Communication system, transmission apparatus, transmission method, reception apparatus and reception method

• US 8,392,958 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayashi, Toshihide, Tsumura, Masayuki, Tsumori, Koki, Shimizu, Katsuhiro, Kawamura, Ban
• Primary Examiner(s): Lonsberry, Hunter B
• Application Number:
  US12/450,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20100033627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,950 Days
• Field of Search: 725/133, 725/136, 725/141, 725/153
• US Class Current: 725/133
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/12 Use of DVI or HDMI protocol in interfaces along the display data pipeline
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/005 Adapting incoming signals to the display format of the display terminal
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• 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 21/43635 HDMI
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/775 between a recording apparatus and a television receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0125 one of the standards being a high definition standard
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/083 with signal insertion during the vertical and the horizontal blanking interval , e.g. MAC data signals

Abstract

[Object]

To make it possible for the reception side to carry out an optimum process for an image signal (image data) depending upon the type of a content.

[Solving Means]

An AV system 40 composed of an HD recorder 41 and a display unit 42 uses a communication interface of the HDMI. An HDMI source 53 of the HD recorder 41 transmits image data (image signal) in the form of differential signals to an HDMI sink 61 of the display unit 42 through three TMDS channels. The HDMI source 53 inserts content identification information for the identification of the type of a content of image data to be transmitted into an AVI InfoFrame packet placed in a blanking period. A control section 64 of the display unit 42 controls operation of a display processing section 62 which carries out a process for displaying for the image data based on the content identification information (ITC, CT1 and CT0) received by the HDMI sink 61 and a display section 63 for displaying an image.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a transmission apparatus, and

a reception apparatus,

wherein said transmission apparatus includes;

an identification information insertion section configured to insert, into a blanking period of an image signal of a predetermined content to be transmitted, content identification information for the identification of a type of the predetermined content, and

a transmission section configured to transmit the image signal having the content identification information inserted in the blanking period thereof by said identification information insertion section in the form of differential signals to said reception apparatus through a plurality of channels; and

said reception apparatus includes;

a reception section configured to receive the image signal, which has the content identification information inserted in the blanking period thereof, transmitted thereto in the form of differential signals from said transmission apparatus through the plurality of channels,

a display processing section configured to carry out a process for displaying for the image signal received by said reception section, and

a control section configured to control operation of said display processing section based on the content identification information inserted in the blanking period of the image signal received by said reception section,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.

2. A transmission apparatus, comprising:

an identification information insertion section configured to insert, into a blanking period of an image signal of a predetermined content to be transmitted, content identification information for the identification of a type of the predetermined content; and

a transmission section configured to transmit the image signal having the content identification information inserted in the blanking period thereof by said identification information insertion section in the form of differential signals through a plurality of channels,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.

3. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the content identification information is identification information at least for the identification of whether or not the predetermined content is a still picture content.

4. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the content identification information is formed from first data formed from data of 1 bit and second data formed from data of 2 bits and used further when the first data is in one state.

5. The transmission apparatus according to claim 4, wherein types of contents which are identified with the content identification information are a dynamic picture, a text, a still picture, a cinema and a game.

6. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the content identification information includes information indicative of the type of the content.

7. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the content identification information includes one or both of information indicative of a vendor name and information indicative of a type of a source apparatus.

8. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a color space information insertion section configured to insert color space information of the image signal into a blanking period of the image signal of the predetermined content to be transmitted, wherein the definition of the color space information varies in response to a type of the content indicated by the content identification information.

9. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a quantization range information insertion section configured to insert quantization range information of the image signal into a blanking period of the image signal of the content to be transmitted, wherein the definition of the quantization range information varies depending upon the type of the predetermined content indicated by the content identification information.

10. The transmission apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a reproduction section configured to reproduce and obtain the image signal of the predetermined content to be transmitted from a recording medium.

11. A transmission method, comprising:

an identification information insertion step of inserting, into a blanking period of an image signal of a predetermined content to be transmitted, content identification information for the identification of a type of the predetermined content; and

a transmission step of transmitting the image signal having the content identification information inserted in the blanking period thereof at the identification information insertion step in the form of differential signals through a plurality of channels,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.

12. A reception apparatus, comprising:

a reception section configured to receive an image signal transmitted thereto in the form of differential signals through a plurality of channels and having content identification information for the identification of a type of a content inserted in a blanking period thereof;

a display processing section configured to carry out a process for displaying for the image signal received by said reception section; and

a control section configured to control operation of said display processing section based on the content identification information inserted in the blanking period of the image signal received by said reception section,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.

13. The reception apparatus according to claim 12, wherein within a blanking period of the image signal received by said reception section, color space information whose definition varies in response to the type of the content indicated by the content identification information is inserted in addition to the content identification information, and said control section controls operation of said display processing section based on the content identification information and the color space information inserted in the blanking period of the image signal received by said reception section.

14. The reception apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said display processing section includes at least a color gamut expansion section configured to expand the color gamut, and said control section controls said color gamut expansion section such that, when the color space indicated by the color space information is the sRGB, the color gamut expansion process is carried out for the image signal.

15. The reception apparatus according to claim 12, wherein within a blanking period of the image signal received by said reception section, quantization range information of the image signal whose definition varies in response to the type of the content indicated by the content identification information is inserted in addition to the content identification information, and said control section controls operation of said display processing section based on the content identification information and the quantization range information inserted in the blanking period of the image signal received by said reception section.

16. The reception apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the quantization range information indicates a full range or a limited range, and said control section sets the quantization range for the image signal to a quantization range indicated by the quantization range information.

17. The reception apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a tuner for receiving a broadcasting signal, and a switch for selectively supplying an image signal received by said tuner or the image signal received by said reception section to said display processing section.

18. A reception method, comprising:

a reception step of receiving an image signal transmitted in the form of differential signals through a plurality of channels and having content identification information for the identification of a type of a content inserted in a blanking period thereof;

a display processing step of carrying out a process for displaying an image for the image signal received at the reception step; and

a control step of controlling operation at the display processing step based on the content identification information inserted in the blanking period of the image signal received at the reception step,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.

19. A reception apparatus, comprising:

a reception section configured to receive an image signal of a predetermined content which has content identification information for the identification of a type of a content;

a display processing section configured to carry out a process for displaying for the image signal received by said reception section; and

a control section configured to control operation of said display processing section based on the content identification information which the image signal received by said reception section has,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.

20. The reception apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the content identification information is inserted in a blanking period of the image signal.

21. A reception method, comprising:

a reception step of receiving an image signal of a predetermined content which has content identification information for the identification of a type of a content;

a display processing step of carrying out a process for displaying for the image signal received at the reception step; and

a control step of controlling operation at the display processing step based on the content identification information which the image signal received at the reception section has,

wherein the content identification information is formed from a plurality of data placed hierarchically.