Playback method and apparatus

• US 9,686,587 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2012
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xueshan Technologies Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MStar Semiconductor Incorporated (MediaTek, Inc.)
• Inventors: Huang, Hung-Chi
• Primary Examiner(s): Shibru, Helen
• Application Number:
  US13/609,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20130322855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 386244-246, 386337-340
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/440236 by media transcoding, e.g. video is transformed into a slideshow of still pictures, audio is converted into text
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4886 for displaying a ticker, e.g. scrolling banner for news, stock exchange, weather data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/814 comprising emergency warnings arrangements specially adapted for emergency or urgency in broadcast systems H04H20/59; arrangements for providing alarms, notifications, alerts to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895

Abstract

A video/audio playback method is provided which can provide simultaneous, multi-language support for consumers of television and multimedia. The method includes steps of: receiving a first playback data and a second playback data; converting first character information in the first playback data into a first audio signal; and simultaneously playing the first audio signal, and a second audio signal corresponding to the second playback data. The first audio signal and the second audio signal respectively correspond to a first playback language and a second playback language.

Claims

1. A playback method, for a video/audio playback apparatus, comprising:

receiving a first playback data and a second playback data;

converting first character information in the first playback data to a first speech data; and

simultaneously playing the first speech data and a second-speech data corresponding to the second playback data, wherein the second speech data is not a translation result of the first speech data;

wherein, the first and the second speech data respectively correspond to a first playback language and a second playback language.

2. The playback method according to claim 1, wherein the first playback data is in a first image data format.

3. The playback method according to claim 2, wherein the step of converting the first character information in the first playback data to the first speech data comprises:

performing optical character recognition on the first playback data to obtain the first character information; and

converting the first character information into the first speech data.

4. The playback method according to claim 3, wherein the step of converting the first character information into the first speech data comprises:

translating the first character information; and

playing the translated first character information by the first playback language to obtain the first speech data.

5. The playback method according to claim 1, wherein the step of converting the first character information in the first playback data into the first speech data directly converts the first character information in the first playback data into the first speech data.

6. The playback method according to claim 5, wherein the step of converting the first playback data into the first speech data comprises:

translating the first character information; and

playing the translated first character information by the first playback language to obtain the first speech data.

7. The playback method according to claim 1, wherein the first playback data and the second playback data are provided by a shared signal source, or respectively provided by a first signal source and a second signal source.

8. The playback method according to claim 7, wherein the shared signal source, the first signal source and the second signal source are provided by a television signal provider and/or a network service provider.

9. The playback method according to claim 1, further comprising:

converting second character information in the second playback data into the second speech data.

10. The playback method according to claim 1, further comprising:

setting a type of the first playback language.

21. The playback method according to claim 1, wherein the first playback data is in a first text data format.

11. A video/audio playback apparatus, signally connected to at least one signal source, comprising:

a receiving unit, signally connected to the at least one signal source, configured for receiving a first playback data and a second playback data;

a control unit, configured for converting first character information in the first playback data into a first speech data; and

a playback unit, configured for simultaneously playing the first speech data, and a second speech data corresponding to the second playback data, wherein the second speech data is not a translation result of the first speech data;

wherein, the first speech data and the second speech data respectively correspond to a first playback language and a second playback language.

12. The playback apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first playback data is in a first image data format.

13. The playback apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the control unit comprises:

a retrieving module, configured for obtaining a plurality of text characteristics from the first playback data; and

a recognition module, configured for performing optical character recognition on the text characteristics to obtain the first character information; and

an audio converting module, configured for converting the first character information into the first speech data.

14. The playback apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the control unit further comprises:

a translating module, configured for translating the first character information and providing the translated first character information to the audio converting module to allow the audio converting module to accordingly obtain the first speech data.

15. The playback apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit comprises:

an audio converting module, configured for converting the first character information in the first playback data into the first speech data.

16. The playback apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the control unit further comprises:

a translating module, configured for translating the first character information in the first playback data and providing the translated first character information to the audio converting module to allow the audio converting module to accordingly obtain the first speech data.

17. The playback apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the at least one signal source is a shared signal source providing the first playback data and the second playback data, or is a first signal source and a second signal source respectively providing the first playback data and the second playback data.

18. The playback apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the control unit converts second character information in the second playback data into the second speech data.

19. The playback apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the second playback data is in a video/audio data format, a second image data format, or a second text data format.

20. The playback apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the second speech data is original audio data in the second playback data when the second playback data is in the video/audio data format.

22. The playback method according to claim 11, wherein the first playback data is in a first text data format.