Pulse or digital communications – Bandwidth reduction or expansion – Television or motion video signal
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-28
2001-07-10
Le, Vu (Department: 2613)
Pulse or digital communications
Bandwidth reduction or expansion
Television or motion video signal
Reexamination Certificate
active
06259740
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decoding apparatus in a digital television and more particularly to a moving picture experts group (MPEG) video decoding apparatus and method for supporting replay.
2. Discussion of Related Art
It is essential technology in the age of multi-media how efficiently treating and processing integrated video, voice, and data. An MPEG is an international standard for compressed coding of digital moving pictures which is most essential technology in such multi-media environment. In other words, technology of video compression and reconstruction including the MPEG has been essential technology in the multi-media age and settled down as a standard for a digital video disc (DVD) and a future digital television.
Therefore, development of related technology or application technology is substantial to secure international competitiveness in this field in the future.
Presently, for digital televisions oriented to the United States of America, MPEG compression and reconstruction conforming to a high definition (HD) class is determined as a standard, and the MPEG is settled down as a standard or an actual standard in other digital TV markets.
This means that an existing analog TV such as an NTSC is being slowly replaced by the digital TV.
This digital TV which is replacing the existing analog TV should be guaranteed to be have excellency in various multi-media functions as well as picture quality or sound.
In this regard, the digital TV must be able to support additional functions to extra functions of the existing expensive analog TV as well as basic picture display and sound. In other words, users familiar with the extra functions of the analog TV are supposed to expect more various functions, so how well meeting this expectation is important in making success of the digital TV earlier.
If an MPEG video decoder is applied to the digital TV, a consecutive bit stream received in real time will be displayed on a screen in regular sequent. When a user passes by a scene which he/she is interested in, he/she may have a desire to replay the part or, when necessary, store the part to see later.
For example, when a necessary telephone number is displayed during a commercial broadcast attracting the user's attention, the user may want to replay to identify a relevant part and, when necessary, store the part in a recording medium to see it later.
However, there is a problem in the general digital TV that a scene which has been played once cannot be replayed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to an MPEG video decoding apparatus and method for supporting replay that substantially obviates one or more of the limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
An objective of the present invention is to provide an MPEG video decoding apparatus and method for supporting a replay function by expanding memory without addition of complicated hardware.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an MPEG video decoding apparatus and method for displaying much amount of previous picture image with limited memory by compressing a video bit stream which is stored for use during replay.
Further another objective of the present invention is to provide an MPEG video decoding apparatus and method for outputting a video bit stream which is read from a memory for replay to an outer storage medium when a store command is entered during a replay mode.
Additional features and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by the structure as illustrated in the written description and claims hereof, as well as the appended drawings.
To achieve these and other advantages, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention as embodied and broadly described, an MPEG video decoding apparatus for supporting replay includes: a memory for storing a predetermined amount of an input video bit stream which will be decoded and/or replayed; a buffer controller for controlling write of an input video bit stream to the memory and read of a video bit stream stored in the memory; and a video decoder for MPEG-decoding a bit stream which is read from the memory by the buffer controller.
The memory is formed in such a manner of expanding a video buffering verification buffer for replay.
The memory comprises: a write address pointer for designating a next write address by increasing its value by one when a bit stream corresponding to a single word has been written; a read address pointer for designating a next read address by increasing its value by one when a bit stream corresponding to a single word has been read; and a replay read address pointer for storing an address of the read address pointer according to start of a replay mode. If a replay command is entered, the buffer controller fixes the write address pointer, stores an address of the read address pointer in the replay read address pointer, jumps the read address pointer to an address designated by the write address pointer, and subsequently reads a bit stream starting with a portion corresponding to the address to which the read address pointer is jumped, before sending it to the video decoder.
The buffer controller jumps the read address pointer to an address of the write address pointer when an address of the read address pointer is equal to an address of the replay read address pointer.
If the replay mode is released, the buffer controller stores an address of the replay read address pointer in the read address pointer, stores an input bit stream in the memory increasing the write address pointer, and reads a bit stream corresponding to an address designated by the read address pointer increasing the read address pointer.
The MPEG video decoding apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a store bit stream output unit for receiving and storing a video bit stream read from the memory during a replay mode and sending it to an outer storage medium of large capacity according to a store command.
In another aspect of the present invention, an MPEG video decoding method for supporting replay comprises the steps of: when in a replay mode, discarding the input video b it stream, instead of storing it in a memory which stores a predetermined amount of the input bit stream to be video-decoded and/or replayed, resulting in fix of a write address pointer; storing an address of a read address pointer in a replay read address pointer and storing an address of the write address pointer in the read address pointer; and subsequently reading and decoding a bit stream starting with a portion corresponding to the address of the read address pointer which is given by the address of the write address pointer while increasing the read address pointer, thereby performing the replay.
The reading and decoding step comprises the steps of: determining whether a normal play command is entered during a replay mode; if the normal play command is not entered, determining whether a current address of the read address pointer is equal to the address of the replay read address pointer; and if the two addresses are equal to each other, storing the address of the write address pointer in the read address pointer and reading and decoding the video bit stream corresponding to the address designated by the read address pointer which is given by the address of the write address pointer.
The MPEG video decoding method further comprises the step of storing the address of the replay read address pointer in the read address pointer, storing an input bit stream so as to increase the write address pointer, and reading a bit stream corresponding to the address designated by the read address pointer so as to increase the read address pointer when the normal play command is entered.
A video bit stream which has been read is sent to an outer storage
Fleshner & Kim LLP
Le Vu
LG Electronics Inc.
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