Method and apparatus for displaying video signals from a plurality of input sources

• US 8,482,673 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2010
• Issued: 07/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Oh, Sung-bo, Lee, Tae-hee, Yoo, Young-taek, Jeon, Hyoung-woo, Park, Jae-ho, Yun, Na-rae
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe, Gims
• Assistant Examiner(s): Aghevli, Reza
• Application Number:
  US12/822,303
• Publication Number:
  US 20110181781A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 348/565
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/20 Details of the management of multiple sources of image data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/12 Synchronisation between the display unit and other units, e.g. other display units, video-disc players
• 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 21/4316 for displaying supplemental content in a region of the screen, e.g. an advertisement in a separate window
• 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 21/440263 by altering the spatial resolution, e.g. for displaying on a connected PDA
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44227 Monitoring of local network, e.g. connection or bandwidth variations; Detecting new devices in the local network configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; monitoring connectivity in data switched networks H04L43/0811
• 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

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method thereof for displaying video signals on a display screen of a display apparatus, wherein the video signals are received by the display apparatus from a plurality of input sources. The method includes: determining whether a medium input from a first input source of the display apparatus is in a loading process; if the medium is in the loading process, displaying in a sub-window on the display screen a video signal output from the first input source of the display apparatus; if the medium is in the loading process, displaying in a main window on the display screen a video signal output from a second input source of the display apparatus. The video signal from the first input source may be downscaled and transmitted to the display device so as to conserve resources in both the first input source and the display device.

Claims

1. A method for displaying video signals on a display screen of a display apparatus, wherein the video signals are received by the display apparatus from a plurality of input sources, the method comprising:

displaying in a sub-window on the display screen a video signal output from a first input source of the display apparatus;

displaying in a main window on the display screen a video signal output from a second input source of the display apparatus;

determining whether an additional signal is received from the first input source; and

displaying a video signal input from the first input signal source of the display apparatus entirely on the display screen based on the received additional signal,

wherein the first input source of the display apparatus is an external video playing device which plays a media storage medium,

wherein the additional signal is data generated by the external video playing device to indicate that a process for playing a main video of the media storage medium by the external video playing device is completed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the loading process of the media storage medium input from the first input source is complete; and

if the loading process of the media storage medium input from the first input source is complete, displaying in the main window the video signal of the media storage medium output from the first input source of the display apparatus.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

if the loading process of the media storage medium input from the first input source is complete, canceling the displaying of the sub-window on the display screen.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a user selects the sub-widow displayed on the display screen; and

if the user selects the sub-window displayed on the display screen, closing the sub-window, and displaying the video signal output from the first input source in the main window on the display screen.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of whether the media storage medium input from the first input source of the display apparatus is in the loading process includes monitoring a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection between the first input source and the display apparatus.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying in the sub-window on the display screen includes downscaling the video signal of the media storage medium output from the first input source.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

buffering the downscaled video signal,

wherein the displaying in the sub-window on the display screen includes transmitting the buffered video signal to the display apparatus and displaying the buffered video signal received by the display apparatus in the sub-window on the display screen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the transmitting of the buffered video signal to the display apparatus includes transmitting the buffered video signal to the display apparatus over a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the HDMI connection includes an Ethernet channel.

10. The method of claim 6, the method further comprising:

displaying at least one other sub-window on the display screen,

wherein each of the at least one other sub-windows displays a video signal output from one of the second input source and another source,

wherein the video signal output from the one of the second input source and the other source is downscaled.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input source is one of a Blu-ray Disc (BD) player and a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player.

12. A method for displaying a video signal on a display screen of a display apparatus, wherein the display apparatus is connected with an alternate input source via a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection, wherein the HDMI connection includes an Ethernet channel, the method comprising:

downscaling a video signal of a media storage medium from the alternate input source;

transmitting the downscaled video signal to the display apparatus via the Ethernet channel of the HDMI connection;

displaying in a main window on the display screen a video signal output from a main input source of the display apparatus;

displaying in a sub-window on the display screen the downscaled video signal received from the alternate input source;

determining whether an additional signal is received from the alternate input source; and

displaying the video signal input from the alternate input signal source of the display apparatus entirely on the display screen based on the received additional signal,

wherein the first input source of the display apparatus is an external video playing device which plays the media storage medium,

wherein the additional signal is data generated by the external video playing device to indicate that a process for playing a main video of the media storage medium by the external video playing device is completed.

13. A media playing apparatus for transmitting a downscaled video signal from an input source to a display apparatus during a loading process of a media storage medium, the media playing apparatus comprising:

a media playing unit which is operable to receive the media storage medium, perform the loading process of the media storage medium and output a video signal corresponding to the playing of the media storage medium;

a downscaler which is operable to downscale the video signal of the media storage medium output from the media player and to output a downscaled video signal;

a memory which is operable to buffer the downscaled video signal received from the downscaler;

a communication module which is operable to transmit the buffered video signal from the memory to the display apparatus; and

a controller to determine whether the media playing unit is performing the loading process of the media storage medium, if the media playing unit is performing the loading process of the media storage medium, the controller controls the downscaler to downscale the video signal output from the media playing unit and to output the downscaled video signal, controls the memory to buffer the downscaled video signal received from the downscaler and controls the communication module to transmit the buffered video signal from the memory to the display apparatus, and if the media playing unit completes a process for playing a main video of the media storage medium, the controller generates an additional signal and controls the communication module to transmit the additional signal and a main video signal to the display apparatus,

wherein the additional signal is data to indicate that the process for playing the main video of the media storage medium by the medial playing unit is completed.

14. The media playing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller further determines whether the loading process of the media storage medium is complete, and if the loading process of the media storage medium is complete, the controller controls the communication module to stop transmitting the buffered video signal from the memory to the display apparatus.

15. The media playing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the controller determines whether the media playing unit is performing the loading process of the media storage medium by monitoring a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection between the media playing apparatus and the display apparatus.

16. The media playing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the transmitting of the buffered video signal to the display apparatus includes transmitting the buffered video signal to the display apparatus over a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection.

17. The media playing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the HDMI connection includes an Ethernet channel.

18. The media playing apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first input source is one of a Blu-ray Disc (BD) player and a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player.

19. A video display apparatus which communicates with a first input source via a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) connection, wherein the HDMI connection includes an Ethernet channel, the video display apparatus comprising:

a display screen;

a communication module which is operable to receive a video signal of a media storage medium from the first input source via the Ethernet channel of the HDMI connection;

an input module which is operable to receive an input video signal from a second input source; and

a controller to control the display screen to display the video signal in a sub-window on the display screen, to control the display screen to display the input video signal received from the second input source in a main window on the display screen, to determine whether an additional signal is received from the first input source, and to control the display screen to display the video signal input from the first input source entirely on the display screen based on the received additional signal,

wherein the first input source of the display apparatus is an external video playing device which plays the media storage medium,

wherein the additional signal is data generated by the external video playing device to indicate that a process for playing a main video of the media storage medium by the external video playing device is completed.

20. The video display apparatus according to claim 19, wherein:

the controller further determines whether a first control signal is received from the first input source via the HDMI connection; and

the first control signal indicates the process for playing the main video of the media storage medium is not completed.

21. The video display apparatus according to claim 20, wherein:

if the controller determines the control signal is received from the first input source via the HDMI connection, the controller sends a second control signal to the first input source via the HDMI connection, and

the second control signal controls the first input source to transmit the video signal from the first input source to the video display apparatus via the Ethernet channel of the HDMI connection.