpolated field adjacent to the current field.

6. A frame-holding signal processing apparatus comprising:

an active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter configured to convert active periods included in interlaced signals into progressive signals, the active periods being periods in which video data is recorded;

a blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter configured to convert blanking periods included in the interlaced signals into progressive signals; and

a multiplexer configured to receive input of the progressive signals associated with the active periods, generated by the active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods, generated by the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and to generate and output display data including both the progressive signals associated with the active periods and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods;

wherein blanking-period data being auxiliary data of at least one of audio data and metadata superimposed in the blanking period, the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals for the blanking periods by executing interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which (1) interpolation based on pixel values is not executed and (2) lines not existing in the interlaced signal are generated by at least one of (a) original interlaced values copied from the auxiliary data superposed in the blanking periods of the interlaced signals and (b) values corresponding to black pixels are the only values set as pixel values of an interpolated field which is not included in field data of the blanking periods of the interlaced signals.

7. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion according to a line repeat method in which a current field is repeatedly set to an interpolated field adjacent to the current field.

8. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion according to a pseudo-interlace method in which black pixels are set in an interpolated field adjacent to a current field.

9. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which data of a preceding field is set to an interpolated field adjacent to a current field.

10. The signal processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter is configured to generate the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods by executing the interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which data of a field included in the same frame as a current field but different from the current field is set to an interpolated field adjacent to the current field.

11. An image display method of a frame-holding image display apparatus for displaying blanking-period data included in interlaced signals, the blanking-period data being auxiliary data of at least one of audio data and metadata superimposed in a blanking period, the image display method comprising the steps of:

causing an active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter to convert active periods included in interlaced signals into progressive signals, the active periods being periods in which video data is recorded;

causing a blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter to convert blanking periods included in the interlaced signals into progressive signals;

causing a multiplexer to receive input of the progressive signals associated with the active periods, generated by the active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods, generated by the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and to generate and output display data including both the progressive signals associated with the active periods and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods; and

causing a display unit to display the data output from the multiplexer including display of blanking-period data;

wherein the progressive signals for the blanking periods are generated by executing interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which (1) interpolation based on pixel values is not executed and (2) lines not existing in the interlaced signal are generated by at least one of (a) original interlaced values copied from the auxiliary data superposed in the blanking periods of the interlaced signals and (b) values corresponding to black pixels are the only values set as pixel values of an interpolated field which is not included in field data of the blanking periods of the interlaced signals.

12. A computer program product, embodied on a non-transitory computer readable medium, for causing a frame-holding image display apparatus to display blanking-period data included in interlaced signals, the blanking-period data being auxiliary data of at least one of audio data and metadata superimposed in a blanking period, the computer program product comprising the steps of:

causing an active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter to convert active periods included in interlaced signals into progressive signals, the active periods being periods in which video data is recorded;

causing a blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter to convert blanking periods included in the interlaced signals into progressive signals;

causing a multiplexer to receive input of the progressive signals associated with the active periods, generated by the active-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods, generated by the blanking-period interlaced-to-progressive converter, and to generate and output display data including both the progressive signals associated with the active periods and the progressive signals associated with the blanking periods; and

causing a display unit to display the data output from the multiplexer including display of blanking-period data;

wherein the progressive signals for the blanking periods are generated by executing interlaced-to-progressive conversion in which (1) interpolation based on pixel values is not executed and (2) lines not existing in the interlaced signal are generated by at least one of (a) original values interlaced copied from the auxiliary data superposed in the blanking periods of the interlaced signals and (b) values corresponding to black pixels are the only values set as pixel values of an interpolated field which is not included in field data of the blanking periods of the interlaced signals.